Tips to fill the Fellowships & Grants Application Form

General Tips

Your application is a written pitch.

We've framed the questions so that you find the exercise of filling the form valuable regardless of the outcome of your application. The application form is built in a way that forces you to think through some of the most critical aspects of your work.

Aim for simple, clear and direct answers to all the questions.

We've reviewed over 10,000 applications over the past couple of years and the best applications communicate the most important points in simple, clear and direct language, in very concise terms.

Vague, verbose answers are a tax on the reader.

It is considerate to take time to clarify your thoughts, edit and frame them for the maximum possible impact, using the fewest number of simple words.

A lack of clarity in writing is often a result of a lack of clarity in the mind.

If we can't understand what you're trying to say, it is likely that the answer has not been written in a simple, lucid manner.

What about technical projects?

For deeply technical projects, we do our own research and consult with subject matter experts to understand more complex topics. It is a bonus if you can explain a very complex topic in simple terms.

High impact writing

• What you've done is useful to know, but what carries more weight is the impact it had on the world.
• Bullet points are easier to read and skim-through as opposed to lengthy paragraphs.
• Use examples and numbers to quantify the impact. This X-Y-Z formula is a good starting reference on framing your achievements.

Non-negotiable

• Typos, wrong email addresses, false information, wrong or broken links or in-accessible videos are not acceptable.
• No changes can be made to the form once submitted.
• No deadline extensions will be granted.

The Fellowships and Grants are highly competitive and our belief is that if you cannot fill a simple form without errors, you are unlikely to have the attention to detail and standards to be a great fit for the program.

You can copy the questions from the sample form into a Google or Word doc, review them, then copy paste them in the submission form. You can also add answers directly in the form and they will be auto-saved for later submissions. (as long as you don't clear your browser history)

On Using AI

Use AI in whatever way it helps you with the application, especially in improving the framing of your answers. We do not penalize use of AI in most cases especially where you've used it to improve the answers you've already written.

We do penalize generic, standardized answers and plans that are clearly low-effort and are directly copy-pasted from AI tools. We also penalize applications using AI on questions that should've been answered without asking an AI.