JOIN OUR
Incubation Program
Start a high-impact charity with our evidence-based ideas, expert training, and funding averaging £100,000.
THE PROGRAM
The Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program is a two-month, cost-covered training program that gives a small cohort of talented people from all over the world everything they need to launch a field-leading charity:
The necessary training
Co-founder matching
A well-connected and collaborative community
An evidence-based and cost-effective intervention idea
Seed funding to get started
Since 2018, we have helped 70+ individuals from across the world to launch 50+ incredible charities. Several are on track to becoming field leaders, recognised as some of the most cost-effective organisations in the world in the areas of global health & development, animal welfare, and family planning by professional evaluators such as Founders Pledge, GiveWell, and Rethink Priorities.
Join them by applying to our next Incubation Program!
OUR TRAINING
Get ready to start a charity through our two-month full-time, cost-covered training program.
In 42 applied partner projects, video lectures, and discussion groups, the Incubation Program teaches you everything you need to know to launch a field-leading charity. You’ll learn while creating the building blocks for your own charity, from a review of the evidence base to its 1-year plan and budget.
What you'll learn:
Evaluation Skills
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Theory of Change
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M&E
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Cost-effectiveness analysis
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Scientific evidence review
Leadership Skills
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Strategic planning
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Prioritization
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Task management and productivity
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Pitching
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Fundraising
Operations Skills
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Operations
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Financial planning
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Legal setup
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HR
Hands-on skills
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Working with stakeholders
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Pilot program design
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Insights from our top charities
INTERVENTION IDEA
Choose from 5-6 high-impact intervention ideas
Every year, our research team dedicates thousands of hours to analyzing hundreds of ideas, finding the top 5-6 intervention ideas for new charities to implement. This ensures that participants in our Incubation Program can successfully launch charities that the world truly needs.
We prioritize
Cost-effectiveness
Convergent scientific evidence
Exceptional levels of expected impact
We supply 80+ hour research and implementation reports so you can find your best fit during the program - and then hit the ground running to turn the intervention ideas into impactful organizations.
CO-FOUNDER MATCHING
When we ask alumni what they found most valuable about the program, they mention our co-founder matching.
Throughout the program, you will collaborate with accomplished individuals from around the globe while our team of experienced mentors assists you in selecting the ideal partner for your journey.
Learn what it is like to take part in the program directly from participants:
FUNDING
Receive a seed grant of up to $200,000 USD to launch your high-impact nonprofit at record speed.
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At the end of the Incubation Program, founders pitch their charities to our seed network. Since the first Incubation Program in 2019, over 80% of proposed charity interventions have received seed funding to kick-start their first year of operations. These commitments are made within a week of graduating from the program.
COMMUNITY
Join a highly collaborative community from around the world.
Over the last five years, we have built a community of 100+ alumni, charity entrepreneurs, nonprofit professionals, funders, and advisors. Whether you seek guidance on hiring, management, scaling up your intervention, establishing connections with an M&E agency, or navigating discussions with foreign governments, our network is here to support you every step of the way.
IMPACT
Starting a charity could be one of the most impactful career paths you might ever take.
By becoming a nonprofit entrepreneur you will build robust career capital and reach an impact equivalent to $338,000-414,000 donated* to the best charities in the world every year (e.g., GiveWell top charities)! If you do exceptionally well, we estimate that your impact can grow to $1M in annual counterfactual donations. This makes nonprofit entrepreneurship one of the most impactful jobs you could take!
*This calculation represents our most accurate estimate as of June 2023. It is based on assessing the average impact of charities we have launched and considers the counterfactual contributions of our co-founders—how much additional impact they have compared to what they would have achieved in another impactful role.
To date, we have helped launch 31 impact-focused nonprofits and secured them over $3 million in seed grants. They are now reaching over 20 million humans and have the potential to help up to 1 billion animals with their interventions. Here are some key highlights of their impact:
FORTIFY HEALTH
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~3 GiveWell Incubation Grants totaling $10 million
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~ 11 x more cost-effective than cash transfers (GiveWell estimates)
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1.2 million beneficiaries consuming fortified wheat flour
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49 miller partnerships, and 2 potential government partnerships that can affect millions more
IS THIS PROGRAM A GOOD FIT FOR YOU?
If you…
Are excited to make a huge impact with your career
Like moving fast and working on a variety of different tasks
Feel motivated by new challenges
… it may well be!
Since starting our Incubation Program in 2019, we have trained 84 incubatees from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. We are not looking for any specific type of work experience or formal education. What our incubatees have in common is…
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A deep dedication to doing good
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Ambition to make rapid progress and achieve results
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The drive to always keep learning
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The grit and creativity to keep going even in the face of difficulties
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Diverse and complementary skill sets
Learn what they were doing before the program and why they decided to join:
SHOULD YOU APPLY?
We value potential over experience. Use our application process as a comprehensive assessment of your fit for nonprofit entrepreneurship as a career.
Fact 1:
Nobody comes onto the program qualified to start a charity. That’s what the training is for!
Fact 2:
~50% of our most successful founders from previous years didn’t even think they should apply. If you’re excited about this career path, give yourself a chance.
Fact 3:
For most people, the highest-impact time to start a charity is right now.
Fact 4:
We have designed our application process to enable you to explore whether this is a good fit for you.
TESTIMONIALS
Marshall Thomas
Co-founder, HealthLearn
The CE team mentors each incubatee, helping them forge their path to impact. That gave me the support and confidence I needed to get started. Without the CE program, HealthLearn would not exist.
Joy Bittner
Co-founder, Vida Plena
Vida Plena wouldn’t exist without CE's Incubation Program. Their belief turned an idea into reality, providing funding, skills, and a supportive network. CE’s inspiring community made this journey truly transformative.
Céline Kamsteeg
Co-founder, Lafiya Nigeria
I knew I wanted to start something new, but had no idea how to begin. The CE program gave me the tools to sharpen my decision-making, helping us iterate and scale quickly.
Keyur Doolabh
Co-founder,
Healthy Futures Global
The CE program helped me over every obstacle to founding a charity. In 8 weeks, I went from never thinking I could found a charity, to feeling confident it was something I'd enjoy and even be good at!