Student Exploration Fund

The Student Exploration Fund supports early-stage innovators as they develop and test their ideas through customer discovery, prototype development, and other activities that help validate their solution with its target audience.

 

How it Works

 

Who can apply:

  • Your team must include at least one full-time Yale student enrolled in a degree-granting program.

 

Application timeline:

  • Fall semester: Applications open on October 2. Reviews take place every other week from October 2 through December 4. 
  • Spring semester: Applications open on February 12, and close for the year on April 16. Reviews will also take place every other week.

 

Funding details:

  • Grants of up to $500
  • Funding is available only during the fall and spring semesters.

 

Funding can be used for:

  • Most software tools and equipment
  • Raw materials and supplies, e.g. to create a new product or service
  • Legal and accounting consultation 

 

Funding cannot be used for:

  • Team wages & stipends
  • Personal expenses & living costs
  • Honorariums
  • Contractor fees
  • Research costs

 

How to apply

 

Application requirements:

  • A testable hypothesis explaining why your idea might solve a real-world problem
  • A plan for an experiment that will test your hypothesis
  • A feasible, line-by-line budget that does not include items already available through Yale student perks. For more information, please see the example budget section below:

 

Example Budget: Venture: Reusable takeout container program for campus dining Hypothesis: Students would switch from disposable containers if a convenient return system existed.

  • Experiment: Interview 100 students and test interest through a sign-up campaign.
  • Printing outreach materials - $20
  • Sign-up form software - $15
  • Refreshments for feedback sessions - $40

 

Tests may include:

  • Customer or user interviews
  • Email sign-ups from people beyond friends and family
  • A product or service that solves part of the larger problem
  • Anything else that can demonstrate that the real-world problem exists

 

Tests may not include:

  • Only gathering statistics and published research
  • Only conduct interviews with or collect data from friends and family 

 

Decision Process

  • Decisions are made during the review period listed above based solely on the information provided in the application. If the Tsai CITY team has questions about your application, an interview may be requested.
  • Students may apply multiple times to the Student Exploration Fund, as long as the total requested funding does not exceed $500 per academic year.
  • A member of the Tsai CITY team will email you once a decision is made.
  • We use the following criteria to evaluate each application.

 

The application process will begin on October 2, 2026. 

*Do you have questions? Schedule office hours to meet with the funding team.