The Education Lab Venture Fellowship enters the next round
The Education Lab Venture Fellowship (ELVF) is a joint program of the Education Lab with The Things We Learn and wirkt. It supports non-profit educational organizations in Vienna to strategically develop and grow their services and to develop their impact where it is needed: with children and young people.
The second round will start in June 2026.
Why a Fellowship?
Vienna has a strong and diverse education system. There are many ideas – schools, kindergartens and extracurricular facilities are doing a lot, supported by committed educators. At the same time, we know that Educational equality cannot be taken for granted. Social differences are reflected early on, not all children have the same opportunities to develop their potential.
The transition from successful pilot projects to structured, sustainable growth in the system is often challenging. This is precisely where the ELVF comes in: with structure, focus and personal support so that proven educational programs can develop their impact where it is needed: with children, young people and in Vienna’s communities.
What is the Venture Fellowship all about?
Over seven months, from June 2026 to January 2027, selected organizations will work together on their development in a strategic, practice-oriented and partnership-based manner.
The Venture Fellowship offers:
- Individual, regular support from venture architects, who help to sharpen the offering, structure and impact strategy
- A close-knit fellowship group where experiences, challenges and ideas are shared
- Three intensive program phases: Launch and strategy, development, implementation and piloting
- Space in the Education Lab for exchanging ideas, working together and strengthening your own network
- Mentors and experts from education and innovation fields
The Venture Fellowship is aimed at non-profit educational organizations in Vienna that have already tested their services and now want to consciously take the next step in their development:
- who want to gain more focus and clarity about their nature, their goals and their Theory of Change or want to sharpen it further, regardless of whether they are still relatively early-stage or want to rethink their status quo.
- who are prepared to reflect on structure and strategy with a view to sustainable growth, make decisions and start a cycle of testing, learning and adapting.
- who contribute to the Viennese educational landscape with their work, whether the target group is children and young people, elementary educators or vocational schools, the entire spectrum is welcome
This round is aimed particularly, but not exclusively, at initiatives and projects thatdeal with one of the two main topics of Common Language and Mental Health .
You can find the exact date, the application process and the key points of the program here: An insight into the Venture Fellowship #2
New cohort now: Apply! The application deadline is April 24, 2026.
Here you can find a review of our first ELVF round
The Venture Fellowship is implemented with:
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