Impact — Rising Leaders Scholarship
Your business is one pitch away
We're giving one entrepreneur $50,000 to start their business — and everything they need to launch it right.
Applications open July 29 and close August 24, 2026
The winner is announced live at our Launch Gala — Saturday, August 29
Fifty thousand dollars. Yes — fifty thousand.
Most dreams don't die from a lack of passion. They die in the gap between the calling and the plan — between having the idea and having the money, the paperwork, and someone in your corner who has done it before. This scholarship closes that gap for one entrepreneur, completely.
What the $50,000 covers
This isn't a check and a handshake. It's everything required to open the doors and stay open.
Your startup costs
Equipment, inventory, build-out, licensing, insurance — the real costs of opening, funded.
Legal fees
Entity formation, contracts, trademarks — set up properly from day one, not patched later.
Our mentorship program
You're paired with people who have built businesses and will walk the first year with you.
The Impact community
You grow alongside other founders building at the same time — nobody does this alone.
Every tool you need
Business plan, financial model, systems, and templates — the roadmap, ready to use.
A business built to give back
We help you build something that lifts your community, not just your bottom line.
You bring your idea. You pitch it to us. That's it.
No complicated forms, no fees, no gatekeeping. Four steps, from your application to the moment your name is called at our Launch Gala.
Apply
Tell us who you are, what you want to build, and what the $50,000 would make possible. Applications are open July 29 through August 24, 2026.
Interview
Selected applicants sit down with us between August 24 and 28. We want to understand your idea, your readiness, and your heart for your community.
Pitch to the panel
Finalists present their business to a panel of five judges — founders and business leaders who have built something themselves.
Announced at the gala
The winner is announced live at the Impact Launch Gala on Saturday, August 29, 2026 — on stage, in front of the whole community. One entrepreneur receives the full award and begins the program with our mentors behind them.
You already know what it is.
You've felt it for years — in your notes app, on napkins, at 11pm scrolling past someone already living the life you keep picturing. Nobody ever handed you the map.
This scholarship is for you if:
- You have a named business and an idea you believe in, and haven't been able to fund it
- You're ready to actually launch — not someday, this year
- You want to build something that gives back to your community, not just to you
- You're willing to be coached, and to show up for the people coming behind you
Notice what we're not asking for
We're not asking for a perfect deck, a finished product, or a track record. We're asking what you'd build and who it would serve. Philanthropy is one of our core values — it isn't what you do once you've made it, it's built into how you start.
Ready? Let's hear it.
Applications are open July 29 through August 24, 2026. Interviews run August 24–28, and the winner is announced live at our Launch Gala on Saturday, August 29.
The application opens right here on the page. It asks serious questions, because $50,000 is a serious award and we're choosing one person out of everyone who applies. Set aside 30–45 minutes and answer it properly — thoughtful beats polished every time.
- Who you are, and your business name
- The business — what it is, who buys it, who else does it, what you'll charge and what it costs you
- Where you are today, and what you've already built with little or no money
- A real line-by-line breakdown of how you'd spend the $50,000
- Your break-even math, and how the business sustains itself after the award
- Licenses and permits you need, and what could kill this in year one
- Your biggest obstacle — and what happens if you don't win
- How the business gives back, and why this one is yours to build
You'll also confirm that you'll meet with an Impact mentor monthly and account for how the funds are spent. This award was funded by people who gave — we steward it carefully.
Questions first? Email info@we-impact.com or call (619) 541-2454.
This award exists because people gave.
Every dollar behind this scholarship came from someone who decided a stranger's calling was worth funding. If you want the next one to be bigger, you can make that happen.
Tax-deductible giving
Impact is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gift to the scholarship fund may be tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. You'll receive an official receipt for your records. Consult your tax advisor about your eligibility.