Cultivate a pipeline of inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs driven to solve the world’s biggest challenges by advancing innovation and entrepreneurship education and providing funding, training, mentorship, and networks to early-stage STEM innovators.
National Collegiate Investors & Innovators Alliance Inc. centers its giving on turning student inventions and faculty-led innovation programs into commercialization pathways. Its largest recent grant, $562,500 to 2twelve90 LLC, supported WFF Advanced Mobility Venture Studio Operations, showing a willingness to back venture-studio infrastructure as well as direct student and campus programs. Across the recent grants list, the foundation repeatedly funds university-based invention and entrepreneurship work, including $88,000 to Johns Hopkins University for global project explorations in biomedical design and innovation and $65,000 to the University of Washington, Seattle Campus, for student teams commercializing science and technology inventions. Other grants point to a broad STEM-to-market pipeline: workshops, peer networking, expert coaching, and support for faculty who create new courses or programs. The organization’s stated mission aligns with that pattern, combining innovation and entrepreneurship education with funding, training, mentorship, and networks for early-stage STEM innovators. Recipients include research universities, student venture teams, and challenge finalists working on technologies with social, health, environmental, biomedical, climate, ocean, and energy applications.
The foundation’s most consistent theme is early-stage commercialization support for student inventors. It gave $65,000 to the University of Washington, Seattle Campus, for student teams working to commercialize high-impact science and technology inventions, and $50,000 to Pennsylvania State University for the same purpose. A second cluster is faculty and curriculum development: Arizona State University received $50,000 for faculty with innovative ideas to create or transform courses and programs that help students develop STEM-based inventions, while the University of Wisconsin system received $44,000 for similar course and program work. The portfolio also includes challenge and incubation activity. Georgia Tech Research Corporation received $48,000 as a 2024 Innovate Egypt Business Incubation Host and GIST Business Incubation Host, and the University of Houston received $46,400 for Verizon-CGI U Challenge finalists on the path to launching technology innovations with social, health, and environmental impact. Biomedical and climate-oriented work also appears, including $88,000 to Johns Hopkins University for biomedical design and innovation explorations and $50,000 to Agpreneur Inc for AI for climate resilience.
$5.2M
$67.3M
$116.6M
$110.8M
Most grants fall between $20K and $30K, with a median of $27K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$27K
75th Percentile
$30K
About 7% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Philip J Weilerstein
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Typical awards cluster tightly around the mid-$20,000 range, with p25 at $20,000, median grant size at $26,550, and p75 at $30,000. The recent grants list shows a mix of one-time awards and repeated support to the same institutions across multiple years, especially large research universities and campus innovation programs. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a DAF and does not fund individuals or program-related investments. It also accepts unsolicited applications for some active programs, including the E-Team and DEBUT challenge pathways, while faculty grants and the VentureWell Accelerator are marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
Giving is national, and the recipient list is entirely U.S.-based, with 175 grants in the United States. New York appears most often by state, while Massachusetts accounts for 7% of grants. Recent awards reach campuses and organizations in Baltimore, Seattle, Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, and San Juan. The list also shows recurring activity in university towns such as Evanston, Tempe, and Corvallis, alongside grants to institutions in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California.
It funds student venture programs, faculty-led innovation and entrepreneurship education, and commercialization support for STEM inventors. Recent grants include awards for student teams, course and program development, business incubation, and challenge finalists working on health, social, environmental, and technology innovations.
Typical grant sizes cluster between $20,000 and $30,000, with a p25 of $20,000, a median of $26,550, and a p75 of $30,000.
Yes, for some active programs. The E-Team Program, Stage 1 E-Team Grants, Stage 2 E-Team Grants, and the DEBUT Challenge are listed as accepting unsolicited applications, while the Faculty Grant Program and The VentureWell Accelerator are marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
The main beneficiaries are U.S.-based faculty, university student teams, early-stage academic entrepreneurs or technology founders, and competition finalists seeking launch support. The grant descriptions emphasize capacity building, professional development, and commercialization support rather than individual awards.
The grantmaking is national within the United States. New York is the top state by grant count, and Massachusetts receives 7% of grants. Recent recipients include organizations in Baltimore, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, and San Juan.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2TWELVE90 LLC | Mount Pleasant, SC | $562,500 | 2025 | WFF Advanced Mobility Venture Studio Operations |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $65,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Washington - Seattle Campus University of | Seattle, WA | $65,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Agpreneur Inc | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 2023 Moonshots for Development Award for development of AI for climate reilience. |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $50,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market and funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Atlanta, GA | $48,000 | 2025 | 2024 Innovate Egypt Business Incubation Host; GIST Business Incubation Host |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $42,500 | 2025 | NSF Includes Stipend; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Rutgers The State University of New Jersey | Piscataway, NJ | $40,000 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| Elizabeth City State University | Elizabeth City, NC | $35,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| California San Diego University of | La Jolla, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| North Carolina A&T State University | Greensboro, NC | $33,510 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| California State University Fullerton | Fullerton, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Portland State University | Portland, OR | $30,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| HBCU Founders Initiative | La Jolla, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | Designing for Social Good Workshop Sponsorship |
| Montana State University | Bozeman, MT | $30,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Lorain County Community College | Elyria, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Benedict College | Columbia, SC | $30,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg, VA | $30,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Pennsylvania University of | Philadelphia, PA | $30,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX | $29,995 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicina | Philadelphia, PA | $29,975 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD | $29,952 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | $29,774 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| California State University San Bernadino | San Bernardino, CA | $29,600 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Clayton State University | Morrow, GA | $29,190 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| Tennessee Tech University | Cookeville, TN | $27,637 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc | Orlando, FL | $25,108 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| California Poly Corporation | San Luis Obispo, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Daytona Beach, FL | $24,999 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| California Davis University of | Davis, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Bug Mars Inc | Brighton, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | GIST APEC 2023 1st Place Mini Grant |
| Texas A&M University | College Station, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Southern California University of | Los Angeles, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Akron University of | Akron, OH | $20,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Puerto Rico Mayaguez University of | Mayaguez, PR | $19,988 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | 2023 DEBUT Challenge Prize |
| Duke University | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Direct Marketing Productions Inc dba eventPower | Centreville, VA | $13,170 | 2025 | SelectUSA Investment Summit Travel Stipend |
| Association of University Technology Managers | Washington, DC | $11,350 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| Angel Capital Association | Overland Park, KS | $10,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| USASBE | Whitewater, WI | $10,000 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| Black Women Talk Tech Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market. |
| University Industry Demonstration Partnership | Columbia, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| Bowie State University Foundation | Bowie, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
| Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC | Golden, CO | $7,500 | 2025 | Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions. |
| NetaCarbon | Allston, MA | $7,000 | 2025 | GIST APEC 2023 4th Place mini grant |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, OH | $6,000 | 2025 | Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond. |
2TWELVE90 LLC
$562,500WFF Advanced Mobility Venture Studio Operations
Johns Hopkins University
$65,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Washington - Seattle Campus University of
$65,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Agpreneur Inc
$50,000International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 2023 Moonshots for Development Award for development of AI for climate reilience.
Arizona State University
$50,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market and funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Pennsylvania State University
$50,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
$48,0002024 Innovate Egypt Business Incubation Host; GIST Business Incubation Host
Yale University
$42,500NSF Includes Stipend; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
$40,000Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
Elizabeth City State University
$35,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
California San Diego University of
$35,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
North Carolina A&T State University
$33,510Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market; Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
California State University Fullerton
$30,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Portland State University
$30,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
HBCU Founders Initiative
$30,000Designing for Social Good Workshop Sponsorship
Montana State University
$30,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Lorain County Community College
$30,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Benedict College
$30,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
$30,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Pennsylvania University of
$30,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Sam Houston State University
$29,995Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicina
$29,975Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Morgan State University
$29,952Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Stony Brook University
$29,774Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
California State University San Bernadino
$29,600Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Clayton State University
$29,190Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
Tennessee Tech University
$27,637Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc
$25,108Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
California Poly Corporation
$25,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
$24,999Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
California Davis University of
$20,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Drexel University
$20,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Bug Mars Inc
$20,000GIST APEC 2023 1st Place Mini Grant
Texas A&M University
$20,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Southern California University of
$20,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Akron University of
$20,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Puerto Rico Mayaguez University of
$19,988Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Northwestern University
$15,0002023 DEBUT Challenge Prize
Duke University
$15,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Direct Marketing Productions Inc dba eventPower
$13,170SelectUSA Investment Summit Travel Stipend
Association of University Technology Managers
$11,350Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
Angel Capital Association
$10,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
William Marsh Rice University
$10,000Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
USASBE
$10,000Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
Black Women Talk Tech Inc
$10,000Grants to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.
University Industry Demonstration Partnership
$10,000Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
Bowie State University Foundation
$10,000Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.
Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC
$7,500Funding, hands-on workshops, peer networking opportunities, and expert coaching for student teams working to commercialize their high-impact science and technology inventions.
NetaCarbon
$7,000GIST APEC 2023 4th Place mini grant
Youngstown State University
$6,000Funding for new initiatives that will develop into useful resources for the VentureWell community and beyond.