Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship 2027
An eight-month entrepreneurship pathway for African students and recent graduates, with free learning and mentoring plus conditional final-phase financial support.
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Is this worth your time?
A useful learning-and-venture-building pathway for African students and recent graduates who can commit over several months. Do not treat the final-phase stipend or pitch prizes as payments to every applicant.
Ubunifu editorial assessment, not an organiser eligibility decision.A stronger fit when...
African students and recent graduates interested in turning problems into viable ventures. The programme spans eight months and combines entrepreneurship learning, mentoring and progressive venture development. Applicants need to check the current definition of recent graduate.
Pause or look elsewhere when...
A person seeking a Canadian university admission offer, funded travel or immediate unrestricted seed capital. This is an entrepreneurship programme, not a degree scholarship or an assurance of immigration support.
What the support actually means
The current benefits block describes up to 60 final-phase stipends of CAD 500 and competitive prizes up to CAD 15,000. A separately retrieved official phase-three narrative still states USD 350. Confirm the current stipend currency and amount before budgeting; do not treat both amounts as separate benefits.
Costs and commitments: The university states that no application fee is charged and accepted participants receive free programme access. Device, connectivity and other personal costs are not assumed funded.
Your costs, time and commitments
The current official page gives 1 December 2026 as the application deadline and asks for at least ten hours a week over eight months. Delivery is virtual, with assignment deadlines required for advancement. Accepted programme access is free; provide your own device and connectivity.
How selection or access works
The programme progresses from Explore through Ignite to a final fellowship phase. Commitment, completed assignments and venture progress influence advancement. Exact scoring weights are not provided. Enrolment in an early phase does not guarantee the final stipend or a pitch prize.
Preparation and application steps
Get these ready first
Preparation advice; the organiser determines mandatory documents.
- Check student or graduation eligibility and gather evidence the current form asks for.
- Choose a problem and an initial customer group to investigate during the programme.
- Plan how study or employment commitments will fit sustained venture-building work.
Your next steps
- Use the Queen's University programme page and confirm the 2027 intake.
- Read the current application conditions and submit before the date shown.
- Do not pay application agents; the university has warned about fraudulent fee requests.
Questions to confirm and guide sources
Questions to confirm before committing
- The current graduation window, assignment calendar and advancement criteria.
- Written clarification of the CAD 500 versus USD 350 stipend descriptions, payment conditions and prize allocation.
Sources behind this decision guide
Reviewed 2026-11-05. Guidance is not a guarantee that an application window remains open.
Full programme facts and official sources
Who this is for
African students and recent graduates interested in building a venture. Confirm the current graduation window and participation conditions in the official 2027 application. This is not a university-degree scholarship or guaranteed travel opportunity.
- Stage
- Check current call requirements
- Sector
- Entrepreneurship
- Support type
- Watchlist - current terms unconfirmed
- Costs and commitments
- The university states that no application fee is charged and accepted participants receive free programme access. Device, connectivity and other personal costs are not assumed funded.
- Deadline
- 1 Dec 2026 - closing time/timezone not specified
- As published
- 1 December 2026; closing time and timezone not specified in the reviewed official programme page.
- Format
- Fully virtual; at least ten hours a week over the eight-month programme, with assignment deadlines for progression.
- Event dates
- 2027 round; full calendar not verified.
- Travel and visa support
- Not confirmed.
- Documents and preparation
- Review the current official form for student/graduation evidence, venture information and participation requirements. Prepare an accurate problem statement and a realistic plan for sustained online learning.
- How to apply
- Open the Queen's University programme page, confirm the 2027 intake, read its eligibility conditions and use the official application link. Apply by 1 December 2026. Retain the confirmation and do not pay application agents.
- Applicant route
- Check the official university programme and its current application form.
Official sources
Queen's University: current fellowship page and 1 December deadline Source checked 2026-11-05
Queen's University: programme FAQ Source checked 2026-11-05
Queen's University: no application fees and fraud warning Source checked 2026-11-05
Check before committing
The current official indexed university page gives 1 December 2026, but no closing time. Stipend descriptions differ across retrieved official page versions (CAD 500 versus USD 350); ask the organiser which applies. Confirm recent-graduate eligibility and the live 2027 form before submission. Registration does not guarantee final-phase selection.
Listing, saving and community ratings do not verify the organiser, guarantee eligibility or promise selection. Check the official terms before committing time or money.