Western Union Global Fellowship
- Organization: Watson Institute × Western Union Foundation
- Type: Fellowship
- Location: Denver, Austin, Miami, San José (CR), Pune, Quezon City, Vilnius, Buenos Aires, Rome, São Paulo, Lima
- Deadline: June 28, 2026
- Age: 18+
- Funding: Fully Funded
The Western Union Global Fellowship is a 16-week fully funded fellowship for entrepreneurs and community leaders serving refugees, forcibly displaced people, and highly marginalized communities. The Fall 2026 program runs August 11 to December 3, with a virtual immersive plus weekly Tuesday to Thursday workshops on Mountain Time. It is delivered by the Watson Institute in partnership with the Western Union Foundation, which has supported refugee and migration-focused work globally for over two decades. What you get: ➤ Community development stipend to support your venture during the program ➤ Entrepreneurship training tailored to working with displaced populations ➤ Mentorship from Watson coaches ➤ Financial literacy training built for refugee-serving ventures ➤ Lifetime access to the Watson alumni network of over 1,000 founders ➤ Connections to local funders, hiring partners, and policy networks in your city ➤ Peer cohort spanning Global South and Global North displacement corridors What you'll do: ➤ Complete the virtual immersive and weekly Tuesday to Thursday workshops on Mountain Time ➤ Apply curriculum directly to your refugee-serving venture ➤ Engage with Watson coaches on your venture's growth and impact ➤ Build deep peer connections within your city's cohort ➤ Plug into local funder, hiring, and policy networks Watson opens up The program has produced founders who have gone on to scale refugee employment platforms, displaced-youth education ventures, and migration-focused fintech projects. The city-locked structure means the cohort builds deep peer connections in the same urban ecosystem.
