By Demetria Gallagher
After nearly three decades of catalyzing faculty-driven innovation and cultivating thriving on-campus innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems through our Course & Program (C&P) Grants program, we launched the Ecosystem Futures Fellowship to further broaden and deepen our support, focusing on institution-wide transformation, cross-campus collaboration, and leadership engagement. This shift built on our momentum to meet a new moment.
Since 1996, VentureWell’s C&P Grants program has awarded over $15.2 million to more than 275 institutions—including 62 Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)—supporting the development of over 680 innovation-focused courses and programs that reached upwards of 39,000 students. It’s a legacy we’re proud of. Like any long-running program, it gave us valuable insights—not just about what works in the classroom, but about what is needed to support change at the institutional level. Through the C&P Grants program, we recognized that advancing innovation at scale also requires supporting campus-wide programs, strategic policies, and leadership engagement. Classroom learning is foundational, but lasting change often happens when innovation becomes part of the institution’s culture and infrastructure.
We saw an opportunity to build something new—an initiative designed to support institutional transformation beyond individual successes.
This fellowship was designed to create space for innovation leaders across all types of institutions, especially those that have historically had fewer opportunities to access sustained support. It’s intentionally inclusive of Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), and community colleges.
Why We Needed To Pivot
The shift toward a broader institutional focus was intentional. At OPEN 2024, our annual convening, I listened closely during a grantee focus group. Many participants shared a common challenge: After launching pilot programs with our support, they struggled to secure leadership buy-in to scale their work. The ideas and energy were there, but unlocking the next level of resources to sustain their programs was often out of reach.
What they were asking for was clear: support that extended beyond their classroom. They needed communication tools to engage their deans and provosts. They needed frameworks to build budget cases and bring leadership into the process. They weren’t just looking to run successful pilots—they were looking to create lasting change at their institutions.
That feedback shaped our next step: designing the Ecosystem Futures Fellowship, a full-year cohort experience designed to empower innovation champions at all levels, from faculty to university leadership. We structured the program around joint applications that required collaboration between faculty and decision-makers. Our goal was simple: to ensure that when someone walked into their president’s office with an idea, that leader wasn’t just being informed—they were already invested.
As we reflected on our past faculty funding programs, it became clear that more could be done to expand our reach. We recognized that many MSIs, HBCUs, and other underrepresented campuses were not showing up in our applicant pool in the ways we hoped. That prompted a shift—to intentionally design programs that are more inclusive, accessible, and aligned with the realities of a broader range of institutions.
The response affirmed what we were hearing from all corners of higher ed: There is a real appetite for institutional change, particularly when it comes to making strategic decisions to prioritize innovation and entrepreneurship at the institutional level.
This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about shifting culture. And that kind of transformation takes more than a single grant cycle. It takes an ecosystem.
We received 159 proposals—a 35% increase over the previous year’s C&P Grants cycle—from institutions across 13 states, with 65% of applicants representing ERIs. From this strong pool, we selected 26 fellows from 18 institutions—an 8% acceptance rate—for our inaugural cohort. These teams brought together faculty, administrators, provosts, and deans, all working to drive systemic innovation on their campuses.
Making Room for the Inventor Mindset
Being an innovator takes grit, flexibility, and the conviction that your ideas matter. That’s the mindset we’re working to foster—not just entrepreneurship, but the kind of inventor mentality that drives lasting change.
We want faculty and students to feel empowered to experiment, test, revise, and build upon their ideas. We want leadership to champion that experimentation and integrate it into institutional strategies. And we want policies and programs that make innovation feel expected, not exceptional.
This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about shifting culture. And that kind of transformation takes more than a single grant cycle. It takes an ecosystem.
Where We’re Going Next
This fellowship doesn’t end with recognition—it ends with an opportunity.
At the close of the program, a competitive challenge grant opportunity will launch to support institutions in bringing their ecosystem action plans to life. Formal details on timing, funding, and eligibility will be announced closer to the application window.
The challenge grant is our way of saying: Let’s move from planning to implementation. It’s a step toward accelerating momentum—and a sign that we believe in the power of these institutions to lead transformational change in their regions and across the field.
This is just the beginning. And we’re committed to learning how to make this model even more effective.
A Safe Haven in Tumultuous Times
We didn’t anticipate how dramatically the national landscape would shift. As momentum for inclusive institutional change becomes harder to sustain—and funding for underrepresented innovators faces new pressures—this fellowship has come to represent something we didn’t fully predict: a safe haven.
Participants have told us that it arrived at just the right time. It gave them both the cover and the courage to keep moving innovation forward within institutions where the work can often feel fragile.
That’s something we’ll carry forward. Because this isn’t just about VentureWell evolving. It’s about continuing to create spaces where institutional transformation remains possible even in uncertain times.
What I Hope You Remember
Innovation begins in higher education. Full stop.
Across the country, colleges and universities serve as economic engines. They shape the workforce, drive regional development, and bring ideas to market. But too often, key players have been left out of that conversation.
When we overlook ERIs, HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, AANAPISIs, and community colleges, we’re not just missing an equity imperative—we’re missing strategic opportunity.
Inclusive innovation is a deliberate strategy for fostering resilience, promoting equity, and achieving long-term prosperity. It’s smart policy. It’s smart economics. It’s how we build a stronger future for everyone.
Demetria Gallagher is the vice president of Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems at VentureWell, where she leads efforts to reimagine how colleges and universities drive inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship, and research commercialization across the United States.
Learn more about the Ecosystem Futures Fellowship. Meet the inaugural fellows, explore the goals of the program, and see how we’re supporting leaders building the future of innovation ecosystems.