USA Scholarships
Do Good Accelerator Fellowship 2027 - $2,000 Stipend
The Do Good Accelerator Fellowship pays University of Maryland, College Park students to spend eight weeks growing a social impact project that already exists. The Do Good Institute, based in the School of Public Policy, runs it three times a year. In fall and spring you commit about five hours a week at the Do Good Accelerator in Thurgood Marshall Hall, and you receive a $2,000 stipend once you finish. In between you get one-on-one coaching, workshops, workspace and a cohort of students doing the same kind of work. The Fall 2026 application closes on 14 September 2026, with fellows notified on 24 September and the program running from 28 September to 20 November. If that is too tight, aim for the Spring 2027 cohort. The Spring 2026 round was advertised in late January with a 16 February deadline. The 2027 dates are expected to follow the same annual pattern, so plan around mid-February 2027 and confirm the date on the official page in January.
What is the Do Good Accelerator Fellowship?
The Do Good Accelerator Fellowship is the University of Maryland's paid program for students who have already started something useful and want to take it further. You bring a project that is running: a tutoring service, a free clinic, a food pantry partnership, an app, a campus campaign. The Do Good Institute, part of the School of Public Policy, gives you eight weeks of coaching, workshops and workspace, then pays you a stipend for finishing.
What sets it apart from most campus opportunities is the bar for entry. The institute is not looking for promising ideas. It wants students in the implementation phase, whose work is already reaching real people. Recent cohorts show the range: the 26 Spring 2026 fellows worked on healthcare access, dementia prevention, STEM education, food security and civic engagement through the arts, and one Summer 2026 project had reached more than 10,000 young people through native plant restoration. If your project is not there yet, the Impact Bootcamp and $500 Mini-Grants are the institute's on-ramp.
The time commitment is modest in fall and spring. About five hours a week at the Do Good Accelerator in Thurgood Marshall Hall, for eight weeks, earns you $2,000 once you complete the program. Summer is closer to a part-time job, with 16 hours a week and a $4,000 stipend for the 2026 cohort. Either way, the stipend arrives at the end, so treat the full eight weeks as a real commitment.
Timing matters right now. The Fall 2026 round closes on 14 September 2026, with the cohort running from 28 September to 20 November. If that deadline comes too soon, the Spring 2027 round is your best shot, likely opening in January with a deadline around mid-February. Questions go to Kisha McNeill, the Do Good Accelerator Manager, at [email protected], and the confirmed dates always sit on the official Accelerator Fellows page. If you want a structured program that builds a skill set rather than a project, the Mental Health America Young Leaders Council guide and the Michigan AI Explorers Program guide cover two other options.
Eligibility
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✓Current University of Maryland, College Park studentThe Do Good Institute opens the program to all current UMD College Park students. The official page does not split it by level, so undergraduates and graduate students can both apply. Students at other University System of Maryland campuses are not covered by that wording.
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✓A project already in the implementation phaseThe institute says the ideal fellow is already implementing, meaning the project is currently affecting a community. If you are still at the idea stage, the Impact Bootcamp is the program built for you.
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✓Social impact at the centre of the workPast fellows ran tutoring services, free health clinics, food security projects, mental health support spaces, biodiversity restoration and STEM education programs. Nonprofits, student groups and mission-driven ventures all fit, as long as the point is community benefit.
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✓Five hours a week for eight weeksFall and spring fellows work about five hours each week at the Do Good Accelerator. Summer is heavier: the Summer 2026 cohort committed 16 hours a week. Check your class and job schedule against that before you apply.
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✓Able to finish the full cohortThe stipend is paid upon successful completion of the fellowship, not at the start. You need to be enrolled and available for the whole eight weeks, which ran 28 September to 20 November for Fall 2026.
Benefits
- Fellowship stipend $2,000 on completion
- One-on-one coaching Included
- Skills workshops and webinars Included
- Workspace at Thurgood Marshall Hall Included
- Cohort and community events Included
- Program length 8 weeks, about 5 hours a week
- Tuition or fees Not covered
- Stipend paid up front No, paid after you finish
- Fellowship stipend $4,000 (Summer 2026 cohort)
- One-on-one coaching Included
- Workshops and panel discussions Included
- Community events and tools Included
- Program length 8 weeks, 16 hours a week
- Housing or travel Not covered
Document checklist
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✓Your UMD student detailsName, university email, UID, year and program of study. The portal is built for UMD students, so have your campus login details to hand.
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✓A clear project descriptionWhat the project does, who it serves and how long it has been running. The institute does not publish its exact questions, so prepare a short version of about 150 words and a longer version you can trim.
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✓Evidence the project is already liveNumbers carry weight here: people reached, sessions run, partners signed, funds raised, volunteers recruited. This is how reviewers judge whether you are in the implementation phase.
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✓Goals for the eight weeksTwo or three concrete things you want to have done by the end of the cohort, such as a pilot at a second site, a first grant application or a working prototype.
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✓Your weekly availabilityA realistic view of when you can put in five hours a week at the Accelerator across the cohort dates. Summer applicants need room for 16 hours a week.
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✓Team member details, if you apply as a teamUMD announcements describe the program as open to students and teams. List each member and their role, and confirm with the Accelerator manager how the stipend works for a team.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Do Good Accelerator Fellowship?
It is an eight-week paid program run by the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland for students whose social impact project is already up and running. Fellows get one-on-one coaching, workshops, workspace at the Do Good Accelerator in Thurgood Marshall Hall and a stipend paid once they finish. The institute runs a cohort in the fall, the spring and the summer.
How much is the Do Good Accelerator Fellowship stipend?
Fall and spring fellows receive $2,000 on successful completion. The Summer 2026 cohort received $4,000, reflecting a heavier commitment of 16 hours a week. The money is a stipend for your time, not tuition support, and it is not paid up front.
When is the Do Good Accelerator Fellowship deadline?
The Fall 2026 application closes on 14 September 2026. The next chance after that is the Spring 2027 cohort. In 2026 the spring round was advertised in late January with a 16 February deadline, so a mid-February 2027 deadline is likely but not yet confirmed. Check the official page in January for the real date.
Who is eligible for the Do Good Accelerator Fellows program?
Any current University of Maryland, College Park student can apply. The institute looks for students in the implementation phase, whose project is already making a difference in a community. Students from other universities are not eligible.
Can graduate students or teams apply to the Do Good Accelerator?
The official wording covers all current UMD College Park students without separating undergraduates from graduate students, so both can apply. UMD announcements describe the program as a fit for students and teams in the implementation stage. If you are applying as a team, ask [email protected] how the stipend is shared before you submit.
How many hours a week does the Accelerator Fellowship take?
About five hours a week for eight weeks during fall and spring, worked at the Do Good Accelerator. Summer fellows put in 16 hours a week. Some third-party listings quote other figures, so go by the official program page.
How many students are selected as Accelerator Fellows?
Cohort sizes vary. The institute announced 26 Spring 2026 fellows and 22 Summer 2026 fellows. It does not publish an acceptance rate, but a live project with clear results is what gets you in.
What is the difference between Accelerator Fellows and Impact Bootcamp?
Impact Bootcamp is a six-week program for students or teams with new ideas or early initiatives, and it carries no stipend. Accelerator Fellows is for projects that are already running and pays a stipend. Many students do the Bootcamp first, or take a $500 Do Good Mini-Grant, and then move up to the Accelerator.
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