Frequently asked questions

People with the drive and skill to build a new organization that changes what’s possible, and who are ready to make it their full-time work by fall 2027. Any theory of change or issue area is welcomed, so long as radical success would fundamentally alter the nature of American politics in 10-20 years. We select on talent first and the idea second.

Some applicants will come in with a project they’ve already started piloting, but have remaining questions or hypotheses to test. Others will have a few ideas, or a problem they can’t stop thinking about. You don’t need an idea you’re 100% committed to. The ideation month exists to sharpen your idea, and it can change along the way.

If you’ve started something early-stage, apply and tell us what you’ve tested, learned, and share your outstanding design questions or hypotheses. If you lead an established organization, or are looking for funding for a project that is already fully formed, this isn’t the right fit for you. Instead, you should fill out this pitch form for our next strategic capacity funding round.

New Gravity is a disciplined cadre of donor organizers with rigorous organizer training, an orientation to long-term movement strategy, and lifetime commitment to funding the interventions that will build a world where all people are fed, sheltered, and cared for. Since 2024, 80 major donors have made multi-year commitments to New Gravity, and we’ve made 40+ investments in moonshot campaigns and organizations. The incubator is our next step: backing the people who will build the new campaigns, movements, and institutions the left needs to win. You can read the critique of philanthropy behind the project here.

The incubator operates in four stages:

1. Apply (Nov 10 – Jan 24). Written application, then rolling interviews in January and February.
2. Ideation (late Feb – late Mar). About 25 applicants get $5k for one month to develop their idea, with coaching and virtual sessions. Ends with an in-person pitch day in NYC in late March.
3. Design & Beta-testing (Apr – Aug). After pitch day, we will invite those who are ready to join the Founders Cohort and get 15k-40k to further design and test their idea. The cohort meets in person and virtually for peer support, training, and coaching. This phase culminates with a demo day in NYC in early September.
4. Launch (Sep onward). Founders and teams who are ready will launch new organizations with 200k-1M a year for up to 2 years, plus ongoing coaching and operations support. Exceptional cases may receive more than 1M.

We cover travel costs for all in-person events.

Initial applicants will be selected primarily on talent. From there, each stage will build toward a test of your strategy. We will work with you to choose a method that makes sense for the context of your project. The goal is not to eliminate participants or create competition between them. The test to advance to the next stage exists to support effective and rigorous development. We will not have a quota at any stage: we want as many projects to move forward as possible.

This program is designed around a peer network of founders. If you have a co-founder, you may apply together, but full teams cannot apply. If you would like to apply as three cofounders, tell us why the third person is essential and we’ll consider it.

If you’re applying alone, we may ask whether you’re open to meeting other applicants as potential co-founders. Some of the strongest teams may form during the process from within the Incubator.

We believe strong teams are critical to a project’s success. Team formation and leadership will be a focus of support and coaching for the new projects as they move through the incubator.

Coaching. Tailored coaching from a combination of movement veterans and private-sector founders.

A cohort of peers. Other founders taking big risks at the same time, supporting each other with internal cohort learning and feedback, plus input from and opportunities to build relationships with trusted movement leaders and experts from diverse sectors.

Training and shared analysis. A cohort curriculum covering startup best practices, hegemony, narrative, organizational structure, culture, and launching. As the inaugural cohort of the Incubator, this Founders Cohort will collaborate to deepen our understanding of the gaps in the broader left, and the pathway forward to win.

Operations. Fiscal sponsorship and back-office support, so you can focus on the work instead of payroll and compliance.

Yes. While we expect big things from our inaugural cohort, we see this as a multi-decade project with multiple rounds. We expect the alumni network of the Incubator to grow, learn, and continue to support new founders to cycle through the incubator.