BASES Microgrants
Non-dilutive grants from $500 to $10,000 for Stanford students building anything from a weekend passion project to an idea with real commercial potential.
Apply any time; we review on a rolling basis every quarter.
- Per grant, sized to the project
- $500–$10KPer grant, sized to the project
- Equity taken. The money is yours
- 0%Equity taken. The money is yours
- Demo days, with rolling review
- QuarterlyDemo days, with rolling review
How it works
- 1
Apply whenever you start
There is no deadline. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout each quarter.
- 2
Get funded and build
Grants run from $500 for a passion project to $10,000 for an idea with commercial potential. Larger check sizes require a more intensive application process.
- 3
Show your work at demo day
Funded mid-quarter? Give a short progress update at that quarter's demo day, then give a full demo at the end of the next quarter.
What the money can go toward
- Hardware
- Components and prototyping materials
- Compute
- API credits, GPUs, cloud infrastructure (a common pool provided to students)
- Legal
- Incorporation, terms of service, early counsel (we can help connect you to lawyers)
- Customers
- Ads and early user acquisition
Two tracks
Larger check sizes require more commercial potential and approval from our partners. If you have a passion project which costs more, let us know in the passion project track; we’re happy to connect you to our partner organizations for more funding.
Passion project
$500 to $1,500
For something you want to exist, whether or not it ever becomes a company. A short application: what you are building, why you, and what you will show at demo day.
Xfund track
$1,501 to $10,000
For an idea with commercial potential, funded through Xfund's Experiment Grants. The same application plus Xfund's questions on traction, the next six months and you.
Not sure which fits? Ask us.
Demo days
Every quarter ends with a demo day, run with Friends and Family and Stanford Moonshot Club.
Built with
Friends and FamilyDemo day co-host
Stanford Moonshot ClubDemo day co-host
Stanford Flight ClubCollaborator
Stanford AI ClubCollaborator
Stanford Student Space InitiativeCollaborator
Beyond the check
Recipients join a small cohort that gets access the rest of campus does not.
- Factory tours
- See how hardware gets made at scale.
- Founder AMAs
- Intimate conversations with founders.
- CHIP and shared equipmentComing soon
- Access to CHIP and other shared lab equipment for recipients who need to build physical things.
Questions
Who can apply?
Stanford students building through BASES or one of our partner clubs. Solo builders and teams are both welcome.
Which track should I pick?
$1,500 or less is the passion project track; anything more goes through the Xfund track, which asks a few more questions about where the idea could go.
Do I need a company, a deck or a demo video?
No. You do not need to be incorporated. If you already have a deck or a demo, share it; you do not need to make new ones for the application.
How is the grant amount decided?
By what the project needs. Hardware projects will be given money only to buy the hardware that is needed. Expenses like 3D printing will not be covered, given there are many maker spaces on campus which you can use for free.
What if I start halfway through a quarter?
Apply anyway. You'll give a progress update at that quarter's demo day and demo at the end of the following quarter, or in the quarter where you finish your project.