Fast Forward

Overview

Fast Forward is an accelerator for tech nonprofits — organisations that use software to attack a social problem and fund the work through a nonprofit model rather than equity. Since 2014 it has run cohorts of early-stage teams through a three-month programme that combines unrestricted seed funding, mentorship from technology and social-impact operators, and a curriculum covering both product and nonprofit management. The cycle ends at Demo Day, where each team pitches to an audience of funders. Teams that finish join a portfolio that receives continuing support rather than being cut loose at the end of the cohort.

Who it's for

It suits a founder running a nonprofit that has shipped a minimum viable product and can show real users. Two requirements are firm: the organisation must be pursuing a nonprofit business model, and something must already be built. Beyond that, reviewers weigh leadership, technical talent on the team or a credible plan to bring it in, potential scale, and lived experience of the problem. Teams that are pre-product, for-profit, or still deciding what to build are usually turned away.

What you get

Cohorts receive unrestricted funding at the start, which is unusual and useful: it can pay for whatever the team most needs rather than what a grant officer approved. Mentorship comes from people who have run technology companies and nonprofits. The pitch bootcamp, the demo-day film and the audience of funders are designed to shorten the next fundraising round. Acceptance is also a signal that opens doors with foundations that already back the portfolio.

How to apply

Applications open once a year through the site. The form asks about the problem, the product, the team, traction and the nonprofit model; be ready to show the product rather than describe it. Reviewers shortlist teams for interviews, and a small cohort is chosen. The programme then runs three months: weekly sessions, mentor matching, a curriculum split between technology and nonprofit operations, and pitch preparation. It closes with Demo Day in front of funders and press. After the cohort, teams enter portfolio services with ongoing advising and peer circles.

Timing

Annual. One cohort runs each year, and applications are accepted during a window that Fast Forward announces on its site; the programme itself lasts about three months. Dates move between cycles, so read the current accelerator page for this year's application period rather than assuming last year's schedule.

How to stand out

Show the product in the first screen of the application: a link, a screen recording, a live deployment. Quantify the problem with a number you can source and the users you already have. Make the nonprofit model explicit, because reviewers treat it as a hard filter, and explain how revenue and grants fit together. Bring the technical co-founder or name the person who will own the build. Watch a previous Demo Day to see how much narrative fits in three minutes, then cut your pitch to fit.

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