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Global Solvers Accelerator
Connecting grassroots experiences, empowering social impact practitioners, and unleashing transformative change! The Global Solvers Accelerator is a peer-to-peer learning platform that unites emerging social entrepreneurs from around the world, to nurture their leadership capacity, enhance their skills, strengthen their projects, and grow their impact in their local communities and beyond.
Empowering Global Social Leaders
Each year, a mindfully curated cohort of 20 social impact leaders connects hearts, hands and minds to unpack and refine their projects, tap into their collective leadership, and ignite transformative change in their communities while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Throughout the 8-month program, participants generate ripples of impact: on themselves, by building their leadership capacity and transformative potential; on their local community, by accelerating their social impact project for sustainable development beyond business as usual; and on their global peers, by sharing and integrating their know-how, experience, and humanity.
After completing the program successfully, participants become part of our lifelong, supported network of Melton Foundation Senior Fellows — over 650 high-impact individuals connected worldwide who are leading and shaping conversations on everything from AI and climate action to human rights and social equity.
Global Solvers Accelerator 2026 Applications Closed!
Applications for the 2026 cohort are now closed. The deadline was 1st December 2025.
Calling SDG practitioners worldwide
The Global Solvers Accelerator creates that space for emerging change agents to converge in genuine collaboration that impacts their own projects while contributing to those of others. By embracing transformation as an impetus for sustainable development beyond business-as-usual, our 8-month program accelerates social impact projects through cross-boundary exchange and collaborative action. Participants gain access to fresh perspectives, personalized support, practical tools, and a global network of peers and experts.
Chosen from hundreds of applicants worldwide, selected participants will work together to refine and grow the social impact projects they are spearheading in their respective communities. Through an intentionally designed learning journey, subject matter advisory, leading-edge thematic contributions, and ample peer exchange and cross-cultural collaboration, the program provides a powerful springboard for participants to activate the fullest transformative potential of their sustainable development endeavors!
As a signature program of the Melton Foundation, the Global Solvers Accelerator connects directly to our vibrant global citizenship community. For successful participants, it serves as a gateway into the lifelong Melton Fellowship, a network of impact-driven changemakers worldwide.
In addition, actively engaged participants are invited to a fully sponsored, week-long in-person Meet-Up: the Global Solvers Co-Lab. Happening in July 2026, in Accra, Ghana, the Co-Lab is the vital in-person element of the program.
Participants will work together with emerging leaders from across the globe and re-engineer community projects to amplify their impact!
Where Collaboration Meets Impact
The Global Solvers Co-Lab is the in-person highlight of the program, a fully funded, week-long Meet-Up where engaged participants connect in-person, envision ways to collaborate deeply, share insights, expand their networks and design pathways for transformative, innovative action.
Program Details
From challenge to progress: participants find ideas and support to move forward
Over the course of their eight-month-long learning journey, participants engage with purposefully designed modules, applicable methods, creative project assignments, peer exchange, and subject matter advisory in order to build their capacity and amplify the transformative potential of their social impact projects. As a result, the Global Solvers Accelerator generates cumulative impact at three levels:
- the individual level, by building participants’ capacity for leadership and social impact.
- the community level, by unleashing the transformative potential of participants’ social impact projects.
- the systemic level, by intersecting different local approaches and contextual know-how, thus creating ripple effects of societal transformation and SDG attainment.
Eight monthly modules – Interconnected module themes – Peer-to-Peer Exchange – Practical Social Impact Methods & Tools – Tailored support and collaboration
Who are the ideal candidates for the program?
The Global Solvers Accelerator is a collective learning journey with and for SDG practitioners worldwide!
Are you a young community development practitioner aged between 20 – 35 years? Are you curious, committed, responsible, and forward-thinking? Do you have a proven track record of social impact? Are you actively engaged in or leading a social impact project currently? Are you looking to connect with like-minded peers to better understand today’s challenges and make better sense of the world together?
Then you are the ideal participant for our program!
Kickstart Your Application for the Global Solvers Accelerator
Access the full application guide here to help you prepare your submission for the Global Solvers Accelerator.
Benefits of joining the program
By joining the Global Solvers Accelerator, participants stand to gain valuable competencies, insights, connections, and more! A program fee ensures accountability among participants and creates valuable program incentives. Here are some key benefits of becoming a part of the program:
Application Process & Program Schedule:
Global Solvers Accelerator 2026 applications now closed!
If you’re passionate about driving impact in your community and beyond, this is your chance to join a transformative journey. Stay tuned for more details!
Application
Application Season: 15 September – 1 December 2025
The application window for the 2026 Global Solvers Accelerator ran from 15th September to 1st December 2025 and is now closed.
Guidelines & AI Usage Policy
Note: We have put together an Application Guide to give interested candidates the opportunity to prepare their applications offline. Click here to download this application form as a PDF file to develop your responses in your own time and then submit them in the online form.
All questions must be answered in English and the word limits indicated with each question must not be exceeded. We only accept applications that are complete or submitted by the deadline.
While AI tools such as ChatGPT can be useful for polishing up language in a final draft for submission, we strongly advise against using them to generate or draft your application wholly. We value your authenticity and purely AI-generated applications will most likely be eliminated as part of the selection process.
*Due to the volume of incoming applications, we will contact only those candidates, who have qualified for the next round. (Please check your spam folders regularly – it has happened that promising candidates could not participate further because they did not see the email on time.
Selection
Application Review: December & January 2026
Our team will begin reviewing all submitted applications during January 2026.
Assessment Centre: 31 January 2026
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in a virtual Assessment Centre tentatively happening on 31 January 2026.
Onboarding
Onboarding: March 2026
Selected participants will begin their Global Solvers Accelerator journey in March 2026. They will connect to our virtual collaboration platform and handle important logistical arrangements, also for their participation in the Co-Lab later that year.
Program
Accelerator Program: 1 April – 30 November 2026
The core phase of the Global Solvers Accelerator, featuring deep engagement, learning, and collaboration.
Co-Lab: 19-26 July 2026 (tentative)
A milestone moment for participants to come together, share progress, and co-create in person.
Melton Fellowship
Fellowship Orientation: December 2026 (Tentative)
Participants who successfully complete the program will be formally inducted into the lifelong Melton Fellowship during this final orientation.
Timeline & Process
Ready to dive deeper?
Explore the Global Solvers Accelerator and discover how you can become part of our next cohort of changemakers.
2025 Cohort of Global Solvers Accelerator
Adah Bitiah Chembo
Alexander Lorenz
Chama Laassassy
Cristóbal Domingo Escalona Reyes
Daniel Kwaku Bempah Quansah
Hana Telvave
Idowu Olamilekan Adeyemi
Jaime José Aguilera Rodríguez
Jill Skonieczka
Kelsey Samuel Kalu
Laila Victoria Kriechbaum
Leonardo Dias de Jesus
Nimah (N’zani Kassim) Zani
Nathaniel Harding
Nikhil Gehlot
Oshan Gunathilake
Paul Medina
Phenyo Samantha Matshameko
Puneet Singhal
Waseem Iqbal Chandio
For more information, useful links, and insightful application tips, click through to the Frequently Asked Questions!
Partners and Collaborators
Ernst Abbe Stiftung
Willy Brandt School of Public Policy
Melton Foundation Africa
Community of Practice
Upon successful completion of the program, participants join the lifelong Melton Fellowship, a global network of 600+ Melton Fellows offering support, mentoring, resources, learning, and collaboration to help them grow academically, personally, and professionally.
News from the Global Solvers Accelerator
Scaling Deep: A Systems Approach to Social Impact Leadership
Peter Mukuka, Founder of Men of Honour and 2024 Global Solvers Accelerator participant, shares his journey of redefining leadership. From embracing shared ownership and learning from failure to prioritizing depth over scale and valuing cultural diversity, he demonstrates how adaptive, inclusive leadership drives lasting social impact.
Learnings from Spawnpoint’s Approach to Digital Culture
Global Solvers Accelerator participants explored how gaming can advance civic engagement, education, and inclusion at Spawnpoint Institute. Through ethics-driven design, storytelling, and cultural exchange, they discovered games’ potential to challenge stereotypes, process history and inspire equitable, socially conscious digital cultures.
Learning Through Action: Reflections from the Global Solvers Co-Lab 2025
The Global Solvers Co-Lab 2025 in Gotha brought together changemakers for immersive learning, cultural exchange, and real-world engagement. Through storytelling, systems clinics, and local partnerships, participants deepened leadership skills, embraced complexity, and connected global insights with grassroots action.
Join the Global Citizenship movement!
Whether as a participant in our program, a network partner, or supporter – we offer ample avenues for you to continue to be an integral member of our close-knit community! Take a look at the various options open for engaging with us!