Tamer Fund for Social Ventures

Overview

The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures, established in 2015, is a venture capital fund affiliated with Columbia Business School that provides seed grants of up to $25,000 to early-stage social and environmental ventures. These grants are available to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid ventures led by Columbia University students, alumni, faculty, or researchers, or those advised by Columbia University faculty or researchers. The fund aims to support ventures that address critical social issues and have the potential to be financially self-sustaining in the long term. The fund operates on two annual application cycles, with deadlines on March 1 and August 15. Each cycle typically funds around three to four ventures, totaling approximately seven ventures each year. In addition to financial support, selected ventures gain access to a wide range of resources and connections available through the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School. This support includes mentorship, networking opportunities, and guidance to help ventures scale and achieve their social impact goals. Over the years, the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures has supported a diverse portfolio of ventures across various sectors, including clean energy, sustainable agriculture, water innovation, and climate finance. Notable past awardees include Kheyti, a startup that developed a greenhouse-in-a-box solution to help small farmers in India reduce climate risk and increase crop yields, and Commune Coliving, the first co-housing company dedicated to single-parent families. The fund's commitment to fostering social innovation continues to drive its mission of supporting ventures that create positive social and environmental change.