# The Thiel Foundation

> The Thiel Foundation is Peter Thiel’s private nonprofit foundation supporting science, technology, and long-term thinking. Its current named programs are the Thiel Fellowship, a two-year $250,000 grant for young builders who forgo college, and Imitatio, which supports research, education, and publication around René Girard’s mimetic theory.

- **Founded:** 2005
- **Founders:** Peter Thiel (Founder and Chairman)
- **Products:** Thiel Fellowship, Imitatio, Breakout Labs (historical)
- **Notable:** The 2026 Fellowship announcement reports more than 300 previous fellows, including founders of Figma, Ethereum, Anthropic, and other ventures., Breakout Labs reported backing 50 founding teams and more than $1 billion in portfolio follow-on funding by July 2021., Imitatio supports publications, research, translations, education, and archives; its project list records more than two dozen Portuguese translations in Brazil.

## Products & services

- **Thiel Fellowship** — Two-year $250,000 grant, with no company equity taken, plus a network of founders, investors, scientists, and alumni. Applicants must be 22 or younger and have no university degree; recipients leave college and focus on their work.
- **Imitatio** — Research, education, translations, publications, and preservation of writings related to René Girard’s mimetic theory.
- **Breakout Labs (historical)** — Early independent science funding, typically $50,000-$350,000 at launch, with revenue-sharing arrangements for successful projects. Transitioned fully to independent Breakout Ventures in 2021.

## Achievements

- The 2026 Fellowship announcement reports more than 300 previous fellows, including founders of Figma, Ethereum, Anthropic, and other ventures.
- Breakout Labs reported backing 50 founding teams and more than $1 billion in portfolio follow-on funding by July 2021.
- Imitatio supports publications, research, translations, education, and archives; its project list records more than two dozen Portuguese translations in Brazil.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — On April 21 the foundation announced 12 new fellows, each receiving $250,000 over two years.
- **2025-05** — The May 22 Fellowship announcement increased the grant to $200,000 from $100,000 for prior classes.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thielfoundation.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-thiel-foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thielfoundation

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/the-thiel-foundation
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Last updated: 2026-10-08