Applications for New Teams

Application Timeline for Fall 2026 Cohort is TBD

• Make sure to check back in August for further details!

• Scroll down to the Application Process for more logistics!

Are You a Current Sandbox Team?

View details and announcements about the self-assessment, funding, and resources on the Sandbox Program Team Guide. If you need the password, email sandbox@mit.edu.

New Teams: Submit an online application

Before you apply, please be sure to review all program details on the program overview page including eligibility requirements and program requirements.

A designated Primary Contact should complete the application for the team on the Sandbox Portal. Team members will be invited as collaborators and will receive an email invite to access the portal and enter their personal information.

To complete this application, the Primary Contact for the team will need the following:

• A clear description of the problem that your idea addresses

• A clear, high-level description of the proposed solution

• If possible, identify your competition (companies, products, technologies or status quo)

• A very short description of your project that can be shared publicly

• A description of the team members and their skills

• A high-level project plan, including milestones

• A description of achievements to date

• Teams applying for $5K or more must provide a pitch deck. All other teams are encouraged but not required to provide a pitch deck.

• Funding requested and a budget plan showing how you will use your Sandbox funds

  • Refer to the Sandbox purchasing guidelines, which lists permitted and prohibited use of funds

  • View sample team budget

  • Budget for early ideation teams: If you are in the early ideation stage, the focus is on market research and customer discovery, which typically does not have many associated costs. For your budget, consider what you would need to support that research. Perhaps you need to travel to meet a customer or you may need to hold a focus group session. Relative to software and other resources, there are many resources on campus you can leverage for free. Submitting a budget for $500 is acceptable.

Continuing Teams: Your self-assessment serves as your application for the next cohort.

• View details and announcements about the self-assessment, funding, and resources on the Sandbox Program Team Guide. If you need the password, email sandbox@mit.edu.

If you apply for $5K or more, you may also be asked to pitch your idea to the Sandbox Funding Board, which is made up of investors and industry experts.

Decisions will be sent by email and will include:

• Feedback from reviewers.

• The awarded dollar amount if the reviewers decided to award you under $5K…

• ….OR an invitation to the Funding Board, along with the maximum amount that you are allowed to request.

• In some limited cases, we may ask you to come in for an interview prior to making a decision.

• Most teams who are at the exploratory level will be awarded $1K.

If you are invited to the Funding Board ($5K - $25K only):

• You are asked to present your pitch deck to the Funding Board.

• Presentations are 5 minutes with approximately 10 minutes of questions.

• The Funding Board assesses your proposal using the Sandbox Award Rubric.

• Decisions are sent out with feedback and the dollar amount awarded.