At Impact Hub Yerevan, the word Zartir (Awaken) carries a special weight. It represents the moment a bold idea wakes up to its potential to solve a pressing social challenge. This week, we celebrated that awakening as we marked the graduation of the Zartir Fellowship 2025, a program funded by the Whitt Family Foundation and implemented by Impact Hub Yerevan.
As one of our very first fellowship programs, Zartir holds a foundational place in our history. Since 2018, over 100 individuals have passed through this incubation journey, and this year’s graduation adds another chapter to a legacy of lasting social change in Armenia.
The partnership between the Whitt Family Foundation and Impact Hub Yerevan is built on a shared belief that innovation and collaboration are key to addressing systemic social issues. For the past year, six fellows have dedicated themselves to this mission, navigating a comprehensive incubation process that included everything from business modeling and social entrepreneurship to marketing and financial management.
The 2025 cohort featured a diverse group of visionary teams addressing some of the most critical social issues facing Armenia today. Their initiatives spanned a wide spectrum of humanitarian and social sectors, including maternal well-being and elderly welfare. We were inspired by projects dedicated to making childcare services more accessible and to developing culturally rooted, immersive eco-tourism.
Throughout the program, these teams, which included the Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People, Armenian Preservation, Bnamard, MamaForum, Roots in Regions, and SuperNanny, demonstrated the planning, execution capacity, and heart required to turn vision into reality.
The program culminated in a final pitch event in which fellows presented their evolved ideas to a jury. While every graduate has shown striking growth and an immense potential to grow even more, the following teams were awarded additional financial support of 400,000 AMD each to accelerate their social impact:
- Association of Healthcare and Assistance to Older People
- Roots in Regions
As we celebrate the achievements of our 2025 graduates, we are already looking for the next generation of change-makers. If you have a bold idea that could deliver impactful solutions to maternal well-being, child welfare, veteran support, or any other pressing social issue, now is the time.
We are thrilled to announce that applications for the Zartir Fellowship 2026 are now officially open! Join a community of over 350 innovators and gain the tools, mentorship, and workspace you need to drive meaningful change.
Don’t wait to make a difference. Apply today and awaken your potential to change Armenia for the better.