Who funds them, what they fund and how to apply.
AFWERX's SBIR/STTR program funds dual-use technology for the U.S. Air Force through Open Topic, Specific Topic, and STRATFI/TACFI scale-up solicitation tracks, released as continuous numbered cycles (e.g. "26.BZ"). Specific Topic 26.BZ and 26.TZ Release 5 is open through 23 September 2026.
A $100 million Bezos Earth Fund initiative funding projects that apply AI to sustainable proteins, power grid optimization, and biodiversity conservation. It runs in two phases: Phase I seed grants of $50,000 to up to 30 grantees (submissions closed August 13, 2024), followed by Phase II implementation grants of up to $2 million to 15 grantees. Eligible applicants include US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits and academic institutions globally.
Renaissance Philanthropy fund applying AI and machine learning to mathematical research: new ML paradigms for mathematical discovery, tools and infrastructure for mathematicians, automated theorem proving and AI-assisted proof development, and open mathematical datasets/benchmarks. All funded code, datasets, and research outputs must be open-access with preprints in public repositories. Initial $9M round expanded by $13M announced March 2026; main grants of $100K-$1M for 12-24 months, plus $20K-$30K summer fellowships and up to $100K seed grants for early-stage work.
The Frontier Model Forum's AI Safety Fund awards grants to independent researchers at academic institutions, research institutions, NGOs, and mission-driven for-profits, for research addressing critical safety and security risks of frontier AI models and enabling standardized third-party evaluations. Proposed budgets are capped at $500,000 per grant, and rounds run as periodic competitive RFPs rather than rolling applications.
AI-BOOST's 2026 AI Challenge Competition runs four generative AI challenges in two application windows. Each challenge awards five EUR 28,500 Spark prizes, a EUR 100,000 final prize, and two EUR 12,500 special awards.
Amazon Research Awards give university researchers up to $100,000 in unrestricted funds plus up to $50,000 in AWS Promotional Credits, awarded across periodic calls for proposals.
12-18 month fully funded residency for scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs across Neuro-AI, AI-enabled life sciences, open science, and public-goods infrastructure; $125k-$250k/yr salary plus $0-$1.5M per-project budget. Application cycles run about twice a year.
Coefficient Giving's Alternative Protein R&D RFP funds pre-competitive research on taste, flavor, fat systems, egg replacement, and priority fish species. The call expanded to $30 million across two rounds. Round 1 ($100,000-$1 million) closed August 10, 2026. Round 2 ($1-5 million) closes September 15, 2026.
International collaborative-research call for real-world AI robotics applications, part of the CONCERT-Japan framework.
EIC Accelerator supports high-risk, market-creating innovations from startups and SMEs through grants below EUR 2.5 million, optional equity investments of EUR 1-10 million, and business acceleration support. Short proposals are accepted continuously and full proposals use scheduled 2026 batching dates on 7 Jan, 4 Mar, 6 May, 8 Jul, 2 Sep, and 4 Nov.
EuroHPC JU competitive Research and Innovation calls for HPC and quantum work in Europe. Four 2026 quantum calls are dated. Three close 30 September 2026. Quantum Machine Learning closes 28 January 2027.
FLI's recurring postdoctoral fellowship supporting technical research on AI existential safety.
Foresight Institute's Fellowship supports individuals working on AI safety and related frontier technologies. The 2027 cohort application deadline is July 31, 2026.
An independent research fellowship connecting researchers with mentors in AI alignment, transparency, and security. The main program runs 10 weeks (with an optional 6-12 month extension) and provides a $1,250 weekly stipend, a $2,000-per-week compute budget, housing, meals, and office space in Berkeley and London.
Mozilla Foundation Incubator funds values-driven technology projects with coaching and mentorship. The 2025 Making the invisible visible cohort and the 2026 Democracy x AI cohort are underway. Democracy x AI applications closed 16 March 2026. No new cohort is open.
$10,000 Secure AI / usable-security prize for work that helps users make wise security decisions.
NRF Singapore's flagship award giving early-career researchers independent research funding in Singapore over five years, up to SGD 3.25 million. The 19th call (Class of 2027) opened 12 February 2026 and closed 13 May 2026. NRF invites applications once a year.
NSF's active SBIR/STTR solicitation funds U.S. startups and small businesses developing next-generation scientific instrumentation and enabling technologies, including infrastructure for AI-driven discovery. Phase I proposals may request up to $305,000; applicants must first submit a Project Pitch and receive an invitation to submit a full proposal.
Status describes whether a program is running. Application methods are recorded separately. Read the funder’s terms before applying.