AI Grants

NOAA SBIR Program is sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) SBIR. The NOAA SBIR Program funds small businesses developing innovative products with strong commercial potential that align with NOAA's mission areas. High priority is given to proposals integrating NOAA Science & Technology Focus Areas like Uncrewed Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Data and Cloud Computing. This program supports the advancement of climate adaptation and mitigation technologies.

Economics of AI Fellowship is sponsored by Stripe. The fellowship supports foundational academic research in the economics of AI, an area currently understudied despite rapid technical progress in artificial intelligence. Fellows receive a baseline grant, opportunities to attend conferences with leading economists and technologists, and potential access to unique data via Stripe and its customers.

The Department of Defense FY2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provides funding for U.S. universities to acquire research equipment and instrumentation in areas important to national defense, including AI and machine learning hardware. The program is administered jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), with approximately $34 million available and 95 awards anticipated. DURIP funds the acquisition of specialized computing hardware for AI/ML research (GPU clusters, TPUs, neuromorphic processors), robotics and autonomous systems testbeds, sensor arrays and data collection systems for machine learning training, high-performance computing infrastructure for defense-relevant AI research, and laboratory equipment for human-AI interaction studies. The program specifically supports equipment that enhances research-related education in DoD-priority disciplines. While general-purpose computing is not eligible, computing equipment directly supporting DoD-relevant AI research programs qualifies. No cost sharing is required.

Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) & National Institutes of Health (NIH). This interagency program supports high-risk, high-reward advances in AI and data science for biomedical and public health research. Projects must cross disciplinary boundaries.

The Department of Defense announced the Fiscal Year 2026 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), a major competitive funding program with $170 million total across 22 topic areas. MURI supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education with emphasis on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. The program is jointly sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Topic areas span autonomous systems, AI and machine learning, quantum science, advanced materials, and other frontier research domains relevant to national defense. Individual MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years, with an option for two additional years. The funding opportunity number is W911NF25S0004. Optional white papers were due May 2, 2025, and full proposals are due September 5, 2025. MURI has operated for over 40 years and is one of the DoD's premier mechanisms for university-based fundamental research. The program emphasizes close management by Service Program Officers and requires true multidisciplinary collaboration.

The FY2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education, with emphasis on multidisciplinary research where more than one traditional discipline interacts. The Army, Navy, and Air Force basic research offices are seeking applications across 22 topic areas including artificial intelligence and autonomy, information sensing and processing, and systems manipulation. MURI grants typically provide $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year for three years with option to extend two additional years. Approximately $170 million in total funding is available annually across all topics. The program is administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).

Innovate UK's Sovereign AI Proof of Concept programme funds proof of concept demonstrators of AI technologies with state-of-the-art performance across five strategic themes: fundamental AI research, materials discovery, biosciences and health, defense and national security, and AI-aided chip/hardware design. Individual project grants range from £50,000 to £120,000 (approximately USD $63,500-$152,400) from a total allocation of at least £1.6 million. Projects must be 1-3 months in duration, starting by January 2026 and completing by March 2026. The programme supports feasibility studies and industrial research, with funding covering up to 70% of costs for micro/small businesses, 60% for medium, and 50% for large organizations. Literature review studies and projects unable to scale are excluded.

NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program is a grant from NVIDIA providing up to $60,000 per award to PhD students conducting research that advances accelerated computing and its applications. Now in its 25th year, the program invites nominations from doctoral students pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and related fields. Recipients receive not only research funding but also access to NVIDIA technology, products, and engineering expertise, along with a mandatory in-person summer internship. Students are nominated by their faculty advisors and selected based on academic achievement and research area alignment.

Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH) is sponsored by NSF CISE. Supports the development of transformative high-risk, high-reward advances in computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, behavioral and/or cognitive research to address pressing questions in the biomedical and public health communities.

CIFAR and the Canadian AI Safety Institute fund Catalyst Project proposals addressing sociotechnical considerations in AI safety. The program supports interdisciplinary research in machine learning applications to science and society, with recent funded projects spanning misinformation combat, trustworthy language models, democratic alignment of AI systems, Indigenous AI governance, and real-world safety in autonomous systems. Designed to catalyze new research areas and collaborations at the intersection of social sciences, humanities, and AI safety.

AI Research Collaboration Grant is sponsored by Microsoft Research. This program invites proposals from faculty, PhD students, and postdocs for open research collaborations with Microsoft Research on problems that advance scientific understanding, drive innovation, and deliver societal benefit in AI, science, and human-AI collaboration. Awards are unrestricted gifts to the scholar's institution and include travel funding for in-person collaboration.

Nebius Research Grants Program is sponsored by Nebius. The Nebius research grants program provides researchers with free access to GPU cloud, AI models, and Tavily's agentic search engine, along with Nebius' expertise to accelerate discovery and deployment in AI. It supports academic or scientific projects with clear objectives, innovative use of GPUs for AI, machine learning, data analytics or HPC, and demonstrated feasibility and potential impact.

Democracy x AI Incubator is sponsored by Mozilla Foundation. This incubator backs projects with priority areas including algorithmic accountability, information ecosystem resilience, and community-led governance models. It supports ten projects with $1 million total, with the two strongest advancing to up to $300,000 each over 24 months. Applications opened in early 2026.

American Honda Foundation Education Grants is sponsored by American Honda Foundation. The American Honda Foundation awards grants to non-profits and schools for youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the environment. These grants support programs that aim to improve scientific and technical education. Robotics programs for middle school students fit this focus well.

Vinnova, Sweden's national innovation agency, funds projects developing applied AI solutions for Swedish industry through its Advanced Digitalization Programme. Each project can apply for between 2 and 10 million SEK (approximately $190,000 to $950,000 USD) covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. The total call budget is 60 million SEK. Projects run for 12-24 months and focus on two key areas: Intelligent Edge (AI for real-time application in the sensor chain) and AI-based decision support. All projects must address industrial needs and integrate gender equality and climate change perspectives. Scientific publications must be open access. A parallel call also funds AI and cybersecurity projects at 1-10 million SEK per project with a 50 million SEK total budget.

The DOE ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) provides allocations of computing time on the nation's most powerful supercomputers for high-risk, high-payoff scientific campaigns aligned with DOE priorities. For the 2026-2027 cycle, available resources include 20 million node-hours on Frontier (exascale, Oak Ridge), 16 million node-hours on Aurora (exascale, Argonne), 1 million node-hours on Polaris (Argonne), and 3.5 million combined CPU and GPU node-hours on Perlmutter (NERSC, with 7,000+ NVIDIA A100 GPUs). ALCC projects span modeling, simulation, artificial intelligence, and data analysis. New for 2026-2027: multi-year proposals of up to three years are accepted, and the process has been simplified to a single proposal without a pre-proposal stage. The estimated commercial value of allocations ranges from $500,000 to $10 million or more per project depending on scale. The 2026-2027 application deadline was January 26, 2026; the program cycles annually with the next call expected November 2026.

Hoffman-Yee Grant is a grant from Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) that funds interdisciplinary research teams at Stanford University advancing human-centered AI across three focus areas: developing novel intelligence technologies, designing AI that augments rather than replaces humans, and understanding and guiding the societal impact of AI. Proposals must address significant scientific, technical, or societal challenges requiring interdisciplinary collaboration. Letters of Intent were due January 28, 2026. The 2026 cycle particularly invites proposals leveraging AI to drive advances in scientific discovery. Eligible applicants are Stanford faculty-led interdisciplinary teams.

The IAPS AI Policy Fellowship is a fully funded three-month program for professionals seeking to strengthen practical policy skills and contribute to impactful projects in AI governance and policy. The Summer 2026 cohort runs from June to August 2026 with options to participate in Washington DC or remotely. The program begins with a two-week in-person residency in Washington DC followed by remote or in-person work with weekly mentorship and career development support. Fellows work full-time on independent AI policy projects covering areas such as AI regulation compute governance international AI agreements AI safety policy AI workforce impacts and responsible AI deployment. The fellowship received 240 applications for the 2026 cohort representing a 35 percent increase over 2025. IAPS is a remote-first organization and legally supports fellows in many countries. This fellowship is distinct from the Vista Institute for AI Policy Fellowship which focuses specifically on AI law and from the Cooperative AI Foundation fellowships which focus on multi-agent cooperation problems.

The Kavli Foundation sponsors an AI-for-Science Postdoctoral Fellowship through FutureHouse's Independent Postdoctoral Fellowship program, supporting one fellow per cohort to pursue an independent, AI-enabled research project in neuroscience. The fellowship provides a $125,000 annual stipend plus comprehensive benefits, travel allowance for conferences, dedicated software engineering support for building AI research tools, access to advanced computational resources (GPU clusters and cloud computing), and wet lab access for experimental validation. Fellows work in collaboration with an advisor or co-advisor who is a member of a Kavli Institute, pursuing bold, curiosity-driven projects in neuroscience ranging from molecular and cellular mechanisms to systems-level understanding of the brain. The fellowship begins September 2026 and runs for one year with a possible one-year extension. Research areas include AI-driven analysis of brain imaging data, machine learning for neural circuit mapping, computational neuroscience models, AI tools for analyzing large-scale neural recordings, and deep learning applied to connectomics and brain-computer interfaces.

2026 DOE Scholars Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE Scholars Program offers undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, opportunities to gain hands-on experience and contribute to projects in various fields, including Artificial Intelligence. Participants can explore career paths within the DOE complex.

Call for Effective Technology (CET) 2026-27 is a grant from Accelerate that funds the development, implementation, and evaluation of AI-powered and educational technology tools for use in public school classrooms during the 2026-27 school year. The program prioritizes tools that enable personalized learning and instructional effectiveness, with a particular focus on improving academic outcomes in mathematics and reading while ensuring equitable access across diverse student populations. Eligible applicants include edtech developers, schools, districts, and nonprofits whose tools are grounded in established learning science, already deployed in real classrooms, and can demonstrate a clear theory of action. Awards range from ,000 to ,000. The application deadline was February 20, 2026.

Call for Effective Technology (CET) 2026-27 is a grant from Accelerate that funds the development, implementation, and evaluation of AI-powered and tech-enabled educational tools for public school students. Grants of $150,000 to $250,000 support organizations with tools ready for deployment in the 2026-27 school year that are grounded in learning science and evidence-based practices, with a focus on improving math and reading outcomes and ensuring equitable access for diverse student populations. Applicants must have tools currently in active use with at least 500 students across at least two schools during the school day, and must be prepared to share student-level data for rigorous evaluation. Applications were due February 20, 2026. Eligible applicants include EdTech developers, tutoring providers, curriculum developers, EdTech accelerators, and school districts or charter management organizations.

Call for Effective Technology (CET) is a grant from Accelerate that funds education technology organizations developing and evaluating AI-powered and tech-based tools for use in K-12 public schools. The program seeks tools grounded in established learning science that are ready to deploy in schools for the 2026-27 school year, with particular focus on improving math and reading outcomes and ensuring equitable access. Awards range from $150,000 to $250,000. Eligible applicants include edtech developers (nonprofit and for-profit), curriculum developers, tutoring providers, school districts, CMOs, and EdTech accelerators. The application deadline was February 20, 2026.

Accelerate Call for Effective Technology (CET) Program is a grant from Accelerate that identifies and funds the development, implementation, and evaluation of AI-powered and educational technology tools for use in K-12 public schools. The program prioritizes tools that enable personalized learning and instructional effectiveness, especially in mathematics and reading, with a focus on equitable access across diverse student populations. Awards range from $150,000 to $250,000. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations developing AI-enabled edtech tools currently deployed in schools. The application deadline was February 20, 2026.

Spectrum Digital Education Grants is a funding program from Charter Communications (Spectrum) that supports nonprofits providing digital skills training, professional advancement opportunities, and technology resources for education. The program focuses on helping families and seniors gain digital literacy, including AI skills, in communities served by Spectrum across its 41-state service area. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status whose programs focus on digital education for families or seniors in Spectrum markets. The application period for the current cycle closed February 27, 2026.

AI for Health Seed Funding Program is a grant from the AI for Health Institute and Washington University in St. Louis supporting innovative, interdisciplinary research that applies artificial intelligence to critical health challenges. Projects must bring together WashU faculty from at least two schools — one from AI and one from health — forming genuine collaborative teams. The program runs annually and requires proposals from full-time faculty co-PIs who are current on reporting from prior university seed grants. Awards are intended to catalyze new interdisciplinary partnerships and generate preliminary data for larger external funding pursuits.

America's Seed Fund NSF SBIR Phase I is a grant from the National Science Foundation that provides non-dilutive seed capital of up to ,000 to early-stage startups for research and development of deep technologies based on discoveries in fundamental science and engineering. Since 1977, the program has funded approximately 400 companies per year across nearly all technology areas and markets, including artificial intelligence, energy, medical devices, robotics, and semiconductors. NSF takes no equity in funded companies, allowing founders to retain full control over their team, direction, and intellectual property. Applications are evaluated based on technological innovativeness, commercial potential, and possible societal impact. Eligibility is limited to for-profit U.S. small businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The program encourages participation from first-time entrepreneurs across all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The LinkedIn Future of Work Fund 2026 is a global philanthropic grant initiative that doubled its commitment to $3 million for 2026 to help nonprofit organizations prepare young people for a rapidly changing labor market shaped by artificial intelligence. Building on the inaugural 2025 round, the fund provides unrestricted grants of $200,000-$300,000 to organizations demonstrating clear approaches to AI literacy and digital skills training, career pathways using AI-enabled tools, and workforce adaptability programs. The fund prioritizes organizations serving young adults aged 18-24 facing structural barriers to employment, with geographic focus on France, Germany, India, United Kingdom, and United States. Selected organizations receive monetary grants plus strategic assistance from LinkedIn's workforce development ecosystem. Applications are reviewed by LinkedIn's Social Impact team along with an external panel of workforce development and AI experts.

The Mozilla Foundation Democracy x AI Incubator funds technology projects that strengthen democratic institutions and civic participation through responsible AI. This cohort supports 10 projects at $50,000 each for 12 months, with top performers eligible for Tier II funding of $250,000. Projects must address one of three categories: (1) better information systems including verification tools, diverse information sources, and algorithmic transparency; (2) institutional transparency and accountability mechanisms; or (3) civic space protection and expansion including organizing tools, privacy technologies, and surveillance resistance. The incubator provides mentorship, peer learning, and connections to Mozilla's network alongside financial support. Applications require working technology with demonstrated traction, a committed team capable of 12-month execution, and at least partial open-source commitment or a clear roadmap to open source. This is distinct from other Mozilla programs and specifically targets the intersection of AI and democratic resilience.

The Mozilla Foundation Democracy x AI Cohort is a 12-month incubator program that funds 10 projects building AI technology at the intersection of artificial intelligence and democratic governance. Each selected project receives $50,000 in the Build Track for 12 months. Two finalists will advance to a Sustain Track worth an additional $250,000 per team to continue scaling impact, bringing total possible support to $300,000 per team. The cohort focuses on three categories: (1) information ecosystem resilience (tackling misinformation, building collective verification, improving algorithmic transparency); (2) institutional transparency and accountability (government data infrastructure, public records tools); and (3) civic space protection (privacy-preserving coordination for activists, surveillance resistance). Beyond funding, selected projects receive monthly cohort calls, expert mentorship, tailored workshops, and access to Mozilla's global network of technologists, activists, and funders. Initial proposals due March 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific. Full proposals due April 30, 2026. Selections announced mid-June 2026 with the cohort launching June 2026.

The Agriculture Systems and Technology priority area within USDA's flagship Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is the dedicated funding home for precision agriculture, robotics, data science, and sensor technology applied to farming systems. Part of the FY2026 AFRI Foundational and Applied Science program making $445.2 million available across six priority tracks. Supports AI-driven crop and soil monitoring using machine learning, remote sensing, satellite imagery, and drone platforms; autonomous harvesting and planting robots; smart sensor networks for pathogen and pest detection; variable-rate application systems for fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation; and AI decision support tools for farm management. Strongest proposals validate technology in real production environments. Projects integrating research, education, and extension receive preference in review.

AI & Democracy Grants is sponsored by Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, The University of Virginia. These grants support projects that reveal the social, political, and cultural dynamics emerging around the integration of AI systems into institutions and people's lives, as well as the role of governments, institutions, and organizations in the development and promotion of AI systems. The mission is to understand how rapidly evolving digital technologies and AI can challenge but also fortify democratic institutions and practices.

Department of Defense (DoD) SBIR/STTR BAA & CSO Release 5 is a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense SBIR/STTR Program that funds innovative research and development by U.S. small businesses addressing specific defense technology needs across military departments and agencies. The program releases multiple topic areas per cycle through Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSO), covering areas such as advanced materials, sensors, software, and autonomous systems. Eligible applicants are U.S. small business concerns; both Phase I proposals and Direct-to-Phase II proposals are accepted. Awards are typically up to $250,000 for Phase I and up to $2 million for Direct-to-Phase II. The most recent deadline was March 25, 2026.

The USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Strengthening Agricultural Systems (SAS) program awards large-scale integrated research, education, and extension projects addressing complex agricultural challenges. USDA anticipates awarding 10-12 grants ranging from $2.5 million to $10 million per award. The program supports projects incorporating AI, machine learning, and data science to strengthen food production, agricultural sustainability, and rural community resilience. Projects may address precision agriculture, autonomous systems, climate-smart farming, supply chain optimization, and workforce development in agricultural technology.

The Alibaba Cloud AI Catalyst Program supports AI-focused startups and global AI firms with comprehensive resources including up to $120,000 in lifetime cloud credits, 2 billion free Model Studio tokens for access to Alibaba's generative AI platform, 1:1 Office Hours with AI experts covering products, solutions, and infrastructure, POC coupons, and invitations to Alibaba Cloud events worldwide. The program is designed to help AI startups accelerate their growth with technical, educational, and networking resources. Applications are reviewed within 4-5 business days, and successful applicants are notified via email. The program provides access to Alibaba Cloud's GPU infrastructure including H100s in the Singapore region, making it particularly attractive for APAC-focused AI startups. The promotion period runs from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.

Emerging Ed Tech Solutions to Improve Math and Reading Outcomes is a grant from Rainwater Charitable Foundation that funds K-12 school districts, schools, and teachers across Texas developing scalable strategies to improve student math and reading performance through emerging education technology. Now in its second year, the program awards ,000 to ,000 to empower educators and innovators to integrate AI and other emerging technologies into classroom instruction. Nonprofits partnering with Texas schools may also apply. The program prioritizes solutions with clear potential for scale, seeking replicable models that measurably strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes for students statewide.

The World Food Forum Innovation Awards 2026 organized under the FAO World Food Forum recognize and support youth-led agrifood startups tackling challenges in food systems climate and nutrition using innovative technologies including AI precision farming and digital agriculture. Winners receive $17,000 in prize money global exposure through the FAO network and the opportunity to pitch their solutions at FAO headquarters in Rome. The awards support innovative AI-powered solutions across the agrifood value chain including crop monitoring supply chain optimization food safety and nutrition analytics climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food production systems. The program is part of the broader World Food Forum initiative to engage young entrepreneurs in transforming global food systems. This is distinct from the CGIAR AI Hub which funds institutional AI research and from NSF AI-ENGAGE which focuses on US-Quad agricultural AI partnerships.

The Evidence for AI in Health (EVAH) initiative is a $60 million joint investment by the Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome Trust to support rigorous, country-led evaluations of AI health tools in low- and middle-income countries. Delivered in partnership with J-PAL and the African Population and Health Research Center, EVAH funds evaluations of AI-enabled clinical decision support tools in primary and community healthcare settings across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Pathway A supports early-deployment evaluations focusing on usability, workflow integration, and safety for up to $1 million. Pathway B funds randomized controlled trials, economic analyses, and implementation science studies of tools ready for deployment at scale for up to $3 million. The initiative addresses a critical evidence gap about whether AI diagnostic and clinical decision support tools actually improve health outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Google.org's $30 million global initiative funding nonprofits, social enterprises, and academic institutions partnering with governments to use generative and agentic AI to transform public services. Focus areas include health (expanding healthcare access through AI-powered service delivery), resilience (enhancing crisis preparedness, response, and recovery), and economy (improving public infrastructure and economic opportunity). Selected organizations receive multi-month Google.org Accelerator programming with dedicated technical support from Google AI experts.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) Capital Grants is a state-funded program from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) that helps Massachusetts innovators at Technology Readiness Levels 4–6 begin manufacturing their hardtech technologies. Funding ranges from $100,000 to $2,000,000, with a required 1:1 cost match. The program supports sectors including electronics, bioindustrial manufacturing, robotics, and additive manufacturing. Private-sector applicants must partner with a Massachusetts higher education institution, nonprofit, or public entity. Software-only projects are not eligible. Applications for the April 2026 cycle closed April 6, 2026.

Wildland fire is a powerful force on the planet, one that is rapidly accelerating in complexity beyond our current understanding. A new approach is needed. This approach requires a proactive and scalable perspective that recognizes the variety and connectedness of components of wildland fire. Coordinated scientific research and education that enables large-scale, cross-cutting breakthroughs to transform our understanding of wildland fire is urgently needed. In an era of rapid change, our society needs forward-looking research built on new frameworks that will realign our relationship with wildland fire. The Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program invites innovative multidisciplinary and multisector investigations focused on convergent research and education activities in wildland fire. All areas of science, engineering, and education supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation are included in this program. Projects developed by a wide array of groups including, for example, academics, educators, scientists, community members, students, industry partners, practitioners, resource managers, and Tribal representatives, working together to generate new knowledge of the interactions among biological, social, geoscientific, and engineering processes encompassing multiple fields, scales, and perspectives on wildland fire are encouraged. To advance convergent research and education in wildland fire science, FIRE proposals should demonstrate strengths in one or more of the following areas: (1) new advances in data collection, storage, and sharing relevant to wildland fire dynamics, including Earth observations; (2) new modeling and computational approaches to understand wildland fire (including artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches); (3) new understanding of the cross-scale interactions of wildland fire across local, regional and global extents; (4) new insights into community adaptation and governance relevant to wildland fire; (5) new approaches to reduce the vulnerability of built infrastructure, natural fuels, and social systems to wildland fire; and (6) engagement of a variety of community members and stakeholders to promote a forward-looking approach to wildland fire science. NSF manages the review of proposals in consultation with partner organizations. Copies of proposals and unattributed reviews will be shared with the partner organizations, as appropriate. FIRE supports research proposals and conference (network) proposals that focus on one or more of the following elements: Focus area 1: Next Generation Coupled Fire Models (FIRE-MODEL) Understanding wildland fires and smoke requires new predictive approaches and models to capture the full spatial and temporal range of unresolved dynamics. Furthermore, model development efforts necessitate well-coordinated experiments ranging from laboratory to landscape scales, along with state-of-the-art data management and analysis approaches. To reduce the current large uncertainties associated with fire models and to discover new weather-fire coupling phenomena driving the increasing frequency of large-scale fires worldwide, advanced experimental, theoretical, and computational methods are needed. The impacts of improved models include increased accuracy, better integration of Earth observation data, more efficient planning of prescribed burns, effective training of work force, timely warnings, and better management of limited human/equipment resources. Successful FIRE-MODEL proposals are suggested to address the following key themes: Innovative models, methods and algorithms for fire phenomena at disparate spatio-temporal scales, including systematic quantification of various sources of uncertainties and holistic verification and validation of the developed tools and technologies; Improvement of models with key measurable parameters spanning the full array of wildland fire factors as well as methods to bridge gaps of missing data; Incorporation of the underlying processes operating on fast and slow timescales, to potentially enable predictive fire ecology, exploration of possible future fire regimes, and forecasting of future wildland fires; and Novel mathematical and statistical methodologies and use-inspired technologies to accelerate experiments on wildland fire and smoke dynamics and reliably infer the associated uncertainties; such directions may include but are not limited to surrogate models and digital twins. Focus area 2: Enhancing Capacity for Fire Resilience in the Wildland-Urban Interface (FIRE-WUI) The space where the built environment and wildland vegetation meet is referred to as the wildland-urban interface (hereafter WUI). It represents a critical nexus of potential human-fire interaction, where lives, infrastructure, and communities are often most vulnerable to wildfire. Research related to the complexities of the WUI requires a convergent, multidisciplinary approach to improve understanding of wildland fire, which can inform risk management and response, adaptation and resilience across infrastructures, communities, cultures, and natural environments. Considering impacts of wildland fire at the WUI in the context of global change, including demographics, ecosystems, land use and development, FIRE-WUI awards will support research that may for example: Inform community adaptation and governance relevant to wildland fire; Investigate public perceptions and understanding of wildland fire as well as decision making and communication and the resultant impact on livelihoods and cultural heritage; Promote better understanding of the socioeconomic disparities related to the impacts of wildfire on remote rural communities; Test and model behaviors of building materials, structures, and infrastructures under wildfire loads; Develop novel materials, methods, and technologies for retrofitting existing buildings and remediating buildings following wildfire and smoke events; Create robust wildfire risk scenarios and algorithms for evaluating cascading failures and community-scale vulnerability. Focus area 3: Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) Networks (FIRE-NET) FIRE-Network projects will build new collaborative teams to synthesize aspects of wildland fire science and develop strategies for tackling key gaps. These networks will advance wildland fire research, or create new directions in research or education by supporting groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training, and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic, and international boundaries. Exchanging knowledge and information across and among different groups is encouraged. Projects will provide opportunities to foster new collaborations, including those with international partners where appropriate, and will address interdisciplinary knowledge and data exchange focused on wildland fire research and education. Successful FIRE-NET conference proposals are encouraged to include but are not limited to the following types of activities: Leveraging existing and developing data resources to support the development of new wildland fire-related research directions and educational activities; Employing novel networking strategies and collaborative training technologies to enhance coordination among a variety of fields and knowledge holders; Developing community standards for data and meta- data use and management in wildland fire research; Developing mechanisms to share information and ideas, such as bringing together disparate data sources including Earth observation data; Advancingwildland fire-related science and education through communication, data analysis, ideas sharing, novel collaborations, and workforce development. Particular areas of interest for FIRE-NETs include developing partnerships among groups that are not currently working together that might include multiple sectors, such as scientists from various disciplines, government representatives, resource managers, operational organizations, and community members.Small to large scale conference proposals that bring together different parts of the community to build a highly-functioning team are encouraged. Funding Opportunity Number: PD-25-345Y. Assistance Listing: 47.041,47.049,47.050,47.070,47.074,47.075,47.076,47.079,47.083,47.084. Funding Instrument: G. Category: ST.

The Cambridge ERA:AI (Existential Risk and AI) Research Fellowship 2026 is a 10-week immersive research program based at the University of Cambridge designed to support early-career researchers and PhD students exploring frontier AI safety and governance. The program offers a fully funded fellowship with salary, mentorship from leading AI safety researchers at Cambridge, and access to one of the world's premier research environments. Fellows work on original research in AI safety, AI governance, AI alignment, and related areas of existential risk from advanced AI systems. The program commences July 6, 2026 and provides global mentorship connecting fellows with the broader AI safety research community. This is a highly competitive opportunity for researchers who want to make the transition into AI safety and governance research or deepen their existing work in these critical fields.

NIST SBIR Phase I - Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics is sponsored by National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST SBIR Phase I - Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics is a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that funds small businesses with innovative research and technology ideas in advanced manufacturing and robotics.

The Horizon Europe Cluster 4 call HORIZON-CL4-2026-05-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 funds research and innovation on next-generation AI agents capable of operating autonomously in complex real-world environments. With a budget of approximately €20 million, this Research and Innovation Action (RIA) call supports projects developing agentic AI systems that can reason, plan, and act in dynamic settings across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, autonomous systems, and public services. The call is part of the broader 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme, which dedicates an estimated €2,023 million to AI-related topics across Cluster 4. Projects are expected to advance the state of the art in multi-agent coordination, robust decision-making under uncertainty, and safe deployment of autonomous AI systems. This call complements the GenAI4EU initiative and RAISE programme, collectively representing Europe's largest-ever investment in AI research.

Digital Health (DH) Grant (NSF SBIR) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This grant supports entrepreneurs and startups in the earliest stages of developing innovative, differentiated, and novel technologies that aim to improve physical or mental well-being or health, enable or assist individuals to increase or regain independence and quality of life, and improve healthcare delivery, including efficiency, reducing cost, or improving outcomes. Technologies in this portfolio include those applying AI in healthcare, personalized medicine, EHR/EMR, clinical decision support, and smart/connected medical devices. Specific sub-topics include Healthcare Workflow, Economics, and Delivery.

Astera Residency Program is sponsored by Astera Institute. A one-year, fully funded residency for high-agency scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to create open science public goods. Residents receive a competitive salary, an additional budget for a team and project expenses, and access to substantial compute and laboratory resources. Projects must yield open, accessible, and nonproprietary research or products that have a high potential for societal impact. Geographic focus: Global (requires relocation to Emeryville, CA, USA) Focus areas: Open Science, Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Climate Technology, Space Systems, Biotech

CITRIS Core Seed Funding is a grant from CITRIS and the Banatao Institute that funds interdisciplinary information technology research for societal benefit at University of California campuses. The program supports proof-of-concept applied research in areas including artificial intelligence, autonomy and robotics, sustainability, and climate resilience. Eligible teams must include two or more principal investigators from different UC campuses — UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced, or UC Santa Cruz — to encourage cross-campus collaboration. Proposals should emphasize early-stage work with potential for impact at scale and may address diversity, equity, workforce development, cybersecurity, or policy questions. Each selected team receives $40,000–$60,000 for a 12-month performance period, with a deadline of April 22, 2026.

Skip's $10,000 2026 Spring Grants is sponsored by Hello Skip. Skip is offering two $10,000 grants to support entrepreneurs and small business owners. One grant is open to all eligible applicants, while the second is reserved for Skip Plus or Pro members. This is a general small business grant, but AI-focused businesses are not excluded.

In-Kind Software Donations to USA, Canada, and International Nonprofits and For-Profits is a grant program from Microsoft that provides free technology grants and discounted software to nonprofits and eligible organizations. Offerings include free or heavily discounted access to Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is available free for up to 300 nonprofit users, providing productivity apps, cloud storage, and security features. Dynamics 365 and Power Platform tools support donor engagement, volunteer management, and AI-driven operations. Eligible organizations include nonprofits in the USA, Canada, and internationally. The program helps organizations reduce costs, improve cybersecurity, and enable remote work.

The Gates Foundation AI to Accelerate Charitable Giving Grand Challenge seeks innovative AI solutions that transform philanthropic giving. The RFP addresses the question: How might AI support donors to give more and give sooner? Projects must address one of three challenge areas: (1) Donor Discovery & Connection — helping donors identify aligned causes through recommendation engines, personalized learning tools, and impact visualization; (2) Convert Intent to Action — reducing barriers preventing motivated donors from completing donations through streamlined giving processes and community-building systems; (3) Foundational Infrastructure — building underlying data systems and standards for philanthropic AI including data pipelines, nonprofit interoperability with AI agents, and fraud detection. Solutions benefiting global health and development in low- and middle-income countries receive priority consideration. Grantees must participate in up to three learning convenings with peer organizations. Applications are submitted through the Gates Foundation portal at submit.gatesfoundation.org.

The FFAR New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award supports early-career tenure-track faculty conducting innovative research in food and agriculture, including AI, precision agriculture, and computational approaches. The award provides up to $150,000 per year for up to 3 years ($450,000 total), making it one of the most substantial early-career grants available in agricultural sciences. FFAR's research priority areas include agroecosystems, food systems, production systems, and scientific workforce development — all of which increasingly involve AI and data-driven technologies. Research must directly benefit U.S. agricultural interests. The program follows a nomination-based application process: the nomination period opened February 11, 2026, with nominations due March 18, 2026, and full applications due April 29, 2026. FFAR was established through the 2014 Farm Bill and builds public-private partnerships to match congressional funding with private sources. The foundation supports research addressing major food and agriculture challenges including precision agriculture technologies, crop monitoring systems, and data-driven farm management tools. Note: This award is contingent on funding availability as FFAR has limited programmatic funds remaining.

Educator Initiative Grants (Making STEM Strong) is a grant from Educare Foundation that funds educators in Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) to purchase equipment and resources that enhance STEM and STEAM learning experiences for K-12 students. The program supports hands-on, interdisciplinary coding and problem-solving activities using tools such as Indi Robots, Sphero Minis, and Dash Robots across all 10 elementary buildings. Grants fund equipment and expert compensation but not staff salaries. Proposals that incorporate matching funds or community resources are viewed favorably. The application deadline for the 2025–26 school year is May 1, 2026, with School Board presentations no later than May 12, 2026. Eligible applicants are educators employed within Mankato Area Public Schools.

The Lilly Endowment has launched a landmark Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education (AIHE) initiative with up to $500 million in total funding to help Indiana colleges and universities address challenges and opportunities arising from rapid advances in AI technologies. Phase 2 Implementation Grants range from $5 million to $25 million per institution based on enrollment, with proposals due May 1, 2026. Phase 2 Collaboration Grants allocate up to $200 million for multi-institutional collaborative projects, with concept papers due May 1, 2026 and full proposals by invitation due September 25, 2026. The initiative aims to improve student outcomes and workplace readiness through institutional AI transformation projects. Phase 1 Planning Grants of $125,000-$300,000 were awarded in late 2025.

Constellation Astra Fellowship: Strategy and Governance Stream (Fall 2026) is sponsored by Constellation Astra (with mentor organizations including Forethought, AI Policy Network, and Coefficient Giving). A fully funded in-person fellowship to develop and pursue research projects focused on reducing catastrophic risks from AI, specifically on the strategy and governance side.

The Pivotal Research Fellowship is a nine-week AI safety research program (June 29 to August 28, 2026) based at the London Initiative for Safe AI (LISA), with optional extensions of up to six months for strong projects. Fellows receive a GBP 6,000-8,000 stipend, GBP 2,000 housing allowance for non-London residents, London travel coverage, compute resources, and weekday meals. The program offers weekly one-on-one mentorship with established AI safety researchers, dedicated in-person workspace at LISA, research management support, workshops, and speaker sessions. The selection process involves a written application, video interview, mentor-specific work task, and personal interview. Pivotal Research reports that 70 to 90 percent of fellows who applied received extensions in recent cohorts, indicating strong support for continued research development. The fellowship accepts researchers from diverse backgrounds including ML, philosophy, policy, physics, and biology.

The FDT-BioTech program is a joint NSF NIH and FDA initiative that catalyzes biomedical technological innovation through foundational development of methods and algorithms relevant to digital twins and synthetic humans. The program supports inherently interdisciplinary research projects that underpin the mathematical and engineering foundations behind the development and use of digital twins and synthetic data in biomedical and healthcare applications with a particular focus on digital in silico models used in the evaluation of medical devices and to advance regulatory sciences. Priority research areas include computational representations of physiological systems verification validation and uncertainty quantification transferability and generalizability across populations ethics security and privacy considerations and validation mechanisms for digital twin models. The program incorporates AI and machine learning as key enabling technologies for creating responsive digital twin models. All proposals must address regulatory science benefits and ethical implications. This program is distinct from the NSF SCH Smart Health program which focuses broadly on AI for health research and from ARPA-H programs which target specific clinical applications.

The NSF FDT-BioTech program (NSF 24-561) supports interdisciplinary research at the intersection of AI, computational modeling, and biomedical innovation by funding the mathematical and engineering foundations behind digital twins and synthetic data for healthcare applications. Digital twins — computational replicas of biological systems, patients, or medical devices — require advanced AI and machine learning methods for their development, calibration, and deployment. The program funds research on methods and algorithms relevant to digital twins and synthetic humans, including AI-driven in silico evaluation of medical devices and treatments. Projects must be inherently interdisciplinary, combining expertise in mathematics, engineering, computer science, and biomedical domains. Collaborative projects across multiple organizations are encouraged and can receive up to $1 million in total funding over up to 3 years. The program is administered by multiple NSF directorates including the Division of Mathematical Sciences and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, reflecting its cross-cutting nature. The deadline recurs annually on the first Monday in May.

AI for Information Security Call for Proposals – Spring 2026 is sponsored by Amazon. Amazon is offering research funding to advance artificial intelligence applications in information security. The program supports research in areas like trustworthy and reliable agentic AI systems, threat detection and response, AI model security, and cloud security.

Amazon Research Awards - AI/ML Focus is sponsored by Amazon. This program provides unrestricted funding to academic researchers and non-profit organizations working on industry-scale technical challenges in artificial intelligence and machine learning. It supports groundbreaking research across various disciplines, including computer vision, fairness in AI, natural language processing, robotics, and security.

Amazon AI for Information Security Call for Proposals (Spring 2026) is a grant from Amazon that funds AI research tackling the most challenging problems in information security. Topics include trustworthy agentic AI for security operations, AI agent access governance, threat and anomaly detection, AI-powered incident response and red-teaming, vulnerability detection, and securing generative AI systems. Selected principal investigators may receive up to $80,000 in unrestricted funds on average plus up to $40,000 in AWS Promotional Credits. The submission period runs through May 6, 2026. Eligible applicants include academic and non-profit researchers focusing on AI applications in information security.

The Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize UK 2026-2028 supports the development of data tools and AI solutions contributing to improving early intervention for anxiety, depression, and psychosis. This prize program, managed in partnership with Social Finance, funds teams to develop innovative data science and AI tools that can identify individuals at risk of mental health conditions earlier and connect them with appropriate interventions. The prize builds on Wellcome's broader mental health science priorities and complements their separate generative AI mental health research program. Previous rounds funded teams at approximately £200,000 each. The UK 2026 round accepts applications until May 8, 2026 at 12pm. The prize program has previously operated in Africa (2024-2026 with £200,000 per team) and globally (2022-2023 with £1.4 million total). Contact: dataprize@wellcome.org.

PAsmart Career and Technical Education Advancing Grants is a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that funds STEM, computer science, and AI education programs to strengthen Pennsylvania's workforce pipeline. Since 2018, over $60 million has been invested through PAsmart in education and workforce development. Individual grants range from $75,000 to $500,000 for multi-year projects. Eligible applicants include Pennsylvania schools, school districts, CTE providers, nonprofits, and higher education institutions in broad cross-sector partnerships. The initiative prioritizes expanding inclusion in STEM and computer science learning across all communities.

NASA Space Grant Base Award Augmentation 2026 (AI Workforce Development) is a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that funds the establishment of state or regionally focused aerospace skilled technical workforce hubs (NAS_Hubs). The program addresses critical shortages in aerospace skilled technical workers by coordinating employers, career and technical education programs, community colleges, high schools, and workforce development boards. It focuses on creating clear pathways into high-demand, entry-level aerospace careers not requiring a bachelor's degree. Approximately $12 million is available over three years, with eight expected awards of approximately $1.5 million each (up to $500,000 annually). Eligible applicants include government entities, higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and small businesses. The closing date was March 20, 2026.

Amazon Research Awards AI for Information Security Call for Proposals Spring 2026 is a grant from Amazon that funds academic and non-profit research on artificial intelligence applied to cybersecurity challenges. Priority research areas include trustworthy agentic AI for security operations, AI agent access governance, threat and anomaly detection in agentic systems, AI-powered incident response and red-teaming, vulnerability detection using agentic AI, and securing generative AI models and training data. Eligible applicants are full-time faculty at accredited academic institutions or permanent researchers at non-profit organizations with recognized legal status. Selected principal investigators may receive unrestricted funds averaging up to $80,000 USD and up to $40,000 in AWS Promotional Credits per award. The submission period closed May 13, 2026, with decision letters expected in August 2026.

The Amazon Research Awards (ARA) Robotics Call for Proposals funds academic research advancing robotics technology for capable, safe, and intelligent robots operating alongside people. Research topics include AI for Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction, Autonomous Navigation, Manipulation in Cluttered and Unstructured Environments, Soft and Compliant Robotics, Perception and Computer Vision for Robotics, and Multi-Robot Systems. Awards consist of up to $50,000 in unrestricted research funds plus up to $50,000 in AWS Promotional Credits. This is a recurring program with calls typically issued in spring and fall cycles. Selected researchers gain access to Amazon robotics experts and potential collaboration opportunities.

The Amazon Research Awards AWS Agentic AI Spring 2026 call funds academic research advancing the science and practice of agentic AI systems. The program seeks proposals across four priority themes: no-code and low-code agentic AI solutions for rapid deployment and management, AI-enhanced productivity applications enabling human-AI collaboration, multi-agent systems for secure and effective agent collaboration, and agentic AI for scientific discovery spanning health sciences, chemistry, materials science, and physics. Additional welcome topics include safety and responsible AI for agents, agent customization and post-training optimization, data integration and retrieval systems, enterprise-scale operations and governance, and applications in software engineering, healthcare, finance, media, and consumer assistants. The program supports development of open-source tools and encourages research benefiting the broader AI community. Awards are unrestricted gifts with no intellectual property obligations.

AI in Teaching and Learning at Stanford: Innovation with Evidence Grants (Faculty Level) is sponsored by Stanford Accelerator for Learning. Invites proposals to design and study innovative AI approaches in teaching and learning at Stanford, while building evidence to inform practice beyond Stanford. The goal is to support new approaches at Stanford while building evidence to inform practice beyond Stanford.

EIT Digital Open Innovation Factory 2026 is a grant from EIT Digital that funds collaborative innovation projects advancing Europe's digital transformation through open partnerships between industry, academia, and research organizations. The program supports development and deployment of digital technologies — including AI, data, and cybersecurity solutions — aimed at solving key market and societal challenges. Awards are available up to €400,000 per project. Eligible applicants are consortia of at least two partners (SMEs, large enterprises, or research organizations) from at least two different countries in the EU or countries associated with Horizon Europe. The application deadline is May 15, 2026.

The 2026 Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) is an annual competition recognizing innovative solutions that address real community needs using AI, data, or cybersecurity technologies in Africa and the Middle East. The prize supports young entrepreneurs whose startups demonstrate tangible social and environmental benefits through digital innovation. The competition operates through a two-stage process: national selection in each of the 17 participating countries where Orange operates, followed by an international round for top prizes. Beyond financial awards (€25,000 first prize, €15,000 second, €10,000 third, plus a €20,000 Women's Prize), recipients gain significant visibility, networking opportunities with the Orange ecosystem, and mentorship to help scale their ventures. Projects are reviewed by Orange employees via the Orange Engage for Change internal platform. This is one of the few major competitions specifically targeting AI and data-driven social ventures in Africa and the Middle East.

Schmidt Sciences invites proposals for its 2026 Science of Trustworthy AI program, supporting technical research that improves our ability to understand, predict, and control risks from frontier AI systems. The program funds work across three research aims: characterizing misalignment in frontier AI systems, developing generalizable measurements and interventions for AI safety, and overseeing AI systems with superhuman capabilities including multi-agent risks. Research areas include interpretability, robustness, alignment, and risk prediction. Tier 1 awards up to $1M support focused investigations, while Tier 2 awards of $1M-$5M+ fund larger multi-year collaborative efforts across multiple institutions. Schmidt Sciences also provides compute resources, software engineering support, and API credits with frontier model providers. Preference is given to multi-PI collaborations. This is a rigorous scientific research program focused on technical AI safety, not policy analysis.

Schmidt Sciences invites proposals for the 2026 Science of Trustworthy AI RFP, funding technical research that advances the science of building trustworthy AI systems. The program addresses three interconnected research aims: understanding why frontier AI systems develop misaligned goals that fail under distribution shift or pressure (Aim 1), creating valid evaluations and interventions to control what AI systems learn (Aim 2), and developing oversight mechanisms for superhuman AI capabilities and managing multi-agent risks (Aim 3). Beyond direct funding, awardees receive computing resources including GPUs and CPUs, software engineering support, API credits with frontier model providers, and access to a research community. The program is open globally and encourages cross-institutional and cross-geographic collaborations. Indirect costs are capped at 10% of total direct costs.

The Genesis Mission: Transforming Science and Energy with AI (Phase II) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This phase of the Genesis Mission supports larger, three-year projects for interdisciplinary teams using AI to tackle complex national scientific and energy challenges, including biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, critical materials, quantum information science, and nuclear …

NASA SBIR/STTR 2026 Phase I is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Solicitation for Phase I proposals under the 2026-2027 BAA Appendices A and B, supporting innovative technologies for NASA missions including advanced computing, AI, simulations, and quantum technologies applicable to infrastructure and modeling. Key AI-relevant topics include Autonomous Onboard Health Management for Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems, Fault Management Technologies for Autonomous Systems, Robotic Mobility Manipulation and Sampling for planetary exploration, and High Performance Onboard Computing.

Digital Europe Programme: Piloting AI-based image screening in medical centres is sponsored by European Commission. This call for proposals supports the development and piloting of scalable cloud-based AI/GenAI systems for medical image screening in healthcare settings within the EU, focusing on deploying trustworthy European algorithms trained and validated on massive patient datasets, speci…

NASA SBIR 2026 Phase I BAA for AI Autonomy Robotics and Intelligent Space Systems is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's 2026 SBIR Phase I program includes AI and autonomy-focused subtopics for small businesses developing innovative space technologies. Key AI-relevant topics include Autonomous Onboard Health Management for Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems, Fault Management Technologies for Autonomous Systems, Robotic Mobility Manipulation and Sampling for planetary exploration, and High Performance Onboard Computing.

SBIR/STTR Program Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's SBIR/STTR program funds deep tech startups and small businesses for innovative research and development that aligns with NASA's mission needs. This includes areas like robotic actuation hardware for space environments, motion planning for lunar operations, and autonomous robotic software. The program supports high-impact, high-risk technologies that push innovation forward, including those related to AI.

Innovate UK Venture Builder Pilot Expression of Interest is sponsored by Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation). This pilot program supports new deep-tech spin-outs in Frontier AI, Engineering Biology, or Advanced Materials & Manufacturing. The funding helps very early-stage companies develop their technology and become investor-ready to secure their first significant investment.

The Internet Society Foundation Research Grant Program 2026 funds innovative research that deepens understanding of the Internet and its impact on society, including AI-related topics. The program supports four thematic areas: Inclusive Internet (addressing digital access barriers, affordability, gender disparities), Greening the Internet (environmental impact, energy efficiency, AI sustainability), Measuring Meaningful Connectivity (digital participation metrics, emerging technologies), and Trustworthy Internet (cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, trust). The program places special emphasis on supporting applicants from the Global South and underrepresented communities, and accepts proposals in English, French, and Spanish. Applications are submitted through the Foundation's Fluxx grant management platform between April 7 and May 22, 2026. Research outcomes should inform public policy, industry decisions, and technology development. This is one of the larger non-governmental funding sources for research on the societal impacts of Internet technologies including AI.

The Global Resilience Partnership Innovation Challenge includes a TECH4Resilience track specifically focused on AI-driven humanitarian preparedness, with emphasis on Southeast Asia. The challenge funds innovative solutions across three thematic areas: RAIN Rural Challenge (nature-positive agricultural solutions with priority for East Africa), RISE Urban Challenge (grassroots solutions for informal urban environments), and TECH4Resilience Challenge (AI-driven humanitarian preparedness). In addition to funding, selected projects receive mentoring, networking access, capacity building through a Virtual Leadership Academy, and 12-month implementation support. Over 50% of beneficiaries must be women and youth. Applications must be submitted in English with one proposal per organization.

Schmidt Sciences 2026 AI Interpretability RFP is a pilot program seeking new methods for detecting and mitigating deceptive behaviors from AI models. The program focuses on understanding deceptive behaviors from large language models including sycophancy and knowingly giving harmful advice problems that are appearing more frequently in frontier AI systems trained with noisy human feedback. Research areas include developing monitoring and detection methods for model deception creating targeted steering methods for intervening on model truthfulness building visualizations or dashboards that communicate model truthfulness to users applying detection and steering methods to AI debate settings or decision support systems and studying the role of deception mitigations in multi-agent interactions. This program is distinct from the Schmidt Sciences Science of Trustworthy AI RFP which focuses more broadly on understanding and controlling frontier AI risks. The Interpretability RFP specifically targets research on detecting deceptive LLM behaviors and developing practical interventions.

Innovate UK competition funding the creation, curation, annotation, and exploitation of FAIR-data and benchmarks to fuel AI industry growth. Projects must create high-quality benchmarks based on representative dataset slices to enable evaluation of new frontier AI models, while also developing larger AI-ready annotated and curated datasets. Supports collaborative projects that advance the UK AI benchmarking ecosystem and enable responsible AI development through standardized evaluation frameworks.

The ARPA-H CIRCLE (Critical Illness Immunological Reprogramming and Control Point Learning Engine) program aims to develop AI-driven digital twin capabilities for treating critical illness in ICU patients. Clinicians currently lack tools to track rapidly changing immune responses where excessive inflammation can cause organ failure and death. CIRCLE seeks to create computational models of individual immune systems that provide actionable insights and enable better deployment of existing and next-generation immunotherapies for critically ill patients. The program addresses three technical areas: creating datasets characterizing critical illness progression in real time; developing patient-specific digital twin computational immune system models using AI/ML; and testing immune system modulation approaches with individualized treatment strategies. Solution summaries are due March 30, 2026, with full proposals due May 28, 2026. Teams may include academic institutions, non-profits, corporate entities, or combinations. This is a currently open solicitation posted on SAM.gov.

ARPA-H's CIRCLE program develops new AI-driven digital twin capabilities to treat critical illness by tracking and modulating the body's immune response at scale. The program integrates three technical areas: creating real-time datasets characterizing critical illness progression and resolution, developing patient-specific computational digital twin models of immune systems using AI, and testing approaches to modulate immune response for individualized treatment. CIRCLE seeks integrated Measure-Model-Modulate systems with a performance target of reducing average ICU stay by 25%. The program aims to give clinicians AI-based tools for better diagnosis and care of critically ill patients, progressing toward FDA-compliant systems and clinical adoption within 3-5 years. Solution summaries were due March 30, 2026, with full proposals due May 28, 2026.

Liberty LaunchPad Hackathon Scholarships is a program from the Foundation for Economic Education and FreedomFest that funds college students and young professionals ages 18–24 to attend a multi-day AI and entrepreneurship hackathon in Las Vegas, Nevada (July 6–8, 2026). Scholarships cover programming, shared lodging, meals, and travel reimbursement up to $500, with a total value of approximately $2,249. Participants work in teams to design AI-powered solutions to educational challenges grounded in free-market principles, progressing through three stages: problem definition and pitch, functional tech demo, and final presentation to judges. Feedback from industry entrepreneurs is provided throughout. Applicants over 24 may also be considered. International participants must have valid entry authorization to the U.S.

AIGC for Future Global Challenge 2026 is sponsored by AIGC for Future Global Challenge (inviting submissions worldwide). This challenge invites young creators, interdisciplinary teams, companies, and research institutions worldwide to submit AI-generated projects that promote innovation, sustainability, inclusion, and global collaboration. It encourages the use of artificial intelligence and AI-generated content (AIGC) to create positive social impact and support sustainable development goals, including education and awareness and community development.

Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) 84.423A is sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The SEED program provides funding to increase the number of highly effective educators by supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators to improve student outcomes.

Digital Citizen Fund Rookie Team Grant is sponsored by Digital Citizen Fund (DCF) / FIRST Robotics. Sponsors the participation of U. S. -based, rookie FIRST Robotics Competition teams with all or at least majority-female membership. DCF expects to award up to five grants across the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons to maximize impact and encourage fundraising.

Digital Citizen Fund Rookie Team Grant is sponsored by FIRST Robotics. This grant funds participation costs for U.S.-based rookie robotics teams with all or majority-female membership in FIRST Robotics Competitions. The Digital Citizen Fund aims to support women and girls in STEM. Up to five grants of $5,000 are awarded across the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons. Teams apply separately for each season.

Digital Citizen Fund Rookie Team Grant is sponsored by Digital Citizen Fund (DCF). The Digital Citizen Fund supports U. S. -based, rookie FIRST Robotics Competition teams with all or at least majority-female membership. DCF expects to award up to five grants of $5000 each across the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 seasons to sponsor participation.

The AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program (AISCIP) supports the design, construction, and operation of a national public AI supercomputing system in Canada. With approximately CAD $890 million allocated over seven fiscal years starting FY2026-27, this initiative is a core pillar of Canada's broader Sovereign AI Compute Strategy. The program funds hardware installation, data centre operations, and systems administration for high-performance AI-optimized compute infrastructure with Canadian data residency requirements. Successful applicants must demonstrate rapid deployment capability, scalable design, Canadian governance with data residency control, and broader economic benefits including domestic supply chain strengthening. This is distinct from the separately-funded AI Compute Access Fund, which subsidizes researcher access to existing compute resources. An informational webinar is available for prospective applicants.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) SBIR/STTR Phase I is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This NSF SBIR/STTR topic focuses on cutting-edge AI technologies that are safe, reliable, fair, robust against adversaries, privacy-preserving, and efficient. It also includes novel hardware technologies for sustainable AI, edge devices (i.e., intelligent systems on a chip for applications such as voice assistants), and AI technologies that lead to better hardware systems. The program funds high-risk, high-impact technologies with strong commercial potential.

DARPA DSO Office-Wide BAA for Defense Sciences and AI is a grant from DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO) that funds basic and applied research proposals in defense sciences and artificial intelligence that may fall outside current program priorities but have potential value to national security. DARPA's primary funding vehicle is the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), which is open to all responsible proposers from universities, commercial companies, nonprofits, and research institutions. The office-wide BAA is refreshed annually and outlines current technical areas of interest. The deadline for proposals is June 2, 2026.

Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement (HR001125S0013) is sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) - Defense Sciences Office (DSO). This BAA solicits proposals for innovative approaches enabling revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems for national security applications, which can include areas related to AI safety and trustworthiness.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - NSF SBIR is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR. This NSF SBIR topic focuses on cutting-edge technologies in deep learning-based AI systems and AI-based hardware. It emphasizes next-generation AI technologies that are safe, reliable, fair, robust against sophisticated adversaries, privacy-preserving, and computationally efficient. Sub-topics include Computer Vision Based AI Technologies and Technologies for Trustworthy AI (safe, fair, transparent, privacy-preserving, explainable, and/or secure).

Small Business Innovation Research Program (NSF SBIR/STTR) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF SBIR/STTR program funds high-risk, high-impact technologies developed by U.S. startups. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) topic specifically emphasizes next-generation AI technologies, including cutting-edge hardware technologies needed for sustainable AI, novel devices and architectures, and smart and secure edge devices, which directly relate to AI microelectronics.

DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement (HR001125S0013) seeks proposals that investigate innovative approaches enabling revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems for national security applications. DSO explicitly excludes research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice, instead seeking paradigm-shifting breakthroughs. The office covers a broad range of scientific disciplines including mathematics, computation and algorithms, physical sciences, materials science, and novel AI approaches grounded in scientific fundamentals. DSO programs often address foundational challenges in AI such as learning theory, reasoning under uncertainty, physics-informed machine learning, and computational neuroscience approaches to AI. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis through June 2, 2026. Funding instruments include cooperative agreements, procurement contracts, and other mechanisms.

The Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) has established a dedicated AI research funding instrument under Denmark's Research and Innovation Agreements 2026-2029, allocating DKK 60 million annually for research on artificial intelligence with a special focus on responsible development and use of the technology. The funds target early, basic research investigating ethical questions and the influence of artificial intelligence on democratic and security-related developments. Projects can last up to 5 years and are designed to foster scientific innovation, international collaboration, and capacity building in AI through multidisciplinary teams including PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Each project must be led by a PI and a named Co-PI who enter into a binding collaboration on a joint research project, emphasizing the collaborative nature of this funding. Applications are submitted through the Danish e-grant system.

AI Framework for Multimodal Scene Construction and Data Generation is sponsored by Department of the Air Force. This SBIR topic aims to develop an AI framework that generates geo-specific multimodal scenes (RF and EO/IR) using geospatial, environmental, and sensor data. This is to produce high-fidelity synthetic datasets for training autonomous systems and AI/ML models in realistic operational environments.

AI Framework for Multimodal Scene Construction and Data Generation is a grant from the Department of the Air Force (AFWERX) that funds small businesses developing artificial intelligence solutions for multimodal scene construction and synthetic data generation in support of Air Force mission needs. Offered through the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program, Phase I awards are typically up to $200,000 and Phase II awards up to $2,000,000. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-owned small businesses with 500 or fewer employees. The solicitation closed June 3, 2026. AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, has awarded over $7.24 billion across 10,400+ contracts since 2019 to accelerate technology transition from small businesses and startups into operational Defense capabilities.

U.S. Air Force SBIR DAF26BZ01-NV003: Low-Cost is a grant from the U.S. Air Force that funds small businesses developing low-cost defense and aerospace technologies through the DoD SBIR program. This specific solicitation is part of a broader U.S. Air Force SBIR batch covering topics such as low-cost modular payload vehicles for electronic warfare swarms, low-cost phased array antennas for collaborative jamming in small UAS swarms, autonomous systems, AI frameworks, space logistics, and sensor technologies. Eligible applicants are small businesses that submit proposals through the official DoD SBIR application portal. Awards and specific funding amounts are listed in the official solicitation notice. Teams can collaborate via the DoD Team Builder tool.