1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Discovering the Future of AI grants program is a grant from Penn AI (University of Pennsylvania) that provides faculty with up to $200,000 for one year to pursue paradigm-shifting research and education in artificial intelligence. The program fosters synergies between AI experts and domain experts across disciplines, encouraging proposals jointly led by two Co-Principal Investigators from different schools.
Funding covers AI Foundations, AI and Business, AI and Education, AI and Health, AI and Science, and AI and Society. Support may fund novel AI models, unique datasets, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, applied research, community partnerships, and educational programs. Proposals must be aligned with one or more of Penn AI's strategic research thrusts and identify audiences outside the academic community.
Get alerted about grants like this
Save a search for “Penn AI (University of Pennsylvania)” or related topics and get emailed when new opportunities appear.
Search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
Discovering the Future of AI Grant Program - Office of the Vice Provost for Research Discovering the Future of AI Grant Program The Discovering the Future of AI grants program provides faculty with critical resources to pursue paradigm-shifting research and education in AI and its applications.
The goal is to foster synergies that pair the latest advances in AI with novel applications across disciplines to unlock new frontiers of discovery. This call will provide funding for one year (see below for details) but proposals that lead to successful outcomes, especially ones with broader impact at Penn, will be eligible for additional funding in subsequent years.
A key goal of this program is to foster genuine collaboration between AI experts and domain experts. We strongly encourage proposals from all disciplines and schools. Proposals led jointly by two Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) from different schools are particularly encouraged: one should be a core AI/ML faculty member, and the other a faculty expert in the relevant application domain.
Proposals must be aligned with one or more of the strategic research thrusts of PennAI: AI Foundations: Understanding the fundamental principles behind existing AI algorithms and developing the next generation of AI algorithms. AI + Business: Exploring how AI will reshape industries, economies, and the future of work itself.
AI + Education : Developing educational programs or innovative in-class teaching (undergraduate or graduate) that leverage AI tools to transform the educational experience and/or advance Penn’s leadership in AI education. AI + Health: Revolutionizing healthcare through AI-driven diagnostics, personalized medicine, computational biology, and optimization of clinical care.
AI + Science: Applying AI to accelerate discovery in the natural sciences, from discovering new materials and modeling climate change to unraveling the mysteries of the human mind. AI + Society: Investigating the societal impact of AI, building trustworthy and ethical algorithms, or using AI to create new knowledge in the humanities and social sciences.
Examples of support include, but are not limited to: Funding for the development of novel AI models and experiments. Funding for acquiring or creating unique datasets necessary for transformative research. Funding for graduate students or postdoctoral fellows for complex data analysis and model development.
Applied research that tackles real-world problems, or develops new products, technologies, or policies, especially research that incorporates community partnerships. Funding for the development of educational programs or innovative in-class teaching. One (1) application per faculty member An unrestricted research award of up to $200,000 for one (1) year.
Awards are for direct costs only. Appointment : The applicant must currently hold a faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania.
Educational Program: For any educational program or course, applicants must provide a course syllabus and a detailed explanation of how the AI educational funding will enhance the course, impact students, and advance Penn’s leadership in AI/ML education ( please indicate whether the course is undergraduate or graduate ).
For any sponsored research projects, the applicant must be eligible to serve as Principal Investigator for the project, unless otherwise noted in this opportunity. Please see Penn’s PI Eligibility requirements to ensure you are eligible. Internal Selection Process: The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Penn AI Council invite Penn Faculty to submit one (1) application for consideration.
Applications must include the following: Cover Page (InfoReady will autogenerate) including: Candidate’s name, academic rank, department, email address, phone number, and campus address. Research projects specify one of the following categories (refer to the Penn AI website for details at: https://ai. upenn.
edu/ai-penn ) Abstract (maximum 1 page) Project description: ( maximum 4 pages, not including references; single-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins ) All projects must identify a second audience outside of the academic community. Who are the primary and secondary audiences of this project, and how will the research or new educational methods benefit them?
Brief Project Budget (maximum 1 page) Course syllabus: ( Optional, if not relevant to proposal ) Provide the course syllabus and/or a detailed explanation of how the AI educational funding will change the course, impact students, or broaden Penn as the leader in AI/ML education. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (maximum 2 pages) Limited Submission Opportunities Protocol What is a Limited Submission Opportunity?
When a funding agency or foundation limits the number of applications Penn can submit, the OVPR manages a two-part internal review process to select the proposal that advances to the funder. What is the Review Process for Limited Submissions? The selection process begins at the school level, where candidates are vetted to choose a finalist for the OVPR round.
Applicants must follow their home school’s deadlines and submission instructions, and get approval from their research dean’s office before submitting proposals. A committee of reviewers then recommends candidates to the Senior Vice Provost, who selects the final nominee. Where do I find out about limited submission opportunities on the OVPR website?
The newly designed website lists LSOs . Use the filters on the left to refine your search. Opportunities are listed in summary form.
Click on the title of an opportunity to see the full details.
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania who are eligible to serve as Principal Investigator for sponsored research projects. One application per faculty member. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Up to $200,000 for one year Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.