Schmidt Sciences Opens $1M+ Grants for Trustworthy AI Research
March 18, 2026 · 2 min read
Claire Cummings
Schmidt Sciences has opened its 2026 Science of Trustworthy AI Request for Proposals, offering grants ranging from $1 million to more than $5 million for researchers working on the technical foundations of AI safety, interpretability, and risk prediction.
What the Program Funds
The RFP targets technical research that improves our ability to understand, predict, and control risks from frontier AI systems while enabling their trustworthy deployment. Schmidt Sciences is looking for rigorous scientific work — not policy analysis — that advances the field's ability to make powerful AI systems safer and more predictable.
Funding comes in two tiers. Tier 1 awards up to $1 million for focused investigations. Tier 2 provides $1 million to $5 million or more for larger, multi-year collaborative efforts. The tiered structure accommodates both individual lab-scale projects and ambitious multi-institution research programs.
Global Eligibility at Significant Scale
The program is open to universities, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations worldwide, making it one of the most accessible large-scale AI safety funding opportunities currently available. Schmidt Sciences has a track record of substantial AI investment — the foundation recently awarded $11 million in AI-humanities research grants through its Humanities and AI Virtual Institute.
Proposals are due May 17, 2026, at 11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth. Full details and the application portal are available on the Schmidt Sciences website.
Filling Gaps Government Hasn't Reached
Private philanthropy is increasingly funding AI safety research that federal agencies have been slower to prioritize at this scale. Schmidt Sciences' focus areas — interpretability, robustness, alignment, and risk prediction — map directly to the questions that frontier model developers, regulators, and policymakers are wrestling with as AI capabilities accelerate.
For Tier 2 applicants, the two-month window before the May 17 deadline means assembling co-PIs, drafting research plans, and securing institutional commitments needs to start now. Researchers navigating the growing landscape of AI safety funding from Schmidt Sciences, NSF, and DARPA can use Granted to identify matching opportunities across funders.
In-depth analysis of AI safety funding opportunities is available on the Granted blog.