Updated October 28, 2026
AI in Education Research Grants 2026
Open grants for research on AI in education in 2026, from NSF K-12 programs to the Spencer Foundation, covering AI literacy and AI tutors. Updated daily.
Grants for research on AI in education in 2026 come mostly from the National Science Foundation and a small group of education foundations, led by the Spencer Foundation, and this page lists the opportunities open now. The April 2025 executive order "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth" made AI literacy a federal priority, and NSF responded with a new STEM K-12 research program on AI in teaching and learning plus supplements for existing K-12 AI and computer science awards.
Featured grants
Updated automatically from Atom's grant database. Summaries are AI-generated.Research centers improve the use of EdTech and AI
Supports large-scale research centers advancing evidence-based EdTech and AI to improve learning and digital equity in schools worldwide.
Center of Excellence for AI-Enhanced Educator Preparation
Center of Excellence for AI-Enhanced Educator Preparation supports pre-service teachers through an AI-enhanced clinical practice model to strengthen effective, ethical, and responsible AI use in PK–12 instruction.
Higher Education AI Readiness Grant
Higher Education AI Readiness Grant supports New Jersey college partnerships creating shared resources for faculty AI development, student AI literacy, or AI governance to strengthen AI practices statewide.
The rest of the federal picture is thinner. The Institute of Education Sciences lost most of its staff and contracts in 2025 and went more than 15 months without a new research competition before announcing fresh grantmaking in August 2026. NSF's pivot to AI came with smaller awards, and education researchers estimate the overall pool for STEM education research shrank by about half. That makes private funding more important than usual: the Spencer Foundation routes dedicated AI and education money through its existing research grant programs, and other education philanthropies and AI companies fund work on tutoring systems, assessment, and teacher use of AI.
This collection tracks open grants for research on AI in classrooms, AI literacy, intelligent tutoring, learning analytics, and computer science education, at both the K-12 and university level. It updates as funders open new cycles, which matters in a field where programs are being created and retired faster than most annual funding guides can track. Check each listing's eligibility, since some programs require school district partners or prior NSF awards.
Empowering and Educating Children to Thrive in a Digital Era
NSF funds research and strategies to empower children in the digital age, focusing on safe technology, AI, digital literacy, and online safety through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects.
AI and the Workforce
AI and the Workforce supports academic scholars researching how artificial intelligence affects employment, productivity, occupational change, and economic opportunity over time to deepen understanding of work.
Artificial Intelligence in Communication Sciences and Disorders Research Grant
Supports interdisciplinary research integrating ethical and innovative AI solutions to advance clinical practice, education, and research in communication sciences and disorders.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare supports researchers’ presentations and graduate student attendance to examine how AI can help or harm healthcare quality and efficiency.
Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence (SL)
The Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence (SL) grant supports transformative research on learning mechanisms and how human cognition can be enhanced through interactions with technology or others, emphasizing collaborative models with potential technological applications.
AI for Privacy, Safety, and Security Academic Research Awards
Google's AI for Privacy, Safety, and Security Academic Research Awards fund interdisciplinary research using AI to tackle digital privacy, safety, and security challenges.
Artificial Intelligence in Materials Science
Artificial Intelligence in Materials Science supports researchers combining AI and physical theories for materials discovery, simulation, inverse design, and autonomous experiments to advance scientific discovery.
Technology in the Public Interest
Supports research and networks to improve oversight, evaluation, and accountability in AI governance, prioritizing public interest, equity, and transparency in high-impact sectors.
Request for Proposals: AI Governance
Request for Proposals: AI Governance supports researchers and organizations with research, training, and governance project funding to reduce catastrophic risks from advanced AI.
U.S. National Science Foundation State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs
NSF’s State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs fund consortia to build advanced AI research infrastructure and workforce training across states and territories.
AI Opportunity
AI Opportunity supports Chicago youth, communities, and nonprofits through work on AI, the economy, and workforce, community-centered development, and nonprofit uses to expand equitable participation in AI.
AI Reporting Grants
The AI Reporting Grants from the Pulitzer Center fund global investigative journalism examining the societal impact and accountability of AI and surveillance technologies.
Funding for work that builds capacity to address risks from transformative AI
Funding for work that builds capacity to address risks from transformative AI supports new and existing AI-risk talent through training, networks, and shared knowledge to help society navigate transformative AI.
Artificial Intelligence and Society Fellowship Program
Artificial Intelligence and Society Fellowship Program supports postdoctoral researchers bridging AI, social sciences, and humanities to bring ethical and humanistic principles into AI development and use.
The Policyholder Behavior in the Artificial Intelligence Era
The Policyholder Behavior in the Artificial Intelligence Era supports researchers studying consumer AI use in life insurance to understand changes in policyholder behavior, product performance and risk.
Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology
Supports early-stage research and technology projects in science, with a focus on AI and automation, to clarify needs and inform future strategies where other funding is scarce.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence/Large Language Models on Retirement Professionals and Retirees
This SOA grant funds research on how AI and large language models are changing retirement professionals' roles and retirees' experiences.
Frequently asked questions
The National Science Foundation is the largest federal funder, through its STEM K-12 program and supplements created under the 2025 executive order on AI education. The Institute of Education Sciences funds education research more broadly, and private funders include the Spencer Foundation, which runs a dedicated Initiative on AI and Education.
NSF's STEM K-12 program supports research on using AI and other emerging technologies to improve STEM teaching and learning, with an emphasis on work that translates into classrooms. NSF also offers supplements to existing awardees for K-12 AI education and has made AI a priority area within its fellowship programs.
Yes, but it is scarcer than before. The Institute of Education Sciences paused new research competitions for more than a year after 2025 staffing and contract cuts and only announced new grantmaking in August 2026. NSF has shifted much of its education research toward AI, with smaller maximum awards than in past cycles.
Both. Much of the new federal funding targets K-12, but foundation programs and many NSF opportunities also support research on AI in undergraduate and graduate teaching, workforce training, and informal learning. Each listing states the education levels it covers.