Updated September 24, 2026
AI Safety Research Grants
Open grants and fellowships for AI safety, alignment, interpretability, and AI governance research, from AI labs, foundations, and federal agencies. Updated daily.
AI safety has gone from a niche research area to one of the fastest-growing corners of research funding. The labs building frontier models now fund outside safety research directly, through fellowships, research awards, and industry-backed pools like the Frontier Model Forum's AI Safety Fund. Philanthropies including Coefficient Giving, the Survival and Flourishing Fund, and the Future of Life Institute run dedicated programs, and federal agencies are funding the mathematical and technical foundations that trustworthy AI depends on.
Featured grants
Updated automatically from Atom's grant databaseRequest for Proposals: AI Governance
Coefficient Giving’s Request for Proposals: AI Governance funds research and projects tackling governance challenges and catastrophic risks from transformative artificial intelligence.
AI Safety Fund
The AI Safety Fund supports global research projects advancing responsible and safe development of advanced AI systems, focusing on urgent challenges like evaluation, biosecurity, cybersecurity, and governance.
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.
The field is broader than its name suggests. Funders support technical work on alignment, interpretability, robustness, and model evaluations, but also governance, policy, security, and research on how advanced AI affects work, institutions, and society. That breadth means researchers in computer science, statistics, economics, law, philosophy, and the policy sciences can all find programs that fit, and many safety funders explicitly welcome applicants who are new to the area.
This collection tracks open grants and fellowships for AI safety and governance research across AI labs, foundations, and government funders. It refreshes as new calls open and deadlines pass. Many safety programs accept applications on a rolling basis or open on short notice, so a live list catches opportunities that an annual calendar misses.
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.
Anthropic Fellows Program for AI safety research: applications open for May & July 2026
The Anthropic Fellows Program supports mentored, hands-on AI safety research projects aligned with Anthropic’s scientific priorities.
SFF is taking on a more proactive stance toward AI risk
The SFF Initiative Committee internally identifies and funds research projects aimed at reducing existential risks from advanced AI and related technologies, focusing on AI safety, policy, and global flourishing.
Funding for work that builds capacity to address risks from transformative AI
Coefficient Giving funds capacity-building projects that help society address risks from transformative AI through training, events, groups, and resource development.
Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
This grant aims to address foundational gaps in AI through interdisciplinary research on mathematical and theoretical foundations for sustainable, trustworthy, and socially responsible AI.
AI Opportunity
The MacArthur Foundation's AI Opportunity initiative supports equitable, community-driven AI research and applications, focusing on youth, workforce, and nonprofit sectors, especially in Chicago.
AI and the Workforce
The Institute for Humane Studies' AI and the Workforce grant funds research on how artificial intelligence is reshaping employment, productivity, and economic opportunity.
US-China AI Governance PhD Fellowships
The US-China AI Governance PhD Fellowships from the Future of Life Institute support research on international cooperation and risk mitigation in AI governance between the US and China.
Technical Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Technical Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Future of Life Institute support postdocs conducting technical research to reduce existential risks from advanced 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.
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.
Center on AI, Security, and Technology Fellows
RAND Corporation's Center on AI, Security, and Technology Fellows program supports research on AI, technology, and security policy through mentorship and hands-on policy analysis experience.
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.
Emerging Algorithms and Mathematical Paradigms for Reliable Next-Generation AI
A workshop by IPAM exploring new mathematical and algorithmic methods to ensure reliable, interpretable, and robust next-generation AI systems.
Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Lilly Endowment's AIHE initiative funds Indiana colleges to research, plan, and implement strategies addressing artificial intelligence's impact on higher education, student outcomes, and workforce readiness.
AI-human collaborations in cancer
This grant funds global teams to develop advanced AI agents that work with human researchers to generate and test new cancer research hypotheses, transforming how cancer is studied.
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
Philanthropic funders include Coefficient Giving, the Survival and Flourishing Fund, and the Future of Life Institute. AI companies fund outside research through programs such as the Anthropic Fellows Program, Google's academic research awards, and the Frontier Model Forum's AI Safety Fund.
Not always. Technical programs fund alignment, interpretability, and evaluations work, but many funders also support governance, policy, law, economics, and ethics research on advanced AI.
Yes. Several funders run PhD and postdoctoral fellowships, and some fellowship programs specifically recruit researchers who are new to the field. Check each listing's eligibility for career stage and location.
AI safety funding focuses on making advanced AI systems reliable, controllable, and beneficial, rather than on improving capabilities or applying AI to other fields. Atom's AI Research Grants collection covers the broader field.