AI Grants
Find AI grants, responsible AI funding, machine learning research grants, startup programs, fellowships, and prizes.
AI grants and funding programs now cover a wide range of work: frontier model research, AI safety, responsible deployment, data infrastructure, humanities and social science questions, health applications, climate tools, education, startups, and public-sector innovation. Because the field moves quickly, source verification is especially important.
Start by identifying the funder’s intent. Some AI opportunities want technical research. Others want governance, evaluation, safety, applied prototypes, workforce training, nonprofit tools, or commercial pilots. A strong application matches that intent directly instead of using AI language as a decoration.
For technical programs, prepare evidence: team background, prior work, model or system architecture, data plan, evaluation approach, safety considerations, compute needs, and realistic milestones. For policy or social-impact programs, explain who is affected, what changes, how risks are handled, and why the project is accountable to real users or communities.
AI funding can also include restrictions on data, open-source release, privacy, export control, human subjects, institutional review, or commercial use. Use the listings below to discover current options, then read the official source closely enough to understand both the opportunity and the obligations.
Current matching opportunities
These listings are limited to open, rolling, or upcoming opportunities that match this guide. Check the official source before applying.
Canada–Japan 3+2 Call on AI and Automation for Agriculture 2026: Up to ¥58.5 Million per Japanese Team and CAD $600,000 per Canadian SME, With Canadian Registration Closing 26 August 2026
JST's SICORP programme and the National Research Council of Canada will fund about three Japan–Canada industry–academia consortia to apply AI, robotics and automation to agricultural productivity and resilience, with Canadian registration closing 26 August 2026 and the joint consortium proposal due 30 November 2026.
Scaling AI Safety for a Multi-Agent World 2026: A $10 Million Joint Fund From Schmidt Sciences, Google DeepMind, ARIA and the Cooperative AI Foundation, With Awards up to $1 Million Closing 8 August 2026
A joint $10 million call funding one- to two-year research projects on the safety of large ecosystems of interacting AI agents, with Tier 1 awards up to $300,000 and Tier 2 awards from $300,000 to $1 million, closing 8 August 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth.
SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grants December 2026: Up to CAD $78,000 for a One-Year Synthesis on the Changing Nature of Security and Conflict, Closing 3 December 2026
SSHRC, with NordForsk on the international stream, is funding up to 31 one-year grants of CAD $10,000–$78,000 for social sciences and humanities syntheses of existing research on hybrid threats, Arctic security, AI in defence, and whole-of-society resilience, with applications due 3 December 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Innovate Africa Challenge 2026 (3rd Edition): FAO and Smart Africa Will Deploy One Proven AI Climate-Smart Agriculture Solution in a Member State, Closing 31 August 2026
FAO and the Smart Africa Secretariat have opened the third Innovate Africa Challenge, themed 'From Ideation to Deployment', to select and field-deploy one proven AI solution for climate-smart agriculture in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi or Uganda, with applications submitted through the FAO STI portal by 31 August 2026.
House of AI Startup Challenge 2026: Six Months of Free Membership at Groupama Immobilier's 14,000 sqm AI Campus in Paris La Défense, Closing 28 September 2026
Groupama Immobilier is recruiting applied AI startups for the House of AI, a 14,000 sqm campus inside Paris La Défense, with the top three winners receiving six months of complimentary membership and finalists fast-tracked into the first resident batch; applications close 28 September 2026 and winners are announced 30 October 2026.
Google for Startups Cloud Program: Up to $350,000 in Cloud Credits for Eligible AI Startups
The Google for Startups Cloud Program offers tiered Google Cloud credits, technical resources, and startup support. Benefits depend on the startup stage, prior funding, prior credits, and whether the company qualifies for the AI-first track.
NSF 26-509: Integrated Data Systems & Services (IDSS) Cyberinfrastructure Grant
The NSF IDSS solicitation supports national-scale integrated data systems and services that advance open, data-intensive, and AI-driven research across many scientific and engineering communities.
NSF 26-508: TechAccess: AI-Ready America
A U.S. National Science Foundation partnership program for state and territory AI-Ready America Coordination Hubs, offering up to $1M per year for three years per Hub across three selection rounds.
NSF 26-501: Collaboratory to Advance Mathematics Education and Learning for K-12 (CAMEL)
A two-phase U.S. NSF initiative that supports cross-disciplinary research networks and a shared national hub for high-value, AI-ready datasets that advance K-12 mathematics learning and education.
Google Data Center Community AI Fellowship 2026: A Fully Funded Program With a $1,000 Community Stipend, AI Training, and Google Mentorship for Local Changemakers
A fully funded, primarily virtual fellowship run by the Watson Institute for entrepreneurs and community leaders using AI to create impact in designated Google data center communities across the US, UK, Netherlands, and Finland.
MIDAS African Faculty Fellowship 2027: $35,000 Stipend, Housing and $50,000 Research Pilot Grant
The University of Michigan MIDAS African Faculty Fellowship supports early- and mid-career faculty in Africa for two years of AI-in-science research, including a paid Ann Arbor residence and a return-home pilot grant.
NIH PRIMED-AI Model-to-Clinic Grant 2027: Up to $1 Million a Year for Clinical AI Tools
NIH Common Fund's PRIMED-AI Model-to-Clinic opportunity supports image-centered, multimodal clinical decision-support tools moving from validated prototypes into clinical use, with applications due October 19, 2026.
Application guidance
Use the listings above as a shortlist, then build your application from the official instructions. Save the source page, deadline, eligibility rules, required documents, contact details, and any program-specific scoring criteria. If the deadline is rolling, apply early enough for review queues and budget limits. If the deadline is fixed, work backward from the closing date and leave time for recommendations, institutional approvals, financial documents, and portal errors.
Popular funding types
AI Grants FAQ
What types of AI funding are included?
AI funding can include research grants, safety fellowships, startup programs, prizes, public-sector innovation calls, and applied technology funding.
Do AI grants require a technical team?
Many do, especially research and product grants, but some policy, humanities, safety, and education programs support interdisciplinary teams.
What should AI applicants verify?
Check technical scope, eligible applicants, data and compute rules, safety or ethics requirements, budget limits, and official deadlines.