Advance science and technology for the benefit of life through grants, prizes, fellowships, events, and support for pioneering interdisciplinary research.
The Foresight Institute’s largest recent grant was a $629,750 general sponsorship to the AI Objectives Institute in Los Angeles. That single award captures a broader pattern: the foundation backs frontier science and technology through research grants, general-purpose support, and sponsorships, with a strong emphasis on AI for science and safety, neurotechnology, and nanotechnology. Its stated program areas also include longevity biotechnology, private AI, decentralized and cooperative AI, and space. Recent support reaches universities, research groups, and mission-driven organizations. The University of Pennsylvania received a $100,000 research grant, while FAR AI Inc in San Diego received $107,110 for research. Other awards go to groups working across security, epistemics, and related technical fields, reflecting a portfolio built around interdisciplinary projects rather than a single narrow discipline. The foundation also runs named programs and prizes tied to those priorities, including the Feynman Prizes in Nanotechnology, the Norm Hardy Prize, and fellowship support for early-career scientists, engineers, and innovators. It funds individuals as well as organizations, and its active programs include grantmaking, compute and node access, and fellowship support for work in speculative but potentially high-impact areas such as whole brain emulation.
In AI for science and safety, the foundation supported FAR AI Inc in San Diego with a $107,110 research grant and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with a $100,000 research grant. Those awards fit a program family that links AI to security, privacy, decentralized cooperation, and epistemics. Neurotechnology and whole brain emulation are another clear thread. The foundation gave Neurotrust LLC in Los Angeles a $50,000 research grant, alongside an active whole brain emulation endowment meant to sustain research and R&D in that area. Its nanotechnology support shows up in both research and recognition. MATS Research Inc in Berkeley received a $70,000 research grant, and the foundation also operates the Feynman Prizes in Nanotechnology. The portfolio extends to longevity biotechnology and space through its listed focus areas and fellowship program, which is described as supporting early-career scientists, engineers, and innovators working on frontier projects.
$779K
$8.9M
$9.4M
$3.7M
Most grants fall between $35K and $202K, with a median of $52K.
25th Percentile
$35K
Median
$52K
75th Percentile
$202K
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Typical awards are mid-sized, with a p25 of $35,432, a median of $51,954, and a p75 of $202,438. The distribution includes a few much larger commitments, such as a $629,750 sponsorship and several five-figure research grants. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund and funds individuals as well as organizations. The recent grant list shows repeated support in 2024 and 2025, including annual-style prizes and ongoing program support, suggesting a mix of recurring initiatives and one-off project grants. Applications are accepted unsolicited in some active programs, including AI Nodes and the fellowship.
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in California: 75% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and California cities appear repeatedly in the recent grants list, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Sunnyvale, Berkeley, Santa Monica, Venice, Covina, and San Francisco. Outside California, recipients include Philadelphia, Wilmington, Wichita, and Salt Lake City. All recent grants in the provided list are to U.S. recipients, so the country distribution is entirely domestic.
Its stated focus areas include secure AI, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, nanotechnology, space, existential hope, private AI, decentralized and cooperative AI, AI for science and epistemics, AI for molecular nanotechnology, and AI for neuro/whole brain emulation. Recent grants show support for research, sponsorships, general-purpose funding, and prizes tied to those themes.
Yes. The profile indicates that it funds individuals, and one of its active programs is a one-year fellowship for early-career scientists, engineers, and innovators working on frontier science and technology.
The typical award size is mid-five figures: p25 is $35,432, the median is $51,954, and p75 is $202,438. The recent list also includes a large outlier at $629,750, showing that support ranges from smaller grants to major sponsorships.
Yes for some programs. AI Nodes accepts unsolicited applications, and the fellowship program is also marked as accepting unsolicited applications. The AI Nodes program notes monthly applications with deadlines at the end of each month.
California is the top state by grant count, with 75% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent California recipients include Los Angeles, San Diego, Sunnyvale, Berkeley, Santa Monica, Venice, Covina, and San Francisco.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Foresight Institute that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: For ambitious researchers and builders who use AI to advance science and safety. Areas mentioned include security, privacy, decentralized cooperation, epistemics, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, and molecular nanotechnology.
Deadline: Application deadlines at the end of each month.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empiriqal Inc | Wilmington, DE | $145,419 | 2025 | Research grant |
| FAR AI Inc | San Diego, CA | $107,110 | 2025 | Research grant |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Midfield Scurity LLC | Sunnyvale, CA | $90,000 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Convergence Analysis | Sacramento, CA | $77,116 | 2025 | Research grant |
| MATS Research Inc | Berkeley, CA | $70,000 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Ashgro Inc | Wilmington, DE | $59,200 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Institute for Advanced Consc | Santa Monica, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Neurotrust LLC | Los Angeles, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | Research grant |
| Open Collective Foundation | Covina, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | General purpose |
| Church of Jesus Christ-Latter | Salt Lake City, UT | $10,000 | 2025 | General purpose |
| AI Objectives Institute | Los Angeles, CA | $629,750 | 2024 | General sponsorship |
| Agentic Future Foundation | Venice, CA | $60,000 | 2024 | General purpose |
| Transformative Futures Fore | Wichita, KS | $43,909 | 2024 | General purpose |
| Plurality Institute | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | General purpose |
| AI Objectives Institute | Los Angeles, CA | $35,063 | 2023 | General sponsorship |
Empiriqal Inc
$145,419Research grant
Midfield Scurity LLC
$90,000Research grant
Convergence Analysis
$77,116Research grant
MATS Research Inc
$70,000Research grant
Ashgro Inc
$59,200Research grant
Institute for Advanced Consc
$50,000Research grant
Neurotrust LLC
$50,000Research grant
Church of Jesus Christ-Latter
$10,000General purpose
AI Objectives Institute
$629,750General sponsorship
Agentic Future Foundation
$60,000General purpose
Transformative Futures Fore
$43,909General purpose
Plurality Institute
$10,000General purpose
AI Objectives Institute
$35,063General sponsorship
