1. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology

$10K–$400K, rolling LOIs.

sloan.org/programs/digital-technology/exploratory-grantmaking-in-technology

Funder profile: kindora.co/funders/131623877

What we know: Sloan made 522 grants in their 2025 filing year totaling $89M. Median grant: $98K. 53% of grants land in five states (CA, NY, MA, DC, IL). About half of all grants go to higher education, the rest to research institutes, arts, and policy orgs. UC Berkeley alone got 55 grants worth $10M over the last three years; MIT got 45. Realistic fit: research-affiliated nonprofits with a named PI and prior peer-reviewed output, ideally in coastal R1 corridors.

2. OpenAI, Cybersecurity Grant Program

Up to $10K in API credits or direct funding. Rolling.

openai.com/form/cybersecurity-grant-program/

What we know: OpenAI doesn't file a 990, so the grantee history isn't public. From OpenAI's own announcements, this fund is geared toward defensive AI security research with concrete deliverables (open-licensed tools, evaluations) rather than general-operating support. Realistic fit: applied AI security teams shipping or evaluating defensive tooling — not nonprofits looking for unrestricted dollars.

3. Internet Society Foundation, Research Grant Program

Up to $200K (researchers) / $500K (orgs). Closes May 22, 2026.

isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/research-grant-programme

Funder profile: kindora.co/funders/823285688

What we know: ISOC made 91 grants 2023-2025 totaling $94M — but that headline is misleading. $74M of those dollars went to three affiliated entities (Internet Society itself, Connected Giving Foundation, TechSoup Global). For unaffiliated US applicants the real addressable pool is closer to $15–20M/yr. Median outside grant: ~$175K. CA gets 31% of awards. Realistic fit: established US-based digital-rights or connectivity research orgs with prior ISOC affiliation or a known advisor in their network.