Currently 12 active ai and ai safety grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the US. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The AGI Governance Fellowship is the inaugural three-week intensive run by Johns Hopkins University's School of Government and Policy (SOGP) to develop the next generation of leaders in AI governance. COVERS: frontier AI legislation at state and federal levels; building societal resilience amid rapid capability growth; democratic practices in AGI alignment; and designing new governing institutions for the AGI era. WHO SHOULD APPLY: early-career researchers and practitioners (within roughly eight years of undergrad) with solid foundations in AI governance, including congressional staffers, AGI company employees, recent CS or policy PhDs, and nonprofit/civil society professionals; a postgraduate degree or equivalent experience is required. This is a capstone program for rising leaders, not an intro course. FUNDING: travel, accommodation, and meals are fully covered. DATES: 8-25 September 2026 at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. (in-person only). DEADLINE: apply by 15 July 2026 for full consideration; rolling applications accepted. APPLY: https://sogp.jh.edu/agi-governance-fellowship/
Data & Society, the independent nonprofit studying the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation, is hiring a Senior Researcher for AI Civics, a newly launched two-year programme on civic action and community control over AI. The programme aims to amplify the tools of civic participation so the public can directly shape the role AI plays in society, surfacing civic tools people can use to exert political power over AI systems and tech platforms at community level. It co-creates toolkits and training resources with anchor partner organisations, diffuses them through a train-the-trainer model, and builds toward a national civic coalition demanding democratic accountability over AI. The Senior Researcher is a subject-matter expert and lead contributor, drawing primarily on participatory methods and especially participatory action research, and is responsible for one or more inter-organisational partnerships with national partner organisations working in K-12 education, labour, faith or advocacy. Responsibilities span cultivating and stewarding relationships with partner staff, community members and leaders and public sector workers; leading collaborative relationships with an anchor partner and its local members for the co-creation and diffusion of AI Civics resources; co-developing and iterating toolkits, facilitation guides and training curricula and running piloting, feedback and revision cycles; producing case studies, educational materials, templates, reports, academic publications, lectures and public writing; supporting facilitation preparation for co-design workshops, train-the-trainer sessions and participatory research activities; developing research questions, strategies and new external partnerships with the Program Director; network communications; participating in fundraising, including grant applications and materials for the Development Team; and contributing to the intellectual life of the organisation. REQUIRED: graduate degree or equivalent; expertise in one or more sectors of interest to the programme (K-12 education, labour, faith groups, or another institutional pillar of civic life as it relates to data-centric technologies and AI); 7 to 10 years minimum experience in research organisations or research environments (university, public policy, advocacy, government), inclusive of graduate work; expertise in participatory research methods; a strong track record of seeing research through to publication; a public profile and ability to reach non-academic audiences through writing and speaking; and the ability to coordinate and conduct in-depth qualitative research. PREFERRED: doctoral degree in information science, education, social sciences or similar; established relationships with relevant organisations in the programme themes; experience with civic engagement or organising in nonprofit, labour, advocacy, research or public interest technology contexts. Reports to the Program Director. Data & Society requires prospective employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. TO APPLY: submit a cover letter, an academic CV, and the names, affiliations, titles, email addresses and phone numbers for three references by 30 July 2026. Applications are reviewed from 31 July 2026. Questions: jobs@datasociety.net. NOTE: this is a salaried job, not a grant or fellowship.
The Horizon Institute for Public Service, Renaissance Philanthropy, SeedAI, and Fulcrum Science are partnering to launch a fellowship that embeds technical AI talent across the US Department of Energy national labs to advance the goals of the Genesis Mission, DOE's flagship science and technology initiative launched in late 2025. The Genesis Mission identifies 26 national science and technology challenges critical to US leadership and envisions a national platform connecting supercomputers, experimental facilities, AI systems, and unique datasets, with DOE's 17 national labs playing a key role. Genesis Mission AI Fellows are forward deployed to DOE national labs to bring frontier AI expertise to high-priority scientific challenges. As core members of the technical staff on a Genesis Mission project, fellows work alongside national lab scientists and partners and apply AI to national priorities, from building cutting-edge models of plasma dynamics in pursuit of controlled fusion to advancing state-of-the-art models for foundational materials discovery. Initial national lab partners include Idaho National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; additional partners may be announced later. COMPENSATION/DURATION: 9-12 months starting fall 2026, with a prorated total annual compensation of USD 200,000; fellows are expected to travel to their national lab site at least once a quarter but may work on-site if they prefer. ELIGIBILITY: competitive applicants should have at least 2 years of industry experience building AI models or agents (those with industry experience building AI applications or data infrastructure will also be considered); scientific domain expertise is not required, but any placement will involve some training and study in a specific scientific discipline or energy topic, supported by expert colleagues at the host institution. All fellows must be eligible to work in the United States for the duration of the placement; US employment visas cannot be sponsored, but US permanent residents (green card holders) are eligible. APPLICATION: initial form requires a CV or resume (max 2 pages) and short-answer questions on motivations and experiences (max 200 words); successful applicants complete interviews through partner organizations and national labs, and selected fellows are matched to partner labs by scientific domain and availability. The review uses evidence-based best practices including blind grading of application materials. TIMELINE: application deadline 31 July 2026; final fellow selection August-September 2026; expected start fall 2026.
The Institute for Law & AI (LawAI), an independent think tank researching and advising on the legal challenges posed by artificial intelligence, is running its inaugural Law & AI Academic Fellowship for aspiring legal scholars who intend to go on the US legal academic job market. The fellowship is designed as an alternative to university-sponsored Visiting Assistant Professor or law fellow positions: fellows spend the majority of their time researching and writing articles for publication in law journals on the law of transformative AI, and are prepared for the academic job market as part of a larger application package. Teaching is not required, which LawAI frames as a benefit over most university-affiliated positions, though fellows who want teaching experience are encouraged to seek it and LawAI and its affiliates may be able to help secure positions. Each fellow is paired with an academic mentor from LawAI's network of affiliated academics for ongoing support, with more intensive help in the final stages of the job application process including moot interviews and detailed feedback. Fellows may also inquire about spending time in residence at academic institutions of interest. Candidates are selected in part on how well their research interests align with LawAI's: the institute expects AI to reshape culture, the economy, public policy, public administration, politics, military affairs and geostrategy at least as profoundly as the Industrial Revolution, and asks whether a candidate's research is well-scoped to changes of that magnitude. Areas of particular interest include risk regulation of transformative AI, liability for AI harms, AI and biosecurity, AI and cybersecurity, executive branch use of transformative AI, national security law, law and AI infrastructure, administrative law, constitutional law, international regulation, AI in the judiciary, and industrial policy. Full-time two-year role at USD 130,000 per year, based in Washington DC, Cambridge UK, or remote. Applications close 31 July 2026.
RAND's Center on AI, Security, and Technology (CAST) runs a rolling fellowship for researchers working on AI security and technology policy, with mentorship from RAND policy experts. Fellows can be based in Washington DC, San Francisco or Pittsburgh, work remotely within the United States, or be based in the United Kingdom. Terms are flexible: engagements typically start at six months and can be extended up to three years, full-time or part-time. US fellows receive an annual stipend ranging from USD 40,000 to 200,000 for full-time work depending on experience, plus a monthly payment that can be put toward health and dental insurance; UK fellows are compensated based on experience. The programme spans career stages from undergraduate through mid-career. ELIGIBILITY: applicants must be based in the US or UK; US applicants need to be eligible for a government security clearance, and UK applicants must have a current and ongoing right to work in the UK. Current RAND staff are not eligible. ROLLING DEADLINE: applications are submitted through an online form and reviewed quarterly, with published cutoffs of 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November, each answered by the first of the following month. The date recorded here is the next cutoff (1 August 2026); the call does not close after it. RAND notes that if one of its listed staff openings matches your interest you should apply to that instead, and suggests not applying to the fellowship if you have submitted another CAST application within the last six months.
The Horizon Fellowship places technologists, scientists and researchers with emerging-technology expertise into US federal agencies, congressional offices and Washington DC think tanks to work on AI, biotechnology and emerging-technology policy. The 2027 cohort runs three tiers: junior fellows (under three years of experience, no PhD) at a USD 78,000 base for six months; fellows (three or more years of relevant experience, or a PhD) at USD 130,000 for twelve months; and a newly added senior fellow tier (twelve or more years of experience with a leadership background) at USD 190,000 or more for twelve months. All tiers receive a USD 17,000 benefits stipend, a USD 3,000 professional development stipend and up to USD 3,000 in relocation assistance, and all are potentially renewable. The programme year begins with part-time remote training from January to March 2027, followed by matching in April and May and placement from spring or summer 2027 onward. Most offers are expected by the end of November 2026. ELIGIBILITY: no prior policy experience or specific degree is required, and Horizon explicitly welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds; fellows must reside in Washington DC for the placement, and non-citizens need work authorisation that does not depend on sponsorship. Applications close 30 August 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth.
The ZwillGen Fellowship is a 12-month position for recent law-school graduates and early-career attorneys interested in working at the intersection of law, technology, and public policy. Fellows work alongside attorneys on matters involving privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, online platforms, surveillance, digital advertising, fintech, online safety, and technology regulation, contributing to client counseling, investigations, litigation, and emerging regulatory matters, as well as research, writing, and speaking. The program includes a reduced billable target (1,250 hours) to make room for thought leadership and engagement with the technology policy, privacy, and civil liberties community. ELIGIBILITY: must have graduated from law school before the program starts; must have taken or plan to take a bar exam near the start of the Fellowship; must be able to work out of the DC office and be eligible to apply for admission to the DC Bar. Candidates primarily interested in traditional IP practice may find it less aligned. A small number of applicants may also be considered for the Hannah Schaller Memorial Skylark Fellowship (privacy-law focus, with a reduced 1,100-hour billable target for additional community engagement). Following the Fellowship, fellows may be invited into a full-time attorney role or supported in pursuing other technology law and policy opportunities. APPLY with a resume, law-school transcript, writing sample, and cover letter by 31 August 2026.
The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships place scientists and engineers inside US federal agencies, congressional offices and the judicial branch for a year of hands-on policymaking, contributing technical knowledge and analytical skills to the federal policy process. AI, data and computing policy placements are among the largest tracks, and AAAS runs a dedicated AI legislative branch cohort that places AI experts in congressional offices at GS-12 Step 10 on the DC locality scale. ELIGIBILITY: US citizens holding a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in any science or engineering field, or a master's degree in engineering plus three years of post-degree professional experience; some tracks accept a bachelor's plus five years. Relevant expertise includes AI, machine learning, computer science, robotics and data science. Fellows must reside in DC, Maryland or northern Virginia during the fellowship year. TIMELINE: the application portal opens 1 August 2026 and closes 1 November 2026 at 11:59pm ET, with eligibility notification in late November, interview notification January to February 2027, semi-finalist interviews in March, placement offers by early May, and the fellowship year running 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2028. Apply through fellowshipapp.aaas.org.
The Institute for Advanced Study is seeking a 2026-27 Civic Science Fellow to advance understanding of the social, democratic and scientific implications of artificial intelligence. The full-time, 18-month position is based in the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab led by Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science Alondra Nelson. Working closely with Professor Nelson and Lab members, the Fellow contributes to research and policy analysis and to scholarly and public-facing publications, and supports multidisciplinary, multisector initiatives at the intersection of AI, science and governance. DUTIES (75% Lab work): conduct original research on the Lab's AI-and-society agenda; synthesize scholarship on the social implications of AI, sociotechnical approaches to AI governance and the epistemological implications of AI in research; contribute policy research on governance mechanisms that strengthen democratic institutions; help organize convenings and working groups; collaborate on manuscripts, reports and grant proposals; support editorial development of publications; and develop public-facing essays, policy briefs and digital materials. The remaining 25% supports the Fellow's own independent research, network-building and full participation in the intellectual life of IAS. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: a PhD in the social sciences, sciences or humanities; a strong record of scholarly research, writing and publication on the social implications of science and technology or related fields; and exceptional writing and editing skills for both academic and non-academic audiences. Preferred: specialization in science and technology studies, science and technology policy, organizational studies or qualitative methods, and demonstrated engagement with AI governance and technology policy debates. Apply with a cover letter and resume via the IAS/Paylocity posting.
The CHAI Research Fellowship trains highly qualified postdoctoral researchers to advance beneficial AI, working with CHAI faculty Stuart Russell, Pieter Abbeel and Anca Dragan and collaborating with affiliate faculty at Berkeley AI Research and beyond. Fellows have broad freedom to pursue novel research toward provably beneficial AI systems in areas such as reasoning, decision making, learning, multi-agent systems and philosophical foundations, using probability theory, game theory and control theory. Current topics of interest include theoretical foundations of intelligent agent architecture, expressive formal languages for probability models (including probabilistic programming), decision making over long time scales, cumulative lifelong learning, human-in-the-loop planning and reinforcement learning, human-robot interaction, the structure of human preferences, acting on behalf of multiple humans, robust cooperation in heterogeneous multi-agent systems, and mechanism design for human-machine systems. Fellows may also lead collaborations, advise junior researchers, and teach. QUALIFICATIONS: a PhD (or about to be obtained) in a relevant technical discipline (computer science, statistics, mathematics, or theoretical economics) and a record of high-quality published research; prior work on the AI control problem is not required. International applicants are eligible (visa sponsorship provided). TO APPLY: submit via the CHAI application form a resume, a one-page statement of interest describing the research you would like to undertake, and the names and emails of two academic referees. Start date is flexible and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (no fixed deadline). General enquiries: chai-info@berkeley.edu.
Research residency at Perplexity for exceptional researchers, engineers and analysts from any quantitative or analytical discipline (physics, cognitive science, quantitative finance, theoretical mathematics, etc.) to apply their expertise to AI research challenges including agentic systems and human-AI interaction. ELIGIBILITY: no PhD or deep-learning-framework experience required; instead, strong mathematical foundations, demonstrated technical depth in a rigorous quantitative field, curiosity-driven research practice and clear communication skills. FORMAT: in-person residency paired with senior researcher mentors, with access to compute, research tools and proprietary datasets; residents are encouraged to publish at top-tier conferences and contribute to open source. Rolling start within ~8 weeks of acceptance. Applications via the Perplexity portal: resume/CV or portfolio plus a cover letter describing your interest in AI research at Perplexity; an optional research statement of project ideas is welcomed.
The Good Life Residents Program is a six-month Roosevelt Institute initiative that develops new leaders and elevates bold ideas across six economic policy priorities under its Good Life Agenda. Each topic area hosts a cohort of 3 to 4 residents plus 1 to 2 senior Topic Advisors (academics, policy leaders, organizers or government practitioners) who provide strategic and intellectual mentorship and moderate the closing event. Residents write a roughly 1,500-word original policy essay advancing a people-centered policy vision against a topic-specific prompt, take part in structured dialogue with peers, Topic Advisors and Roosevelt Think Tank directors, help prepare and appear at a culminating public event, contribute to press opportunities such as op-eds and reporter calls where applicable, and act as ambassadors for the Good Life Agenda in their professional and public networks. The current round, the AI and Finance Residents Program, is run in partnership with Data & Society and asks for bold ideas on how to shape, redirect, interrupt or make more visible and contestable the flows of capital into generative AI. Framing: breakneck investment in generative AI technology and infrastructure is distorting the stock market, profit measures, bond issuance, the pace and composition of growth, job creation and trade policy, with seven tech companies accounting for more than a third of S&P 500 market capitalisation and complex, sometimes circular financial arrangements obscuring risk. Suggested lines of inquiry include what government interventions could improve public oversight, risk allocation and direction-setting in private markets; how other investments could be coordinated and scaled if AI spending is crowding them out; what role public spending or new institutions could play in catalysing technology R&D designed to support workers, sustainability and supply chains; what democratic input mechanisms would keep state influence over capital flows less vulnerable to corruption; and how federal AI policy should address public hostility to data centre investments alongside national security and competitiveness. Compensation is USD 3,000 plus travel and accommodation for the culminating event. FLAG: Roosevelt does not publish an application deadline for the AI and Finance round on the programme page, and earlier rounds (Social Security financing, Federal Reserve powers, housing) each ran their own short application window. Check the Formstack application form linked from the programme page for the current closing date before applying.