Currently 14 active research and journalism grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide. 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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Fast Grants fund high-ambition, curiosity-driven pilot projects at the intersection of AI and health, for early-career scientists or established researchers pivoting into the field. THEMES: training, fine-tuning or evaluating models on biomedical data; exploring or assembling datasets that could unlock new clinical or biological insight; building AI tools or agents that scale a scientist's leverage; pilot experiments that de-risk a bigger funding ask; and anything else where modest, fast capital meaningfully accelerates an AI- or data-driven path to a health breakthrough. ELIGIBILITY: researchers at any career stage including early-career faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates (with faculty sponsorship; USD 25K tier only). Applicants must be affiliated with an institution eligible to receive US charitable gifts. Open worldwide. FUNDING: three tiers (USD 25K / 50K / 100K) with a single payment, 12-month period, indirect costs capped at 15 percent. APPLY: submit a concise application (bullet points, ~300 words max) through the online form; decisions are based on the written application alone, with no interview round. Deadline for Cycle 1: 15 June 2026, 11:59pm PT (a second cycle closes 15 December 2026).
Seed grant competition from the SSRC's Religion and the Public Sphere program for research examining the dynamics of religious and spiritual change through the frame of 'innovation', understood as the strategic recombination of existing elements within broader social, political and cultural change rather than invention ex nihilo. Possible topics include innovations within transnational or diasporic communities (especially circulation to and from the Global South); gendered knowledge of innovation; how innovations attain (or fail to attain) legitimacy and authority; the relationship between contemporary economic conditions and religious/spiritual innovation; historical studies of innovations and their longevity; and civic participation or social mobilisation of new religious identities. ELIGIBILITY: scholars working as professional researchers, postdoctoral researchers, university faculty, or doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy. Open to all social science fields (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, sociology) as well as humanities, theology and other relevant fields; qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. All materials must be submitted in English. Applications consist of a research proposal, application form, detailed budget and brief CV, submitted via the SSRC online portal by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 July 2026.
Funded investigative-journalism fellowship from Durham University and Reuters, embedding the fellow in a major Reuters newsroom to pursue an in-depth investigation. ELIGIBILITY: journalists with roughly 2 to 5 years of professional experience; professionals from related investigative fields (authors, researchers, documentary or photo/video investigators) considered case by case; open to applicants worldwide. AI-generated proposals will be disqualified. Apply via the Durham University Sir Harry Evans Memorial Fund page by 10 July 2026, 12:00 BST.
A global research fellowship for early- and mid-career researchers whose work can strengthen understanding of how children thrive across diverse contexts. Funds are awarded to and administered by the fellow's institution and may support the fellow's effort and broader research costs (research personnel, professional travel, equipment, dissemination, trainee support). Fellows join an interdisciplinary cohort and take part in convenings. Research must align with one of three themes: the youngest children (birth to eight) in crisis and conflict settings; inclusion and wellbeing of neurodivergent children (with a focus on Autism and ADHD, up to 18); and children's learning and development in an AI-enabled world (up to 18). The role of play may be explored where relevant but is optional. ELIGIBILITY: early- and mid-career researchers worldwide employed by a university or research institute, holding a PhD or equivalent doctorate by July 31, 2026, received no earlier than January 1, 2016 (subject to approved career-break policy). Applicants from any country welcome except those subject to EU or US sanctions. Individual applications only. Materials: online form, two-page CV, 250-word abstract, 500-word personal statement, five-page research proposal, budget and justification, and two-page bibliography. Two-stage review; applicants informed of status in November 2026. Questions: legofellowship@ssrc.org.
MUUS Collection (an American 20th-century photography collection that preserves, researches and reveals work from the archives it owns and represents) launches its first Research Fellowship, inviting a curator or academic to spend a year with the archives to develop an exhibition or publication concept offering a new perspective. The Research Fellow examines physical works and ephemera (journals, contact sheets, cameras, the totality of each photographer's collection) and benefits from the new MUUSEUM online research portal. PROJECT PERIOD: November 2026 to November 2027 (project completes November 2027). ELIGIBILITY: minimum five years professional experience at museums, galleries, universities or similar cultural institutions; international candidates eligible but fluency in English (written and spoken) is required; candidates must be willing to travel to Tenafly, New Jersey for up to a week (mutually agreed dates) and be available for remote collaboration with the archive team and advisory board. Candidates from underrepresented or marginalised communities are encouraged to apply. AWARD: USD 20,000 grant plus full coverage of travel costs to the archive. ANNOUNCEMENT: winner decided in October 2026 and announced at Paris Photo. DEADLINE: 31 July 2026.
Vision Grants are research planning grants that give scholars and their collaborators the time, space, resources and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research focused on transforming education systems toward greater equity. Rather than a fully fleshed-out research plan, the proposal is an invitation to think forward about what research is needed to transform education systems toward equity and how that systems change will happen, identifying the system(s) targeted and the specific levers the team thinks must be engaged. Grants bring together a team for 12 to 18 months to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale, cross-disciplinary research projects co-designed with practitioners, policymakers, communities and other partners. Awarded teams also join a cohort learning program held in person in Chicago. ELIGIBILITY: PIs and Co-PIs must have appropriate experience or an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or a terminal degree in a professional field; graduate students may be on the team but cannot be PI or Co-PI. The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit or public/governmental institution willing to serve as the administering organization (colleges, universities, school districts, research facilities, or other 501(c)(3) non-profits, or non-US equivalents); the Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Open to applicants in the US and internationally; proposals in English, budgets in USD. PIs and Co-PIs may apply even with another active Spencer grant or proposal in review, but may not be part of more than one Vision Grant proposal. Note: a Vision Grant is a prerequisite for applying to Spencer's Transformative Research Grant program (TRG, USD 3.5 million), though receiving one does not guarantee a TRG. PROCESS: applications opened 4 June 2026. A required Intent to Apply form (max 200 words, non-binding) is due 12 August 2026 at 12:00 PM noon Central time; the Full Proposal (2000-word narrative) is due 16 September 2026 at 12:00 PM noon Central time. Program contact: Jasmine Knetl, visiongrants@spencer.org.
USD 10,000 prize from the Association for Mathematical Research for serious experimentation in how mathematicians communicate with one another, beyond the static PDF. Submissions should demonstrate communicative capabilities fundamentally unavailable in a linear paper: interactive exploration of parameter spaces in differential equations, dynamic visualisation of group actions or geometric structures, multi-perspective representations of algebraic or number-theoretic objects, nonlinear navigation of proof architectures or dependency graphs, embedded computation as part of exposition, or similar. ELIGIBILITY: no nationality, institutional or career restriction stated; the focus is mathematical depth and communicative innovation. This is NOT for popularisation, production polish or short-form video content - it is about novel research-to-research communication. EVALUATION CRITERIA: mathematical depth and rigor; conceptual insight enabled by the medium; communicative innovation beyond static exposition; scalability and reproducibility; transformative potential for research communication. PROCESS: initial submissions are a short public YouTube concept demonstration (with the hashtag #AMRPotF and a concise written explanation of the mathematical substance and communicative innovation in the video description), with the YouTube link emailed to PotFPrize@amathr.org. Finalists are asked to provide a fully accessible prototype suitable for hosting or linking within AMR Reviews; the winning submission will be published in AMR Reviews as an interactive exposition. Selection committee: Mohammed Abouzaid, Benson Farb, Alex Kontorovich, Akshay Venkatesh, Maryna Viazovska.
Short-term international research fellowship for scientists seeking placements at host institutions in participating member countries. Fellowships last 6 to 26 weeks and support international scientific collaboration, research mobility, knowledge exchange and cross-border partnerships. PRIORITY THEMES: sustainable agricultural productivity, climate action, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, soil health, water resource sustainability, knowledge innovation, sustainable livestock systems, fisheries development and aquaculture sustainability. FUNDING: a travel lump sum, return economy airfare, a weekly subsistence allowance (EUR 600 or EUR 650 by host-country cost of living) and a EUR 165 terminal allowance; insurance, visa fees, lab/bench fees and family or personal costs are not covered. ELIGIBILITY: employed by or affiliated with an institution in a participating country; proposed host institution in a different participating country; at least 4 years of postdoctoral experience (exceptional candidates with equivalent expertise and a strong publication record may also be considered). Applicants must not already hold a position at the host institution, need employer approval and assurance of continued employment or affiliation after the fellowship, and previous fellows may reapply only after a 5-year gap. Applicants confirm country eligibility, secure a host institution and collaboration, prepare a research proposal (objective, scientific relevance, methodology, expected outcomes, 6-26 week timeline, collaboration benefits) and submit supporting documents (CV, publication list, employer approval, host acceptance letter, proof of affiliation).
The IOC Olympic Studies Centre supports PhD students and early-career academics conducting scholarly research on the Olympic Movement, its history and ideals, the athletes, the Olympic Games and their impact on contemporary society and culture. ELIGIBILITY: current postgraduate students enrolled in a PhD programme within the human and/or social sciences, with Olympism, the Olympic Movement or the Olympic Games as at least one research focus; also academic staff and postdoctoral fellows who completed their doctorate (or equivalent highest degree) in or after 2024. AWARD: up to USD 6,000. APPLY: application files and related correspondence must reach the OSC before Tuesday 22 September 2026; see the programme rules and application form on the IOC Olympic Studies Centre website.
Fellowships supporting enterprise and investigative reporting with a business or economic angle, from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Business Journalism at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY. Tech-platform economies, AI labour, data-broker investigations, digital-economy beats and similar tech-and-business stories fit naturally. ELIGIBILITY: working journalists with at least 5 years of professional experience; freelancers and staff are both eligible worldwide. CYCLES: Fall 2026 cycle deadline 12 October 2026; spring cycle expected around April 2027. No application fee.
Research grants from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for individual scholars with a PhD or equivalent to support a discrete project of anthropological research. The grant supports the project's most substantial cost (typically fieldwork or core research activity) and may be used for direct research expenses; not for salary or institutional overhead. Deadlines are biannual: 1 May and 1 November each year. ELIGIBILITY: scholars who hold a PhD (or equivalent) in anthropology or a clearly related discipline; nationality and country of work are not restricted. Up to USD 25,000 per grant. Strictly anthropology focus - the project must be primarily anthropological in scope and method (sociocultural, biological, archaeological or linguistic anthropology, etc.).
Reporters Respond, run by Free Press Unlimited, is a rapid-response emergency fund for journalists and media outlets facing acute threats, covering urgent needs such as medical care, legal aid, physical safety measures and replacement equipment. ELIGIBILITY: individual journalists and media outlets in crisis, worldwide. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with a roughly 24-hour response via the Free Press Unlimited page.
Pulitzer Center reporting grants supporting in-depth international journalism on under-reported global issues. Open to reporters, photographers, audio and video journalists, and documentary filmmakers worldwide. Grants cover the hard costs of reporting projects. ELIGIBILITY: professional journalists and visual storytellers anywhere in the world; both freelance and staff. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via the Pulitzer Center grant portal.
Funds data-driven reporting that uses ML, NLP, satellite imagery, sensors and other computational methods on under-reported issues. Open to freelance and staff data journalists worldwide. Reviewed first-come, first-served on a rolling basis; decisions usually within a month.