Currently 20 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide, across AI, arts, film, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Every entry is funded, no exposure-only calls. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Biennial international prize for individual artists or collectives worldwide aged 18-35. No application fee. Open to all visual-arts media, including video, installation, performance, photography. Excluded: applicants with Russian or Belarusian citizenship/residency, and former winners. Shortlist announced late November 2026; shortlisted artists are exhibited at PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv and at a collateral event at the Venice Biennale 2027 (exhibition opens August 2027). Of the $40,000 production investment for the main winner, the funds are tied to producing new work. Strong fit for an artist working at the intersection of installation, video and critical AI/surveillance themes (an AI/drones installation would qualify as a video/installation submission). Tight age window (must be 35 or under at deadline); the prize is positioned as career-launching for younger practitioners.
Open global RFP from Schmidt Sciences for technical research that improves the ability to understand, predict, and control risks from frontier AI systems while enabling their trustworthy deployment. Three connected research aims: (1) Characterise and forecast misalignment in frontier AI systems; (2) Develop generalisable measurements and interventions, including evaluations with construct/predictive validity and interventions that control what AI systems learn (not just what they say); (3) Oversee AI systems with superhuman capabilities and address multi-agent risks. Strong proposals (especially Tier 2) take a clear stand on a small number of core questions and pursue them deeply rather than addressing many agenda items superficially. Schmidt Sciences is most interested in ambitious Tier 2 proposals that could materially shift what the field believes is possible; for Tier 2 preference is given to multi-PI/multi-lab collaborations and to projects that are demonstrably the lead investigator's primary focus. Beyond grant funding, the programme provides software engineering support via the Virtual Institute for Scientific Software, API credits with frontier model providers, and access to community convenings/workshops. Eligibility includes individual researchers, research teams, universities, national laboratories, institutes, and non-profit research organisations; cross-geographic collaboration encouraged. Common reasons for non-competitive proposals: lack of core focus, vague methods, no validity argument for proposed tools/benchmarks, no clear statement of what would be learned on success or failure. Deadline 17 May 2026 at 11:59pm AoE; notification of decision Summer 2026. Free to apply.
Open call for individual musicians, collectives, and curators to pitch a project to be streamed on Boiler Room. The fund looks to platform overlooked scenes and spaces, innovative programming concepts that prioritise underrepresented artists, marginalised communities, and forward-thinking collaborations. While Boiler Room's archive is heavily DJ-focused, applicants are encouraged to explore live performance, instrumentation, and non-club genres. Winning application receives up to GBP 10,000 to bring the project to life, plus additional in-kind support and a full release on Boiler Room's channels. Deadline: Sunday 17 May at 23:59 BST. This is the 14th edition of Broadcast Lab.
Production grants for newly commissioned works of visual art exhibited beyond museum walls, in the public realm, or in non-traditional exhibition environments. Grants are awarded to projects that best exemplify VIA's three core values of Artistic Production, Thought Leadership, and Public Engagement. Two-stage application process: Letter of Inquiry due 21 May 2026; invitations to submit a full application sent 24 June 2026 (by invitation only); full application deadline for invited applicants 23 July 2026; grant award notification November 2026. Projects must start after 15 December 2026. VIA runs Fall and Spring cycles each year; Fall 2026 is the current open call.
Research grants for innovative work deepening understanding of the Internet and its impact on society. Four focus areas: Inclusive Internet (structural barriers to digital participation), Greening the Internet (environmental impact and sustainability), Measuring Meaningful Connectivity (frameworks including AI, cloud, platform ecosystems), and A Trustworthy Internet (reliability, security, accountability). Open to individual researchers and organisations worldwide; underrepresented groups and Global Majority applicants strongly encouraged. Applications via Fluxx in English, French or Spanish. Deadline 22 May 2026, 21:00 UTC.
International art prize across three categories, each with a $5,000 award: Legacy Futures (works engaging past, present and future, examining our relationship to technology, culture and time); Systems & Structures (works examining or critically engaging with cultural, ecological, technological and social systems via code, data, networks, biological or environmental processes, institutional frameworks etc., e.g. misinformation, machine vision, human-machine relations); and Experiential Innovation (works prioritising experience via participation, presence, sensation or environment, including live coding, performance, interactive installations, experiential VR/AR and cross-modal practices). The Jury also selects one Gold Award Winner across all categories, awarded $15,000 in 2026. Two-stage judging: an International Selectors Committee curates a longlist of finalists, then a Jury Panel selects the winners. Standard entry fee $45.00; submissions close 23 May 2026 at 19:00. If the entry fee is a barrier, contact info@lumenprize.org.
Fund providing financial and professional support for Palestinian filmmakers worldwide, established by the Palestine Film Institute in May 2025 to ensure Palestinians have the right to tell their own stories. Two submission rounds per year (Autumn opens early September; Spring opens April). Spring 2026 round: applications open 1 April 2026, close 24 May 2026 at 23:59 Palestine time. Decisions within 10 to 12 weeks of the deadline. What is funded: Short films up to 30 minutes at any stage (development, production, post-production) and Feature-length films (longer than 30 minutes) at Development or Post-production stage only (production stage NOT eligible). Eligible forms: fiction, documentary, animation, hybrid, experimental, essay. Projects must be original, artistically serious, and intended for television, cinematic and/or public presentation. The Fund prioritises filmmakers in the most challenging circumstances: based in Palestine, in lower-income countries, and in regions facing barriers to traditional funding. Streamlined application accepted in English and Arabic; selections by a revolving international selection committee.
Open RFP for storytellers producing solutions-grounded climate journalism and media projects. National Geographic Society and The Climate Pledge are funding a global cohort of Explorers to build a portfolio of stories on climate resilience and solutions, with the explicit goal of moving business leaders and policymakers to act. Story themes (non-exhaustive): Climate & Energy Transition (carbon-free energy, decarbonization); Nature & Land Systems (water stewardship, nature-based solutions, biodiversity, restoration, adaptation, regenerative agriculture, food systems); Built & Human Systems (built environment, climate migration, public health, social adaptation); Adaptation in Extreme Weather (hurricanes, heat waves, wildfires, floods). All story ideas must be grounded in solutions. Eligibility: open to both existing NatGeo Explorers and applicants new to the program. Applicants must show a record of successful media projects and submit a portfolio (e.g. website). Storytellers with lived experience in (or established collaborative relationships with) the communities they cover are prioritised. Up to $100,000 per project (recommend up to $20,000 if 5 or fewer years of experience). Budgets must consist of reasonable, well-justified costs directly required to complete the project, used over up to 2 years. All applications must include an explicit plan for evaluating impact. Submit only via the NatGeo online portal in English (the individual responsible for the project must be the listed project leader; one proposal per applicant as project lead). Questions: funding@ngs.org with subject 'RFP Illuminating Climate Solutions'. Deadline: 25 May 2026, 11:59 PM US-EDT.
Fellowship programme supporting Holocaust research by giving researchers, archivists, librarians, curators and other professionals access to 25 key archives and research institutions across Europe, Israel and the USA. Fellows design their own research journey of 1 to 6 weeks and receive a stipend plus travel reimbursement. Welcomes projects on all aspects of Holocaust history (prehistory, legacy, archival management) and is particularly open to PhD students and early-career practitioners.
Long-running fund supporting feature documentaries (52+ minutes) on contemporary topics with budgets under $1.2m USD (excluding distribution). Worldwide eligibility but proposals must be in English with budgets in USD; films may be in any language but visual materials must be subtitled in English. Excludes: NGO/advocacy/educational films, branded content, and historical/biographical films unless they show clear contemporary relevance or innovation in form. Submissions accepted year-round but reviewed in four cycles per year; the next concentrated open call window is 18 May to 15 June 2026 with no extensions. Decisions take up to eight months. Worth tracking for any documentary project on AI-enabled surveillance, algorithmic systems, or critical-tech themes that has a cinematic feature treatment (form-driven, not advocacy-driven).
Fellowship for emerging changemakers aged 18 to 35 using futures thinking and foresight to drive social and environmental impact. Fellows receive a $1,000 kick-starter grant, mentorship from expert foresight practitioners, capability-building training, access to a 900+ strong global community, regional hubs, and the chance to win a $10,000 grand prize. Supports projects on climate transitions, democracy, emerging technologies, health and other systemic challenges.
Inaugural Sofia Coppola Short Film Award run by Decentralized Pictures, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit co-founded by Roman Coppola and members of the American Zoetrope family that uses a community-voting model for film financing. One winner receives a $20,000 production grant, mentorship from Sofia Coppola, and a guaranteed DCP+ distribution slot. Submission window 30 April to 30 June 2026, with possible extension if a minimum submission count is not reached; community review ends 14 days after submissions close, and the recipient is announced ~14 days after that. Application requires a short video sample representing the filmmaker's voice (scene, visual excerpt, or proof of concept) and a one-page project description (synopsis, visual references); pitch video optional but encouraged. $25 submission fee covers moderation and peer review. Open worldwide via account on app.decentralized.pictures.
Quick-turnaround grants for individuals, Wikimedia community members, groups and affiliates running short-term, low-cost Wikimedia-focused projects: editathons, workshops, community meetups, education projects, cultural heritage initiatives, gender/diversity programmes, small-scale software development and content campaigns. Five cycles per year; upcoming deadlines: 1 July 2026, 1 September 2026, 1 November 2026, 1 February 2027, 1 April 2027. Approximately 2 months processing time per cycle. Standard track and Technical Projects track (Grants:Project/Rapid/Tech) share deadlines and amounts. Apply via the Wikimedia Foundation Grantee Portal (Fluxx) at https://wmf.fluxx.io/. Transfers run slower in June and December. CEE region applications routed via the CEE Hub from 1 April 2026. Ineligible: General Support Fund grantees, applicants on SDN lists, those with recent UCoC violations.
Four-week residency in Kyoto for artists, curators and writers from anywhere in the world, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary or social practice. Open to all career stages, 21 and over. Selected participants notified by 1 September 2026.
Rolling grant programme funding individuals at any career stage who want to pursue careers that could help reduce global catastrophic risks or otherwise improve the long-term future. Especially interested in candidates working on risks from future advances in AI and global catastrophic biological risks. Funds graduate study (master's/PhD/MPP/law school), unpaid internships, postdocs, professional certifications, online courses, independent study/upskilling, career-transition and exploration periods, and academic sabbaticals. Concrete examples Coefficient Giving lists: a senior ML engineer doing six months of independent study to investigate AI risk mitigation careers; a physics PhD doing self-guided ML interpretability work to transition into technical AI safety; a management consultant exploring how to apply their skill set to GCR; a tenured ML/CS professor taking a one-year sabbatical to contribute to AI safety or governance. Open globally; no institutional affiliation required. Looks for candidates whose funding would 'make a difference' (otherwise unable to find sufficient funding, or existing funding has restrictions). Encourages applications from women and people of color. Now subsumes the former Biosecurity Scholarship. Applications are open until further notice and assessed on a rolling basis. Free to apply.
Daily seed grants for early-stage volunteer-driven projects with social and environmental impact. Open to grassroots changemakers worldwide: individuals, informal groups and small nonprofits. Project budget under $10,000 and organisational budget under $50,000; no paid staff. Applications reviewed monthly; submit before month-end for that month's review.
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.
Lightweight rolling grant for individual journalists worldwide (writers, photographers, radio, film; freelance or staff) examining how AI systems are designed, sold and deployed in communities. Faster turnaround than the Pulitzer AI Accountability Fellowship: decisions in 1 to 2 weeks.
Monthly $1,000 micro-grants for awesome ideas. Decentralised network of local chapters around the world; each chapter awards one grant per month. Apply via your nearest chapter on the site. Your idea stays yours, no equity taken.
Rolling-deadline fund for technology-focused projects that promote human rights, internet freedom and open societies. Funds anti-censorship, anti-surveillance, privacy-preserving and circumvention tools, plus applied research. Two-stage process: submit a Concept Note via the OTF online application system; reviewed monthly with feedback in 6-8 weeks. Open internationally.