Primary Framing Angles:
Document Date: January 27, 2026
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $75K–$100K stipend + $25K project funds |
| Deadline | January 30, 2026 (3 days) |
| Type | Individual fellowship (not org grant) |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support / AI accountability |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | None — fellowship supports individual research |
| Effort Level | Medium (individual application) |
| Link | mozillafoundation.org/fellowships |
Fit Notes: Mozilla cares about AI accountability and public interest tech. Position ODIE's transparent reasoning and outcome-anchoring as infrastructure for "AI that serves communities, not just corporations." A founder or lead researcher can apply as an individual while affiliated with OOI.
Action: Identify applicant, draft application by Jan 29.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $10K–$300K (avg $10K–$100K) |
| Deadline | Last day of each month (next: Jan 31) |
| Type | Project grant + optional co-working space (SF or Berlin) |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture / Multi-agent safety |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ⚠️ Strong preference for open/safety-aligned work. May need to position Librarian/Fluxio multi-agent coordination as safety infrastructure. |
| Effort Level | Low-Medium |
| Link | foresight.org/grants/grants-ai-for-science-safety |
Fit Notes: Their "Multi-Agent Security" and "Decentralized & Cooperative AI" focus areas map directly to Librarian + Fluxio. They want "work that enables safe and cooperative interactions between humans and AIs—focusing on collusion prevention, group coordination, and pro-social AI agents." ODIE's outcome-anchoring is a natural fit.
Strategic Note: They strongly prefer applicants who will use their physical nodes (SF or Berlin). "Funding-only" projects accepted only in exceptional cases. If you can commit someone to their space, this becomes much more accessible.
Action: Submit initial application by Jan 31; can reapply monthly if not accepted.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | Varies (part of $25M+ pool historically) |
| Deadline | February 2, 2026, 11:59 PM EST |
| Type | Research grant |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture / Alignment infrastructure |
| Academic Required? | Preferred but not required |
| IP Trade-offs | ⚠️ Strong open-source/safety orientation expected |
| Effort Level | Medium-High |
| Link | futureoflife.org/our-work/grantmaking-work |
Fit Notes: FLI funds "research that prepares us for the future by pre-emptively making AI beneficial." ODIE's outcome-anchoring and belief revision mechanism can be framed as alignment infrastructure—ensuring AI actions trace back to human-defined goals.
Framing Suggestion: "Goal-first cognition as alignment architecture: ensuring agentic systems remain anchored to explicit human outcomes through continuous belief revision."
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $200K–$750K typical (they just deployed $75.8M in 2025) |
| Deadline | Rolling / Inquiry-based |
| Type | Foundation grant |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ None — they fund proprietary and open projects |
| Effort Level | Low (inquiry), Medium (full proposal) |
| Link | mcgovern.org/grants |
Fit Notes: McGovern is the single best-fit traditional foundation. Their 2025 grants included: "[C]Worthy to expand deployment of open-source modeling tools" ($400K), "Meedan to evaluate and develop privacy-first, AI-enabled information tools" ($750K). They explicitly fund "AI for public purpose" and "civic infrastructure."
Framing Suggestion: Position COMPASS or BRIDGE use cases. "Outcome-driven AI infrastructure that helps nonprofits know if they're actually making progress—not just tracking activity metrics."
Action: Submit inquiry in early February. Expect 4–8 week response before full proposal invitation.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $250K per org (16 orgs from $4M+ pool) |
| Deadline | Demo phase: Feb–Aug 2026 |
| Type | Demonstration grant with technical support |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ Minimal — focus is on deployment outcomes |
| Effort Level | Medium (concept note), High (if selected) |
| Link | gitlabfoundation.org |
Fit Notes: They specifically want "AI solutions that unlock siloed data, expand agent interoperability, reduce service delivery costs, personalize learning, validate skills, and strengthen labor market intelligence." The Librarian's resource management and Fluxio's orchestration directly address "agent interoperability."
Framing Suggestion: SCHOLAR use case—outcome-driven career navigation for workforce development programs.
Action: Monitor for concept note deadline (likely late Jan/early Feb). Prepare SCHOLAR-focused concept.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $200K–$500K typical |
| Deadline | Inquiry-driven (no fixed deadline) |
| Type | Foundation grant |
| Angle | Both angles (learning + workforce + infrastructure) |
| Academic Required? | No (but they fund academic research too) |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ None — they fund diverse approaches |
| Effort Level | Low (inquiry), Medium (full proposal) |
| Link | siegelendowment.org |
Fit Notes: Siegel's three focus areas—Learning, Workforce, Infrastructure—map perfectly to SCHOLAR (learning), COMPASS/NEXUS (workforce), and Cogniscient/Fluxio (infrastructure). They just deployed $15.6M in Dec 2025 to "organizations pioneering new approaches to education transformation, workplace technology development, and community-centered innovation."
Framing Suggestion: Position as "infrastructure for outcome-driven AI in learning and workforce contexts." Emphasize how ODIE enables measurement of what actually works, not just activity tracking.
Action: Submit inquiry in March after McGovern process is underway.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $200K–$2M+/year |
| Deadline | Rolling EOI |
| Type | Foundation grant |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture / Alignment |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ⚠️ Strong preference for open research outputs |
| Effort Level | Low (EOI), High (if invited to full proposal) |
| Link | openphilanthropy.org |
Fit Notes: Open Phil is the largest AI safety funder. Their technical AI safety RFP (closed April 2025) emphasized "alignment faking," "encoded reasoning," and "scalable oversight." ODIE's transparent reasoning loop and outcome-anchoring addresses scalable oversight directly.
IP Consideration: They have strong open-source preferences. Best approach: offer to open-source specific ODIE modules relevant to alignment (e.g., the belief revision mechanism) while retaining commercial components. This is "Option C: Selective Opening" from your IP structure analysis.
Action: Submit EOI in March. Frame as alignment infrastructure research with selective open-sourcing commitment.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $200K cash + $100K AWS credits |
| Deadline | Spring 2026 (typically April–June window) |
| Type | Corporate grant |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ None — AWS understands commercial models |
| Effort Level | Medium-High |
| Link | aws.amazon.com/imagine-grant-program |
Fit Notes: The Pathfinder GenAI award specifically supports "highly innovative, mission-critical project that leverages generative AI" with "potential to produce a scaled, repeatable solution." COMPASS or NEXUS fit perfectly—outcome measurement for nonprofits, AI chief-of-staff for EDs.
Requirements: Must be 501(c)(3). Project must be "building on existing data strategy and foundation, and the generative AI use case is already defined with implementation in the planning phase."
Action: Begin application prep in March. Have working prototype or detailed technical spec ready.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | Share of $30M + Google Cloud credits + pro bono support |
| Deadline | TBD — 2025 cohort selected June 2025; expect similar 2026 timing |
| Type | Accelerator program (6 months) |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ Preferred but not required to be open |
| Effort Level | High (if accepted: 6-month commitment) |
| Link | impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/genaiaccelerator |
Fit Notes: Their 2025 cohort included orgs building "real-time crisis response insights," "clinical decision support," and "conversational agents for jobseekers" (Tabiya's Compass—similar name to your COMPASS!). Strong fit for RELAY, COMPASS, or SCHOLAR.
Action: Monitor for application opening (likely Jan–March 2026 for fall cohort).
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | Phase 1: $750K; Phase 2: up to $5M |
| Deadline | Annual cycle (typically Spring) |
| Type | Federal research grant |
| Angle | Both angles |
| Academic Required? | ⚠️ Yes — required |
| IP Trade-offs | Research outputs open; IP retained via Bayh-Dole |
| Effort Level | Very High (requires academic partnership) |
| Link | nsf.gov/convergence-accelerator |
Fit Notes: Convergence Accelerator funds "use-inspired research" that addresses national-scale challenges. Perfect for SCHOLAR (workforce/education) if you can establish academic partnership.
Academic Partnership Note: Without existing university relationships, this requires 3–6 months of relationship building. Target: Georgia Tech, CMU, Stanford HAI, MIT Media Lab, or regional universities with workforce/AI focus.
Action: If pursuing, begin academic outreach in Feb/March for Spring 2026 or defer to 2027 cycle.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | From $500M pool (10 major foundations) |
| Deadline | Grantmaking begins 2026 (timing TBD) |
| Type | Pooled foundation grant |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ Likely flexible (focus is on outcomes) |
| Effort Level | TBD |
| Link | humanityai.ai |
Fit Notes: Humanity AI's five priority areas include: "AI used to enhance how people work, rather than replace them" and "ensuring AI is shaped around the best interests of all students." This maps directly to ODIE's "AI that reasons alongside humans rather than in place of them" philosophy.
Participating Foundations: Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and others.
Action: Sign up for updates now at humanityai.ai. Position for relationship-building before formal applications open.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $200K–$300K + donated Salesforce products |
| Deadline | TBD 2026 cohort |
| Type | Accelerator program |
| Angle | Mission-driven decision support |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ None |
| Effort Level | High (if accepted) |
| Link | salesforce.org/accelerator |
Fit Notes: "Agents for Impact" focus aligns with Fluxio + Librarian multi-agent orchestration. COMPASS or NEXUS are natural fits.
Action: Monitor for 2026 cohort announcement.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $500K–$1.5M total (36 months) |
| Deadline | October 9, 2026 |
| Type | Federal research grant |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture |
| Academic Required? | ⚠️ Strongly preferred |
| IP Trade-offs | Research outputs open; IP retained via Bayh-Dole |
| Effort Level | Very High |
| Link | nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/mfai |
Fit Notes: MFAI funds "research collaborations between mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, engineers and social behavior scientists to establish innovative and principled design and analysis approaches for AI technology." ODIE's belief revision mechanism, opportunity scoring, and continuous reasoning loop have mathematical foundations worth formalizing.
Academic Partnership Note: This is the highest-value "novel cognitive architecture" federal opportunity. Worth significant investment in academic relationship building if this angle is strategic priority.
Action: Begin academic outreach by June 2026 for October deadline.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $600K–$1.2M (3–4 years) |
| Deadline | Rolling |
| Type | Federal research grant |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture |
| Academic Required? | ⚠️ Strongly preferred |
| IP Trade-offs | Research outputs open; IP retained via Bayh-Dole |
| Effort Level | Very High |
| Link | nsf.gov/funding/opportunities |
Fit Notes: CISE Core supports "foundational and use-inspired research in AI, data science and human-computer interaction." ODIE's integration of JTBD, ODI, and CD-MAP frameworks into a computational system is novel and publishable.
Action: Pursue only with established academic partnership.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | Up to $100K in cloud credits + technical support + VC introductions |
| Deadline | Rolling (apply now) |
| Type | Startup accelerator benefits |
| Angle | Either angle (general AI startup support) |
| Academic Required? | No |
| IP Trade-offs | ✅ None |
| Effort Level | Low |
| Link | nvidia.com/startups |
Fit Notes: This is for VeritexAI (the C-Corp), not OOI. Provides compute credits and ecosystem access. Low-effort, high-value.
Action: Apply immediately through VeritexAI.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Amount | $3,850/week stipend + ~$15K/month compute + mentorship |
| Deadline | Applications open for May & July 2026 cohorts |
| Type | Individual research fellowship (4 months) |
| Angle | Novel cognitive architecture / Alignment |
| Academic Required? | No (but technical skills required) |
| IP Trade-offs | Work is on Anthropic's research priorities |
| Effort Level | High (competitive) |
| Link | alignment.anthropic.com/2025/anthropic-fellows-program-2026 |
Fit Notes: Anthropic's 2026 cohorts will focus on "scalable oversight, adversarial robustness and AI control, model organisms, mechanistic interpretability." ODIE's outcome-anchoring approach could inform scalable oversight research.
Note: This is an individual fellowship, not an org grant. A technical founder could apply while maintaining OOI/VeritexAI affiliation. 40%+ of fellows join Anthropic afterward—consider strategic implications.
| Month | Grant Opportunity | Amount | Primary Angle | Academic Req? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30 | Mozilla Fellowship | $100K+ | Decision Support | No |
| Jan 31 | Foresight AI Nodes | $10K–$300K | Cognitive Arch | No |
| Feb 2 | Future of Life Institute | Varies | Cognitive Arch | Preferred |
| Feb | McGovern Foundation (inquiry) | $200K–$750K | Decision Support | No |
| Feb | GitLab Foundation (concept) | $250K | Decision Support | No |
| Mar | Siegel Family Endowment (inquiry) | $200K–$500K | Both | No |
| Mar | Open Philanthropy (EOI) | $200K–$2M | Cognitive Arch | No |
| Apr–Jun | AWS Imagine Grant | $300K | Decision Support | No |
| Spring | Google.org Accelerator | Share of $30M | Decision Support | No |
| Spring | NSF Convergence Accelerator | $750K–$5M | Both | Yes |
| Summer | Humanity AI | From $500M | Decision Support | No |
| Summer | Salesforce Accelerator | $200K–$300K | Decision Support | No |
| Oct 9 | NSF MFAI | $500K–$1.5M | Cognitive Arch | Yes |
| Rolling | NVIDIA Inception | $100K credits | Either | No |
| Rolling | NSF CISE Core | $600K–$1.2M | Cognitive Arch | Yes |
| Positioning | Funders | What You'd Open | What You'd Keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully Proprietary OK | McGovern, Siegel, AWS, Salesforce, Google.org, Humanity AI, GitLab | Nothing required | Everything |
| Selective Opening | Open Philanthropy, Foresight, FLI | Belief revision mechanism, outcome-anchoring framework, Librarian scoring algorithms | ODIE core engine, Cogniscient implementation, commercial orchestration |
| Research Outputs Open | NSF (all programs), NIST | Publications, methodologies, evaluation frameworks | Implementation IP via Bayh-Dole |
Recommendation: Pursue "Fully Proprietary OK" funders first (McGovern, Siegel, AWS). Use those wins to build credibility before approaching funders with open-source preferences.
| Source | Target | Probability | Expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| McGovern | $350K | 50% | $175K |
| Siegel | $300K | 40% | $120K |
| AWS Imagine | $300K | 35% | $105K |
| Foresight | $50K | 60% | $30K |
| Mozilla (individual) | $100K | 25% | $25K |
| Total | $1.1M | $455K |
Add to conservative:
| Source | Target | Probability | Expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google.org | $500K | 30% | $150K |
| Open Phil | $400K | 25% | $100K |
| Humanity AI | $300K | 35% | $105K |
| GitLab | $250K | 40% | $100K |
| Additional | $1.45M | $455K | |
| Cumulative Total | $2.55M | $910K |
Add to moderate:
| Source | Target | Probability | Expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSF Convergence (Phase 1) | $750K | 20% | $150K |
| NSF MFAI | $800K | 15% | $120K |
| Additional | $1.55M | $270K | |
| Cumulative Total | $4.1M | $1.18M |
Strategy document prepared January 27, 2026 Open Outcomes Institute / VeritexAI