After completing the learning phase of our courses, many participants work on independent projects of their choosing. We want these projects to be excellent - and we try to remove barriers wherever we can.
One common barrier is lacking the resources to do the project well. Today we’re launching an updated version of our rapid small grants program for participants and facilitators on our courses. It’s aimed at people who, without funding, couldn’t reasonably afford what they need for their chosen project.
If you’re unsure whether to apply: apply.
How it works
At all times, only assume we’ll cover costs we’ve confirmed in writing for your specific project. If you’re ever uncertain, contact us before spending money you expect us to reimburse.
Submit a proposal here (under 15 minutes for most applications). We typically respond within 5 working days with one of three outcomes:
Accepted: We’ll confirm exactly what spending we’ve approved.
Clarification needed: We’ll ask follow-up questions to evaluate your request.
Not approved: We don’t think this meets our criteria, or we’re unable to approve for another reason.
Do your project, confident you can spend on what we’ve approved.
Claim reimbursement. We process most claims within 5 working days. If you didn’t end up spending the money, no problem - just don’t submit a claim.
What we fund
We expect most grants to fall between $50 and $1,500. Amounts toward the higher end typically require evidence of initial traction - a strong proof of concept or promising preliminary results.
We fund work that is already in motion! If you haven’t started, begin with what you have and come back when you hit a blocker to moving fast or moving at all.
The following examples are illustrative; all decisions are ultimately at our discretion:
Compute for a technical AI safety project (API costs, cloud GPU, training runs)
Access to paywalled resources - articles, research papers, datasets, or textbooks
Conference travel
We have a high bar for conference travel funding. We typically fund travel only when:
You’re presenting research or leading a session (not just attending)
The conference is directly relevant to AI safety or biosecurity
You’ve exhausted other funding routes (conference travel grants, institutional support, community funding)
You can articulate a specific deliverable or outcome beyond “networking”
We typically don’t fund conference attendance for networking, professional development, or career exploration. Many conferences also offer need-based travel scholarships.
Project-specific software tools that save significant time on your specific project
Project-specific equipment (e.g., a quality microphone for an AI safety YouTube channel)
Participant recruitment for empirical experiments
Hosting costs for your application or tool
What we don’t fund
Compensation for your time on the project
Equipment you’d reasonably already have (laptops, phones, external drives, etc.)
General productivity subscriptions (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Cursor, Grammarly, etc. unless this is highly leveraged)
Personal expenses
Other funders may cover some of these - see this resources page for AI safety funding opportunities. For larger grants ($10-50k), you’ll need to apply to and complete one of our Incubator Weeks.
Before you apply
Ask yourself:
Have I already started? What have I built, written, or tested so far?
What specifically is blocking me? Can I name the exact resource and why I need it?
Eligibility
You must be a current or past participant or facilitator on a BlueDot Impact course.
We reimburse via bank transfer (Wise) or PayPal (UK), so we cannot send payments to sanctioned countries.
Questions or feedback? Contact us.
Apply
Submit your proposal here - it takes under 15 minutes for most applications. We aim to get back to you within 5 working days.
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