Astralis Foundation, in collaboration with Macroscopic VenturesGrant

$100K to $2M Middle Powers AI Grant

Oct 23, 2026 23:59:00 PT

Opportunity type

Grant

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Oct 23, 2026 23:59:00 PT

About this opportunity

Astralis Foundation, a philanthropic foundation registered in Sweden and the UK, is running this call with the Swiss philanthropy Macroscopic Ventures. It funds research, policy work, new organisations, fellowships and convenings on how middle powers such as the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea or Australia can stay relevant in the AI transition and help make it safer. Around $10 million is available, most grants fall between $100k and $2M, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying early means an earlier answer.

What you get:

A grant, typically between $100k and $2M over 6 to 24 months; proposals outside that range are considered in either direction
Around $10 million in total across the call, with room to go higher if proposals are strong
A substantive response within about 4 weeks and a final decision within about 8 weeks
Indirect or overhead costs covered up to a reasonable share of the budget, assessed case by case

What you'll do:

Propose a project in one of five areas: helping governments recognise the stakes, building leverage (data centres, chips, robotics, sovereign capital), using that leverage to make AI safer, helping the US and China coordinate, or growing the field
Fill in an online application that should take under an hour if your idea is ready: a 40 word summary, a 500 word description, your team, and a budget
Run the work, which can be research, policy engagement, building an institution, a fellowship programme or a convening

Key dates:

Applications close Friday 23 October 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Substantive response within about 4 weeks, final decision within about 8 weeks
Payouts likely before the end of the 2026 calendar year

More information:

Read the FAQ on middlepowers.ai before applying; questions go to middle-powers-rfp@astralisfoundation.org
The funders do not give feedback on individual applications
Existing Astralis Foundation or Macroscopic Ventures grantees should contact their point of contact instead of applying

Who can apply

Open to individuals, informal teams, universities, fiscally sponsored organisations and non-profits, including non-profit projects inside for-profit organisations; for-profits are considered case by case but unlikely
Grants can be paid to Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK and the US. Other countries are possible but unlikely, with a higher bar and slower review
Middle powers must be a load-bearing part of the project's theory of change
Not funded: the great powers' own domestic AI policy, bio or cyber resilience work, work assuming AI progress plateaus, AI safety work with no middle power angle, career transition funding, student groups, electoral or partisan activity, and commercial work without a safety rationale
No application fee
No age limit is stated

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 11 of 13 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Most grants run from $100,000 to $2 million over 6 to 24 months, from a call of around $10 million
+Free to apply, and the first application takes under an hour if your idea is ready
+Individuals, informal teams and organisations can all apply, and early-career people are named as welcome
+Run by the Astralis Foundation with Macroscopic Ventures, advised by researchers including Yoshua Bengio
+A decision within about eight weeks, often sooner

Worth checking yourself

!Closes Friday 23 October 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific time, and proposals are reviewed as they arrive, so earlier is better
!This is professional AI policy work: the funders judge fit and track record, so a young applicant is strongest as part of an experienced team
!Grants can be paid into 33 named countries; anywhere else is possible but faces a higher bar
!Student groups are out of scope
!Amounts are written in dollars without naming the currency, and no feedback is given on applications that are turned down

Sources checked

MImiddlepowers.aiApplyWEweb.miniextensions.comOfficialDOdocs.google.comOfficialMImiddlepowers.aiApplyASastralisfoundation.orgOfficialMAmacroscopic.orgOfficialMImiddlepowers.aiApplyMImiddlepowers.aiApply

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.