Grant opportunity
Pathfinder Fellowship Fall 2026
Kairos Project is accepting Fall 2026 Pathfinder Fellowship applications from students organizing AI safety and AI policy university groups worldwide.
- Funder
- Kairos Project
- Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth
- Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth: Jul 28, 2026
- Award
- Starter funding of USD 500 for groups; activity funding; graduate student stipend may be available
- Applicant
- Graduate or undergraduate students anywhere in the world who lead or plan to found university AI safety or AI policy groups.
- Discipline
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
- Region
- Global
- Posted
- Jul 23, 2026
Call summary
Overview
Pathfinder is a selective fellowship that supports student organizers building university groups focused on technical AI safety, AI governance, AI policy, AI security and related fields.
Who can apply
Applicants must help lead, or plan to found, a university AI safety or AI policy group and have enough knowledge of the field to explain core AI risk concerns to beginners.
What it supports
- Mentorship from experienced university group organizers.
- Workshops on outreach, graduate student engagement, in-person courses and field-building.
- Slack community, virtual coffee chats and peer support.
- Funding for university group activities such as compute, speaker events, food and outreach.
Funding and duration
- Starter funding of USD 500 is scheduled for accepted groups.
- Further group budget requests are due after the fellowship begins.
- Graduate student fellows may receive a stipend; undergraduates are not eligible for the stipend but can receive group expense funding.
Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth
Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth: Jul 28, 2026
How to apply
Use the official Pathfinder Fellowship application route by 28 July 2026. Accepted fellows are expected to join kickoff events and weekly mentoring activities in August.
Call details
Source-based overview
Pathfinder is run by Kairos Project to accelerate campus leaders in AI safety and policy. The fellowship provides mentorship, funding, community and career support for students organizing university groups around large-scale risks from transformative AI.
Eligibility
Applicants must help lead, or plan to found, a university AI safety or AI policy group and have enough knowledge of the field to explain core AI risk concerns to beginners.
Funding and benefits
Starter funding of USD 500 is scheduled for accepted groups.
Further group budget requests are due after the fellowship begins.
Graduate student fellows may receive a stipend; undergraduates are not eligible for the stipend but can receive group expense funding.
Themes and supported activities
Mentorship from experienced university group organizers.
Workshops on outreach, graduate student engagement, in-person courses and field-building.
Slack community, virtual coffee chats and peer support.
Funding for university group activities such as compute, speaker events, food and outreach.
Deadline and timeline
Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth: Applications close 28 July 2026 at 11:59pm Anywhere on Earth: Jul 28, 2026.
Applicants should confirm the exact deadline time, time zone, required documents, portal steps and any institutional approvals on the official call page before submitting.
How to apply
Use the official Pathfinder Fellowship application route by 28 July 2026. Accepted fellows are expected to join kickoff events and weekly mentoring activities in August.
Before applying, check eligibility rules, budgets, attachments, page limits, partner requirements, cost-share conditions and whether the opportunity uses an expression of interest, full proposal, registration or nomination stage.