Applications for exploratory grants open soon.

Who can apply

• Individuals, informal teams, institutions, and non-profits, anywhere in the world.
• Teams formed at the Edinburgh workshop, and teams with no connection to it — both are equally welcome.
• Applicants who cannot receive funds through an institution: the fund is fiscally hosted at Hack Club Bank and can pay individuals and unincorporated groups.

What we will ask for

• Two pages, maximum. Plain language.
• What you will do, and what exists at the end of it.
• Who is involved and what they bring.
• A simple budget and a schedule of three to six months.
• How it connects to the priorities the community has already identified — and why it matters if it does not.

How proposals are reviewed

1. Submitted. Once applications open, you can send the form at any time before the deadline in late October 2026.
2. Read by the panel. Five to seven community reviewers, none of whom are applicants in this round.
3. Decision. We aim to make a decision within a month of the deadline — yes, no, or a request to revise, with a short written reason either way.
4. Funds released. Paid through Hack Club Bank once the paperwork is complete.

What reviewers look for

• Readiness. Can this start now and finish inside six months?
• A concrete output. Something the community can read, run, teach, or reuse — released under an open license: OSI-approved for software, CC BY or CC0 for everything else.
• Relevance. It advances the practice of producing trustworthy research software with AI.
• Who benefits. Beyond the applicants themselves.
• Proportionate budget. The cost matches the work.