Longview Philanthropy, a not-for-profit organisation that offers grantmaking services to donors, including donor education, research reports, grant recommendations, a seamless grant transfer process, and ongoing progress reporting, has opened applications for grants, research fellowships, and career development fellowships to support work on digital minds, artificial intelligence (AI) consciousness, and AI ethics. The funding opportunity invites researchers, organisations, and professionals from around the world to explore questions surrounding the potential sentience, moral status, legal position, and societal impact of AI systems.
The organisation said the initiative seeks to support projects that examine whether advanced AI systems could develop morally relevant characteristics such as consciousness, sentience, or self-awareness, and how governments, researchers, and society should respond if such possibilities become reality. It noted that while AI technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there are still no widely accepted frameworks for determining whether AI systems can possess consciousness or how they should be treated if they do.
According to Longview Philanthropy, the programme will fund work through three tracks: grants for applied work, research fellowships, and career development fellowships. The organisation said the initiative is designed to strengthen the emerging field of digital minds research while encouraging practical work that can influence policy, governance, and the responsible development of AI.
Under the grants programme, organisations, independent researchers, and project teams can apply for funding to launch, expand, or continue initiatives focused on digital minds. Typical grants are expected to range from $50,000 to $2 million, although proposals outside that range may also be considered where justified. Funding may also include operational support for newly established organisations working in the field.
Longview said it is particularly interested in projects that help grow the digital minds research community through mentorship programmes, conferences, workshops, public engagement, and support for professionals transitioning into the field. It also welcomes technical research exploring AI interpretability, welfare measurement, model behaviour, consciousness, and methods for improving the well-being of AI systems, should they eventually demonstrate morally relevant characteristics.
The organisation further encouraged proposals from legal experts, governance specialists, and social scientists examining how societies should respond to potentially sentient AI systems. This includes research on regulatory frameworks, public policy, legal protections, and governance models that could guide future decisions as AI technologies become increasingly advanced.
Longview also identified communications as an important area for funding, noting that public conversations about AI consciousness are likely to become more common in the coming years. It said support will be available for initiatives that improve public understanding, track public opinion, develop evidence-based messaging, and strengthen expert engagement on digital minds issues.
Recognising the need for broader participation, the organisation said it hopes to encourage research beyond the United States and expand engagement from underrepresented regions and communities. It specifically highlighted the importance of including perspectives from the Global South, religious scholars, and culturally diverse groups in conversations about AI consciousness and moral status.
As part of the programme, Longview is also offering research fellowships for scholars with doctoral qualifications or equivalent experience in fields such as computer science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and applied social sciences. The fellowships will last between one and two years and provide annual funding ranging from $55,000 to $150,000, in addition to research, travel, networking, and computing.
Successful fellows will also have opportunities to attend the annual Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy Summit at New York University and receive additional resources, where required, to support their research.
The career development fellowship is aimed at students, early-career professionals, researchers, communicators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and others seeking to transition into digital minds research or AI governance. Fellows will receive living stipends, networking opportunities, mentorship, and, where applicable, access to computational resources to help build expertise in the field.
According to Longview, the fellowship can support a wide range of activities, including postgraduate studies, postdoctoral research, internships, independent learning, career transition periods, and the development of new organisations working on digital minds and AI governance.
The organisation said the initiative is driven by growing uncertainty surrounding the future capabilities of AI systems. While some researchers believe future AI models may eventually display characteristics associated with consciousness or sentience, others warn that people could mistakenly attribute human-like qualities to AI, leading to social, legal, economic, and psychological consequences.
It said these uncertainties present urgent questions for governments and policymakers, including how society should determine whether AI systems deserve moral consideration and how governance frameworks should balance the risks of giving AI either too much or too little moral status.
Longview also noted that existing legal and political institutions are not yet prepared to deal with these questions. It argued that careful research today could help improve future decision-making, shape responsible AI development, and ensure that governance systems remain responsive as technology evolves.
The programme further seeks research about AI welfare, governance strategies, alignment with human values, AI interactions, and practical interventions that could improve the treatment of advanced AI systems if evidence of consciousness were to emerge. It also encourages studies about institutional oversight, public accountability, democratic governance, and mechanisms that ensures that AI development supports human well-being.
Applications will be assessed based on the potential impact of the proposed work, applicants’ experience and expertise, demonstrated interest in digital minds research, and the feasibility of the proposed activities. Longview said applicants should also show how their projects can contribute to practical solutions or improve understanding of digital minds and related governance challenges.
The organisation added that funded activities must comply with applicable laws in participating countries and meet charitable funding requirements.
Applications close on July 10, 2026.
For more information, visit: https://www.longview.org/request-for-proposals-research-and-applied-work-on-digital-minds/
