AI and Mental Health Grant Program

OpenAI has launched a new funding initiative aimed at advancing independent research at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and mental health. As part of its broader safety and well-being mission, the organization is offering targeted research grants to support external, interdisciplinary projects that explore both the potential risks and benefits of AI systems in mental health contexts. The program encourages collaboration between technical researchers and mental health professionals or individuals with lived experience to produce insights and practical deliverables that can inform the design, evaluation, and deployment of safer AI tools. This initiative seeks to spark foundational research into how AI interacts with complex human behaviors, emotions, and psychological well-being. OpenAI is particularly interested in proposals that deliver datasets, evaluative frameworks, or synthesized qualitative insights that may help improve safety interventions and design parameters for AI systems. Suggested areas of research include analyzing how distress manifests linguistically across cultures, exploring the role of AI in current mental health practice, identifying underrepresented patterns of language that AI may misinterpret, and evaluating the ethical use of AI in grief or body image-related conversations. Applications are being accepted through December 19, 2025, with rolling review conducted by a panel of internal experts. Selected projects will be notified by January 15, 2026. The program will award research grants between $5,000 and $100,000, depending on the scope of work, with a total funding pool of up to $2 million. This opportunity is intended for independent researchers or teams affiliated with academic or research institutions. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have relevant professional or lived experience in the mental health field. To apply, researchers must submit a proposal through the provided portal. Submissions should detail the proposed project’s goals, methodology, anticipated deliverables, and budget. Preference will be given to research over commercial efforts; for-profit initiatives are not prioritized in this grant cycle. Examples of expected outputs include annotated datasets, research papers, evaluation rubrics, or culturally informed model assessments. OpenAI emphasizes that the funding is intended to enhance the broader ecosystem of AI safety and does not require alignment with proprietary product development. The program supports global participation where eligibility conditions are met, and encourages innovation in this rapidly evolving field. Interested applicants can email [email protected] with questions, though no status updates will be provided for declined proposals.

Focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and actionable outcomes such as rubrics, datasets, or response guidelines.