After completing the learning phase of our courses, many participants work on independent projects of their choosing. We want these projects to be excellent - and we try to remove barriers wherever we can.

One common barrier is lacking the resources to do the project well. Today we're updating our updated rapid small grants program for participants and facilitators on our courses. It's aimed at people who, without funding, couldn't reasonably afford what they need for their chosen project.

**If you're unsure whether to apply: [apply](https://airtable.com/appMVNtdBtvtJvu5E/pag9G3oF4DYAyassX/form).**

## How it works

At all times, only assume we'll cover costs we've confirmed in writing for your specific project. If you're ever uncertain, contact us before spending money you expect us to reimburse.

1. **Submit a proposal** [here](https://claude.ai/chat/31228e0b-56f2-4399-be4b-bd41c0056cbc#) (under 15 minutes for most applications). We'll respond within 5 working days with one of three outcomes:

    - _Accepted_: We'll confirm exactly what spending we've approved.
    - _Clarification needed_: We'll ask follow-up questions to evaluate your request.
    - _Not approved_: We don't think this meets our criteria, or we're unable to approve for another reason.

1. **Do your project**, confident you can spend on what we've approved.

1. **Claim reimbursement.** We process most claims within 5 working days. If you didn't end up spending the money, no problem - just don't submit a claim.

## What we'd likely fund

We expect most grants to fall between £50 and £1,000. Amounts toward the higher end typically require evidence of initial traction - a strong proof of concept or promising preliminary results.

These examples are illustrative; all decisions are at our discretion:

- Compute for a technical AI safety project
- Access to paywalled articles, research papers, or textbooks
- Moderate travel and tickets for relevant conferences or events
- Software tools that save significant project time
- Project-specific equipment (e.g., a quality microphone for an AI safety YouTube channel)
- Participant recruitment for empirical experiments
- Hosting costs for your application

## What we typically wouldn't fund

- Compensation for your time on the project
- Core equipment you'd reasonably already have (laptops, phones, etc.)
- Personal expenses, even productivity-enabling ones (meals, drinks, childcare)
- High-cost travel or conference expenses
- Anything without a clear link to your project

Other funders may cover some of these - see [our resources page](https://bluedot.org/resources?from_site=aisf) for AI safety funding opportunities, or apply to our AGI Strategy Fund - which makes out grants between $10k - $50k.

## Eligibility

- You must be a current participant or facilitator on a BlueDot Impact course.
- We reimburse via bank transfer (Wise) or PayPal (UK), so we cannot send payments to sanctioned countries.

Questions or feedback? [Contact us](https://claude.ai/chat/31228e0b-56f2-4399-be4b-bd41c0056cbc#).

## Apply

[Submit your proposal here](https://claude.ai/chat/31228e0b-56f2-4399-be4b-bd41c0056cbc#) - it takes under 15 minutes for most applications, and we'll get back to you within 5 working days.


Rapid Small Grants for Course Participants

Joshua Landes • November 24, 2025