Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology Grant

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Alfred P Sloan Foundation
Last Updated: September 08, 2025

Summary

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology aims to identify and support emerging sectors in science and technology that lack funding. The program focuses on AI and automation in scientific research, emphasizing the importance of community needs and methodological rigor. By fostering innovative projects, the Foundation seeks to enhance societal benefits and ensure equitable participation from underrepresented groups in research and technology.

Overview

Mission The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields—and the scholars and practitioners who work in them—are chief drivers of the nation's health and prosperity. The Foundation also believes that a reasoned, systematic understanding of the forces of nature and society, when applied inventively and wisely, can lead to a better world for all. Exploratory Grantmaking in Technology Program Goal To continually monitor the landscape of emerging technology with the aim of identifying emerging new sectors, tools, and methods of working that we believe have potential, but which may not yet receive funding from mainstream/other sources. Strategy Exploratory grantmaking is intended to bring community needs and priorities into sharper focus and allow the Foundation to determine whether there is a clear strategy and potential impact in a specific area. Supported activities may include workshops and other expert convenings, early technology development and prototyping, landscape analyses, development of protocols and standards, initial research on and engagement with potential user communities, and demonstration or other proof-of-concept projects. Ideal focus areas lie at the intersection of research and technology, are sufficiently limited that the Foundation could make an impact with its available resources, and involve issues for which public or private funding is scarce or unavailable. Focus Areas Current areas of focus include: AI in Science The complexity and opacity of AI-driven research methods has raised new questions about the degree to which their results can or should be trusted to advance scientific research. Automation in Science Advances in robotics can enable the automation of many aspects of scientific lab and field work, especially when coupled with AI to dramatically accelerate iterative cycles of discovery.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Focus AreasAI in ScienceCurrent areas of interest include: reproducibility and transparency of machine learning-enabled science; ways that the philosophy of science and related fields might help to inform the optimal uses of machine learning to produce new knowledge; and the relative value of foundation models vs. good old fashioned machine learning for scientific discovery.Automation in ScienceThough not substantially funding the implementation of these systems at scale, we are currently exploring their optimal uses by researchers as well as the institutional structures to support them.Budget & Detailed Budget JustificationRequests for salary should adhere to the following restrictions based on the type of staff seeking support:Faculty (on a 9-month academic salary)All faculty supported through a Sloan grant must receive a standard benefits package customary for their institution.Proposals may request (and must justify) up to one month of summer salary support for senior faculty members in the amount of either 1/9 of academic-year salary or $35,000, whichever is lower. The Foundation may make exceptions to this policy in unusual circumstances, but a strong case for such an exception must be made in the budget justification.For faculty on unpaid leave, the Foundation may consider modest academic-year salary support.Project StaffAs needed, up to 100 percent of full-time salaryAll project/research staff employed by the grantee institution must receive a standard benefits package customary for the institution.Postdoctoral ResearchersAs needed, up to 100 percent of full-time salary.Salary must be customary for the department and institution employing the researcher. All Sloan-supported postdoctoral researchers must receive a standard benefits package customary for their institution.Graduate StudentsAs needed, up to 100 percent of fulltime salarySalary must be customary for the department and institution employing the student.TuitionThe Foundation strongly prefers that funds requested for graduate students be allocated toward salaries, stipends, and other forms of direct support. If tuition coverage must be requested, a clear rationale must be provided in the budget justification.In all circumstances, tuition reimbursement will be capped at the NSF Graduate Research Fellow cost-of-education allowance, as specified in the most recent NSF program solicitation, currently set at $16,000 per student per year.If there is a subcontract, proposers must split overhead costs with the subcontractor institution, with total overhead not to exceed 20 percent of direct project costs. The Foundation suggests that the grantee’s institution take 4% of the overhead on the subcontract and assign the remaining 16% to the subcontractor (although this specific overhead split is not a strict requirement).If the total cost of the project is larger than the amount requested from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the request should include a financial plan for the whole effort that identifies any other financial contributions (either secured or anticipated). When possible, letters of support from other funders should be included indicating their willingness to provide funds and the amount of support to be provided.Empirical Research MethodsGrant proposals that request support for research must include a detailed methodological discussion in the form of an appendix.On some occasions, the Foundation will support the purchase or construction of scientific equipment if such equipment is essential to the success of a Foundation-supported research project or educational initiative.

Ineligibility

What We Do Not FundThe Foundation does not make grants to political campaigns, to support political activities, or to lobby for or against particular pieces of legislation.The Foundation does not make grants to individuals except through its Books program.The Foundation does not generally make grants to for-profit institutions.The Foundation does not make grants in religion, medical research, or research in the humanities.The Foundation does not make grants aimed at pre-college students except through its New York City initiative.The Foundation does not make grants to projects in the creative or performing arts except when those projects are related to educating the public about science, technology, or economics.The Foundation does not make grants for endowments, fundraising drives, or fundraising dinners.The Foundation does not make grants in support of the purchase, construction, or renovation of buildings or laboratories.The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation does not accept or review unsolicited grant proposals.Budget & Detailed Budget JustificationFaculty (on a 9-month academic salary)The Foundation discourages budget requests to pay summer salary for senior faculty.Graduate StudentsThe Foundation does not pay indirect costs on graduate student tuition.Note also that tuition is excluded from overhead calculations, so if the subcontractor is spending money on grad student tuition, that money is not eligible for overhead.For grant requests of $50,000 or less, no indirect (overhead) costs are permitted.For grant requests in excess of $50,000, indirect (overhead) costs may not exceed 20 percent of direct project costs.