September 8, 2026, (Inside AI) — OpenAI is committing $5 million to fund independent research on how generative AI affects the lives and development of young people ages 13-17. The program, announced today, will award individual grants up to $1 million, with submissions open through October 6, 2026. Selected proposals will be notified on or before November 13, 2026.
The initiative targets a critical evidence gap. Generative AI is becoming part of how teens learn, create, and seek advice. Its effects are likely to be nuanced. They may depend on what teens use AI for, how they engage with it, their individual circumstances, and the support available from families, schools, communities, and technology providers.
OpenAI wants a stronger evidence base about teen AI use and impacts to inform product development and answer questions facing policymakers and regulators. The program focuses on teens' social and emotional development, deepening industry-wide understanding of nuances across age and context, efficacy of safeguards and interventions, and ways evidence can inform implementation and evaluation.
Research Priorities Target Social And Emotional Development #
OpenAI welcomes interdisciplinary proposals involving fields such as child and adolescent development, psychology, public health, human-computer interaction, communication, sociology, anthropology, data science, and AI safety. Applications are encouraged from any country, with priority given to countries with significant AI adoption.
Qualitative, quantitative, experimental, observational, theoretical, participatory, and mixed-methods approaches are all eligible. Research involving teens in the design or interpretation of studies is welcome but not required. Preference may be given to research involving ChatGPT, interdisciplinary teams, underrepresented populations or regions, and projects capable of producing clear evidence that can inform near- or medium-term policy and regulatory decisions.
Research involving minors requires particular attention to informed consent and assent, privacy, safeguarding, data security, and the possibility that participation may expose or generate sensitive information. Applicants proposing research involving minors must explain their approach to these issues. Collecting sensitive information does not automatically make a project ineligible. However, such projects may require additional ethical review, expertise, safeguards, and time.
Eligibility Rules And Funding Mechanics #
To be eligible, applicants must be non-profit organizations, academic institutions, or government agencies. OpenAI is seeking to fund research rather than for-profit initiatives, so for-profit organizations will not be prioritized at this time. The grants are funded and administered by OpenAI Group PBC, not the OpenAI Foundation.
A maximum of 10% of each project's grant can support overhead or indirect costs. Grant funds can support student, graduate student, or post-doc involvement in research. Applications must be formatted as a single-spaced Google doc and submitted in English. Research itself may be conducted in any language.
Every funded project must provide OpenAI with a final report describing research methods, findings, limitations, and implications. An interim update on research progress and early findings is required in Q1 2027. OpenAI strongly encourages researchers to make findings publicly available through peer-reviewed publication, preprint, public report, or similar format. However, publication will not be a condition of receiving funding.
Proposals will be evaluated based on scientific rigor, relevance to the program's focus areas, feasibility, ethical soundness, and potential for public impact. A panel of internal experts and advisors will review applications on a rolling basis. Questions about the grant can be directed to collaborativeresearch@openai.com. OpenAI will not provide status updates for individual applications that are not selected.