The Sentient Foundation has announced a $42 million Open Source AGI Grant and Investment Program aimed at accelerating the development of open, decentralized, and accessible artificial general intelligence technologies.
The nonprofit organization says the initiative will support developers, researchers, and startups working on open-source AI models, tools, infrastructure, and applications. The funding combines non-dilutive grants with founder-friendly investments to help expand the global open AI ecosystem.
The Sentient Foundation believes advanced artificial intelligence should be developed through collaboration rather than being controlled by a small number of private companies. The new program is designed to give independent researchers, open-source contributors, and emerging AI companies resources to build and scale their projects.
The grant portion will support researchers, maintainers, and public-interest AI projects without requiring ownership claims or equity. Recipients will continue to own their work while gaining financial support to advance open development.
The investment track will focus on startups creating commercial opportunities around open-source AI technologies, offering support structures designed to encourage growth while maintaining transparency and accessibility.
According to the foundation, projects applying for funding do not need to release every part of their technology as open source. However, they must demonstrate that at least one important element of their project is publicly available and contributes meaningful value to users and developers.
The initiative highlights the growing success of open-source AI projects that have gained global adoption. Sentient Foundation has also contributed to the open AI movement through projects focused on AI models, research tools, and collaborative development platforms.
The foundation says openness has historically played a major role in technological progress, pointing to open protocols and open-source software as key foundations of today’s digital infrastructure.
With the $42 million commitment, Sentient Foundation aims to strengthen the open-source AGI community and ensure that future AI advancements remain accessible to developers, researchers, and communities worldwide.
Applications for the Open Source AGI Grant and Investment Program are now open, with projects reviewed on a rolling basis.
