The European AI & Society Fund is pleased to invite applications for our AI Act Implementation Grants: up to €60,000 in funding to support immediate work to promote social justice objectives in the implementation of the European AI Act. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis. The first review of applications will start on 10 November.
Update: the call is now closed
The full budget for these grants has been used up and we are not accepting further applications. If you have submitted an application, you will hear about the selection outcomes in mid-December. We will be also announcing awarded grants later in December on our website.
While the adoption of the European Union’s AI Act in 2024 was a significant milestone in itself, the implementation and enforcement phase that now follows will decide whether it can have a practical impact on how AI is developed and used. There is significant scope to influence this process and promote social justice priorities.
The AI Act Implementation grants aim to resource the immediate, time-sensitive needs of public interest groups and coalitions that want to play an active part in the implementation of the AI Act. Open from October 2024, these grants will be issued on a rolling basis until the total budget of €400,000 is spent.
- Who can apply? Organisations that want to promote social justice outcomes within the AI Act’s secondary legislation and enforcement infrastructure.
- How much will we award? €10,000 – €60,000
- How long are the grants? Flexible, according to the needs of the project and the AI Act implementation timeline.
- What’s the deadline? Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The first review of submissions will start on 10 November with funding for projects selected in that round beginning on 15 December. The call operates on a first-come, first-serve basis and will be closed when the budget is exhausted.
- Where? Organisations should be registered and carry out their work in the EU, EEA, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland and the UK.
We are also offering separate grants to support broader work on securing accountability over the use of AI in Europe outside of the confines of the AI Act implementation process.
Key information
You’ll find some key information below. Please read the Call for Proposals for full information.
What work are we looking to support?
The AI Act Implementation Grants will support work that puts social justice at the heart of the AI Act’s implementation at EU and national levels. The Fund does not prescribe which approaches or tactics to use.
Examples of work that may qualify for funding include:
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- Soliciting expert advice or commissioning research on a specific aspect of the AI Act implementation, for example the fundamental rights impact assessments
- Ad-hoc convening costs to coordinate among stakeholders involved in the implementation, including travel costs and venues
- Systematising coordination between organisations working in Brussels and at the national and regional level.
- Convening costs to engage with authorities responsible for the enforcement of the AI act
- Travel costs and compensation for experts and advocates that provide substantial input as part of the AI Act implementation process
- Compensation for time spent on one of the sub-committees of the Code of Practice, or in similar processes
This recent report from the European Centre of Non-Profit Law may be helpful to provide further examples of the type of work needed to make the AI Act an effective tool for social justice.
What work we will not fund?
Under this call, we won’t fund:
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- Work focused on enforcing the EU AI Act and other regulations, please review the open call for AI Accountability Grants.
- General support and staff time requests to grow organisational capacity.
- Public awareness raising campaigns about the AI Act.
- Top-up requests adding to already ongoing grants provided by the EAISF, unless you can substantiate how the additional costs cannot be covered by the current funding.
- Work that focuses on hypothetical future risks of Artificial General Intelligence and other speculative technologies that have not yet materialised.
What funding is available?
Organisations can apply for grants between €10,000 – €60,000. The total budget is €400,000. We will allocate this on a rolling basis until all funding has been distributed.
Who can apply?
- Organisations with a track record of work on AI and social justice.
- Organisations should be registered and carry out their work in one or several of the following countries: the EU, EEA, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland and the UK.
- If you want to apply in partnership with other organisations, please choose one lead applicant who represents the coalition in this process.
- Organisations must have non-profit status.
We particularly welcome applications that include collaborations with organisations on national level and / or that directly work on social justice issues.
If you are not sure if you are eligible, please check our FAQs below and join our ‘Ask Us Anything ‘ sessions.
How to apply?
This programme is now closed.
Please complete the application form, budget template and the due diligence information in English and submit it through Optimy, our online platform. The application process for the AI Act implementation grant has only one submission stage.
Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed every three months until the budget is spent. It is possible that the full budget of €400,000 may be allocated during the first review of submissions from 10 November 2024. If this is the case the grants will be closed at that point.
How will we make decisions?
Funding decisions will be made by a selection committee made up of the European AI & Society Fund staff and representatives from our partner foundations.
We will assess applications against weighted criteria outlined in the Call for Proposals.