Second Call for Proposals: Grants to Support Reducing Nuclear Dangers

The philanthropic Consortium to Reduce Nuclear Dangers — which currently includes Carnegie Corporation of New York, Longview Philanthropy, PAX sapiens, Founders Pledge, Global Challenges Foundation, and additional partners — invites applications for projects aimed at reducing nuclear dangers. The consortium funds innovative, action-oriented work to reduce nuclear risks. Projects must present a clear, plausible link between proposed activities and lower risk outcomes, with a credible path to reducing nuclear dangers.

Applicants may request support under two funding tiers (see below). The deadline for submission is before midnight ET on May 29, 2026.

Final decisions are likely to be announced in late fall/winter 2026.

Focus Areas

The consortium invites applications that address at least one of the following three focus areas. Projects may build on existing work but must represent a meaningful advance in scope, reach, or approach.

1. Escalation, Crisis Instability, and Multi-Domain Risk

Projects in this area should address core drivers of nuclear risk, which may include regional proliferation (particularly where it could trigger broader arms racing or great power entanglement), nuclear strategic stability, conflict mitigation, misperception and deterrence ambiguity, crisis communication, escalation dynamics, command and control vulnerabilities, the stability implications of disruptive technologies, and cross-domain entanglement across nuclear, space, AI, cyber, and other arenas.

Examples include work that strengthens crisis prevention and management, improves understanding of escalation and de-escalation pathways, tests or develops tools for managing instability, enhances communication reliability during crises, or otherwise advances the deconfliction of nuclear powers’ interests to avoid high-intensity conflict. Where relevant, proposals should clearly identify the risk pathways they seek to address, make the case for the topic’s importance, and demonstrate sufficient expertise to cover it credibly.

2. Verification, Monitoring, and Risk Transparency

Projects in this area should strengthen the ability to detect, assess, forecast, or monitor nuclear-relevant developments in ways that improve decision-making and reduce uncertainty.

Examples may include innovative uses of open-source data, modeling and simulation tools, verification feasibility studies, early-warning indicators, technical prototypes, or monitoring systems that enhance transparency and compliance. Proposals should clearly explain why the transparency improvements will reduce, rather than inadvertently increase, nuclear risk.

3. Governance, Institutional Capacity, and Expert Talent

Projects in this area should strengthen governance mechanisms, institutional capacity, and the expertise required to manage nuclear risks effectively over time. The consortium will prioritize efforts designed to produce lasting changes in policy and institutional capacity strengthening, rather than short-term or one-off outputs.

These may include improvements to diplomatic, regulatory, or institutional infrastructure; reforms to strengthen how governments recruit and develop talent; structured partnerships between researchers and institutions with authority over nuclear-related policy; or innovative training and fellowship models that engage key private sector actors or institutions at the forefront of emerging technologies and security. Where appropriate, proposals should address how their approaches might be replicated, institutionalized, or scaled.

We also encourage proposals that translate technical nuclear policy analysis into politically actionable strategies or that build rapid-response legislative education capacity, provided such efforts are tied to clearly identified decision points.

Field-building and workforce development proposals should clearly explain how strengthened expertise will translate into practical influence on nuclear risk reduction. General capacity-building without a defined risk-reduction pathway is unlikely to be competitive.

Funding Tiers

The consortium offers two funding tiers:

Small Grants: $50,000–$200,000 (up to two years)

Small grants support focused, time-bound efforts to test, refine, or advance promising approaches to reducing nuclear risk. Eligible projects may pilot new ideas, explore emerging challenges where existing work remains limited, or develop targeted solutions with clear pathways to impact. The consortium encourages thoughtful experimentation within this tier.

Large Grants: $200,000–$1,000,000 (up to three years)

These grants support larger, multi-year efforts that demonstrate scale, feasibility, and a clear pathway from activities to meaningful reductions in nuclear risk.

Eligibility and Collaboration

The consortium welcomes submissions from think tanks, university-based centers, independent NGOs, individual researchers, and equivalent institutions. Individuals and organizations both in and outside the US are eligible. Current grantees of consortium partner organizations are also eligible to apply.

Collaborative applications are strongly encouraged when they are well-aligned and complementary. Collaborative proposals should clearly designate a lead organization responsible for grant delivery and reporting.

Early-career and mid-career applicants are encouraged to apply, particularly under the small-grant tier if they apply as individuals.

Application Guidelines and Recommendations

Applications must clearly and concisely respond to all of the following questions. Please note strict word limits that will be capped on the application form.

1. Problem: What specific nuclear risk, escalation pathway, or governance gap does this project address? Describe the problem and explain why it increases the risk of nuclear use or escalation. (150 words)

2. Intervention: Select up to two intervention categories that best describe your project.

1. Advocacy or policy engagement
2. Data, monitoring, or technical tools
3. Forecasting or strategic risk modeling
4. Policy research / analysis
5. Track 1.5 / Track II dialogues
6. Tabletop exercise / wargame / crisis simulation
7. Training or talent development
8. Other (please specify)

3. Activities: Briefly describe the key activities your project will undertake. (100 words)

4. Outputs: List the concrete outputs your project will produce. Examples may include simulations conducted, datasets created, reports produced, workshops held, etc. (50–75 words)

5. Target Audience: Which specific actors does your project aim to impact or influence? How will you engage these actors and disseminate your outputs? What existing relationships or access does your institution have with these actors? (150 words)

6. Expected Outcomes: Describe the changes you expect to result from this project. How will those changes contribute to reducing nuclear risks? Explain how your activities will influence the actors identified above and what changes in behavior, decisions, or practices you expect to occur as a result. (150 words)

7. Contributions: How does your proposed approach differ from or build upon existing efforts? (100 words)

8. Timeline and High-Level Budget: What is the rough timeline of project activities and budget for the project? (Assume funding decisions will be made in fall/winter 2026.) (75 words)

9. Project Team: Why are the project team and institution(s) well-positioned to carry out this work? How does your project team bring an intellectually diverse perspective in the nuclear risk reduction field? (200 words)

10. Partners: If applicable, describe the role of any partner(s). (75–100 words)

Applicants must also submit a completed “activities, objectives, and timeline” document along with project team bios.

What the Consortium Prioritizes

The consortium seeks proposals that:

• Demonstrate a clear and plausible connection between activities and reductions in nuclear risk
• Identify specific target actors and explain how influencing them contributes to improved decisions, practices, or governance
• Produce outputs that are likely to inform or shape real-world decision-making
• Reflect thoughtful innovation, strategic focus, and feasibility

What the Consortium Typically Does Not Prioritize

At this time, the consortium does not typically prioritize:

• Standalone public awareness or general advocacy campaigns without a clear pathway to influencing nuclear risk decision-making
• Meetings that do not specify how the engagement will produce measurable changes in policy, practice, or coordination among relevant decision-makers
• Academic publishing or media production treated as sufficient impact without a defined uptake strategy
• Capacity-building efforts that do not demonstrate how strengthened expertise will translate into influence over institutions, policies, or practices

Please find a list of grants the consortium is currently funding here.

Application Process

All applications must be submitted online before midnight ET on May 29, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed in two stages:

Round 1: All consortium members assess concept notes.

Round 2: Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal and may undergo external expert review.

Projects may be funded by one or more consortium members. Some applicants may be contacted individually even if not selected collectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is eligible to apply?

The consortium welcomes proposals from individual researchers, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, university centers, and international equivalents. Applicants should demonstrate relevant expertise and a feasible pathway to reducing nuclear risk.

2. What types of projects are in scope?

Projects must align with at least one of the three focus areas described above and demonstrate a plausible pathway to reducing nuclear risk. Both innovative pilot efforts (small grants) and larger, implementation-focused initiatives (large grants) are welcome.

3. What are the funding limits and duration?

Small Grants: $50,000–$200,000, up to two years.
Large Grants: $200,000–$1,000,000, up to three years.

Budgets should align with scope and be clearly justified.

4. What are the allowable indirect cost rates?

No greater than 15 percent. Each consortium partner will issue its own grant agreement, and additional grant conditions may apply. Consortium members who co-fund a project will, to the extent possible, collaborate to reduce reporting requirements.

5. How many applications may an institution submit?

To avoid limiting quality application submissions, there is no limit per institution. However, we request that institutions be reasonable with the number of applications they submit.

6. What level of budget detail is required?

Applicants are expected to submit a high-level budget that outlines the major categories of anticipated spending: personnel, travel, events and workshops, research expenses, subcontracting, overhead/indirect costs rate, etc. The high-level budget should briefly describe how each cost supports the core activities described in the narrative and provide a total for the proposal request. While precise line-item detail is not required, the justification should be clear enough for reviewers to assess feasibility and cost-effectiveness.

For instance, listing “$60,000 for research staff salary for 12 months” is appropriate, whereas stating “$100,000 for project costs” without explanation is not.

7. How are proposals evaluated?

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Clarity and importance of the nuclear risk addressed
• Strength and plausibility of the theory of change
• Feasibility and quality of the proposed approach
• Likelihood that outputs will influence relevant actors to reduce nuclear dangers
• Institutional capacity and expertise of the applicant(s)

8. Are collaborative proposals encouraged?

Yes. Collaboration is encouraged when it strengthens the proposal’s capacity, credibility, and impact.

9. How are proposals reviewed?

Applications are reviewed in two stages:

Round 1: All consortium members assess submitted concept notes.
Round 2: Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, which may undergo external expert review and further consideration by interested consortium partners.

Projects may be funded by one or more consortium members. In some cases, applicants may be contacted individually even if not selected collectively.

10. Does the consortium support innovative or higher-risk ideas?

Yes. The consortium was established to encourage thoughtful, innovative approaches to reducing nuclear dangers. Proposals that take informed risks, explore new pathways, or test novel approaches are welcome — particularly within the small-grant tier.

11. Is partial funding possible?

Yes. The consortium may offer partial funding where appropriate. Applicants should submit budgets aligned with the full scope of their proposed work, while recognizing that final award amounts may vary.

12. If I’ve already received funding from the Consortium or a Consortium partner, am I eligible to apply?

Yes. Current and past grantees of consortium partner organizations are eligible to apply.

While current grants from some partners may preclude further funding from that partner, funding decisions do not require consensus from all partners.

13. Are NGOs and individuals outside of the U.S. eligible to apply?

Yes. Applicants based at a 501(c)(3) or equivalent nonprofit organization are strongly preferred.

14. The RFP says that “Early-career and mid-career applicants are encouraged to apply, particularly under the small-grant tier if they apply as individuals.” Does this apply to students pursuing a PhD?

PhD thesis support may be considered for particularly compelling proposals with clear pathways to impact, but will be deprioritized relative to direct applied research.