OpenAI AI and Mental Health Research Grants

OpenAI has established a grant program to fund independent research into the intersection of AI and mental health to improve model safety and the broader AI ecosystem. This initiative aims to leverage external expertise to better understand how AI interacts with mental and emotional distress, ensuring that as AI becomes more ubiquitous, it remains safe and helpful in personal contexts.

Objectives of the AI and Mental Health Grant Program

OpenAI is funding research to deepen the collective understanding of both the potential risks and benefits associated with AI's role in mental health. The program is part of OpenAI's broader safety investments and is designed to support foundational work that informs both OpenAI's internal safety efforts and the wider research community.

Key goals of the funding include:

  • Accelerating innovation across the AI ecosystem.
  • Sparking new ideas regarding AI's interaction with sensitive emotional states.
  • Strengthening the ability of models to recognize and respond to signs of mental and emotional distress.

Funding Priorities and Interdisciplinary Approach

OpenAI is prioritizing interdisciplinary research that bridges the gap between technical AI research and clinical or personal expertise. Specifically, the program seeks proposals that combine technical researchers with:

  • Mental health experts.
  • Individuals with lived experience in mental health.

Desired Deliverables and Actionable Insights

Successful research projects are expected to produce tangible outputs that can be integrated into safety frameworks. These include:

  • Technical Deliverables: The creation of datasets, evaluations (evals), and rubrics.
  • Actionable Insights: Synthesized perspectives from people with lived experience, research on how mental health symptoms manifest across different cultures, and analysis of language or slang used to discuss mental health that automated classifiers might otherwise miss.

Program Status and Application Volume

As of January 28, 2026, the application window for these grants is closed. OpenAI reported receiving over 1,000 high-quality entries from a global pool of established and emerging researchers. Due to the high volume of interest and the depth of the proposals received, OpenAI has stated it is actively exploring ways to expand and build upon this research initiative in the future.

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