16 programmes

Grants and fellowships13

  1. European Varela Awards ↗

    Mind & Life Europe · Up to €23,500 · Annual

    Open · deadline 30 Nov 2026

    The same strong topical fit as the US grants, for Europe. The best near-term window for anyone who has already been to a Mind & Life Europe event.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: PhD students, postdocs and junior faculty at a research institution who have attended a European Summer Research Institute or a Mind & Life Europe retreat since 2021. Worldwide applications welcome.

    Applications open on 30 October 2026 and close on 30 November 2026 at 23:59 CET.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  2. ERC frontier research grants ↗

    European Research Council · €1.5–2.5 million over five years · Annual

    Open · deadline 12 Jan 2027

    Realistic only after pilot data, with a frontier-science framing such as intersubjectivity or interpersonal synchrony, and a strong European host.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: A principal investigator of any nationality, with a host institution in the EU or an associated country.

    The Consolidator Grant closes on 12 January 2027. The Synergy Grant opens on 17 February 2027 and the Advanced Grant on 27 May 2027.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  3. Mind and body interventions for emotional well-being ↗

    National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) · Up to US$475,000 a year in direct costs · Several rounds a year

    Open · deadline 8 Feb 2027

    Emotional well-being is an adjacent outcome, but this is a clinical-trial route for a US academic team that already has pilot results.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: US institutions only. Expects strong preliminary data.

    Funding announcement PAR-25-449. The next due dates are 8 February, 8 June and 7 October 2027. NIH policy has been changing; confirm with the programme contact before planning.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  4. Visionary Grants ↗

    American Psychological Foundation · Up to US$20,000 · Annual

    Opening soon · deadline 2 Apr 2027

    Sized for a pilot. The hook is the connection between behaviour and health; its other priorities are clinical or social-justice oriented.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Graduate students and researchers up to ten years after their doctorate, at an institution, non-profit or government body. International applicants accepted.

    The 2027 round opens on 1 November 2026.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  5. Grants-in-Aid ↗

    Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues · Up to US$2,000 (US$1,000 for graduate students) · Several rounds a year

    Opening soon · deadline 15 May 2027

    Small, but one of the few society grants open to volunteer research teams that aren’t tied to a university post.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: SPSSI members at any type of institution. Ethics approval required.

    Rounds close on 15 May and 15 October. Time-sensitive research can be submitted at any time for a quicker review.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  6. ACX Grants ↗

    Astral Codex Ten · US$5,000–150,000 in the 2025 round · Irregular

    Opening soon

    Independent-friendly when it runs, and open to unusual projects. Worth watching for the next round.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Rules for the next round are not yet announced. Past rounds funded independent researchers.

    The 2025 round funded 42 of 654 applicants. The next round is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  7. Explore and Grow awards ↗

    Economic and Social Research Council (UKRI) · £100,000–£2 million (full economic cost) · Rolling

    Opening soon

    Explore rewards bold social-science ideas, which suits first- and second-person methods in relational research, for UK-based academics.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Lead applicant at a UK research organisation. International researchers can join as co-leads.

    Both schemes open on 5 November 2026 with no closing date. Grow funds projects that develop the lead’s own career, including a move into a new discipline.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  8. Emergent Ventures ↗

    Mercatus Center, George Mason University · Rolling

    Rolling

    A practitioner-researcher can apply today. It favours scalable, “zero to one” ideas, so frame the work as a tool, method or open dataset rather than a plain efficacy study.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Anyone aged 13 or older, worldwide. No institution required.

    Apply online at any time. Award sizes are not published.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  9. Grants for Scientific Research ↗

    BIAL Foundation · Up to €60,000 per project · Every two years

    Closed

    Psychophysiology is a natural home for measuring interpersonal synchrony during circles, but the call opens only every two years.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Researchers worldwide, in psychophysiology and parapsychology only. Host-institution rules are not published online.

    The 2026–27 call closed on 31 August 2026. The next call is expected in 2028.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  10. Love Ethic Faculty Fellowships ↗

    Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, University of Notre Dame · Up to US$80,000, plus housing support · Annual

    Closed

    Suits a philosophical or ethical inquiry into relational practice rather than an empirical study.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Faculty, postdocs, and independent scholars, journalists and artists. Fellows spend the academic year in residence at Notre Dame.

    The 2027–28 round closed on 26 October 2026. The next is expected in autumn 2027.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  11. Mind & Life Research Grants ↗

    Mind & Life Institute · Up to US$25,000 over two years · Annual

    Closed

    Its priorities name loneliness, compassionate communities and first-person methods, which is exactly where Circling sits. The gate is the Summer Research Institute and an institutional home.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Early-career researchers at a research institution who have attended a Mind & Life Summer Research Institute in the past five years. Any country.

    The 2026 window closed on 31 August. The next is expected around July–August 2027, and applications for the 2027 Summer Research Institute open on 1 December 2026. Unaffiliated practitioners are asked to partner with an eligible researcher.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  12. Online Funding Inquiry ↗

    John Templeton Foundation · Annual

    Closed

    Relational virtues such as love and forgiveness are in scope under its character-virtue area, but funding goes to institutions through an invited two-stage process.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Charitable organisations, in the US and abroad. Individuals apply only by staff invitation.

    The 2026 inquiry deadline has passed. The foundation will announce its 2027 dates in the new year.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  13. Research RFP ↗

    Tiny Blue Dot Foundation · Up to US$900,000 over up to three years · Annual

    Closed

    Its themes of belonging and interoception overlap relational practice, but it expects pre-registered, neuroscience-grade work from an established lab.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: PhD-led projects at a non-profit research institution, in any country except sanctioned ones.

    The 2026 letter-of-intent round closed on 5 October. Rounds have been annual, so the next is expected in autumn 2027.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

Platforms for crowdfunding and micro-grants3

  1. Experiment ↗

    Experiment Inc. · Projects average a few thousand US dollars; 8% platform fee · Rolling

    Rolling

    The natural home for a small, community-backed pilot, with the Circling community as backers. Projects are peer-endorsed and reviewed before launch.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: No institution required. Payouts are limited to certain countries; check its FAQ.

    Campaigns are all-or-nothing: backers aren’t charged if the goal is missed.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  2. Manifund ↗

    Manifold for Charity · Set by each proposal; donors usually cover a 5% fee · Rolling

    Rolling

    Fast and independent-friendly, but its donors lean towards science and AI-safety causes, so the case needs a measurable public benefit.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Anyone with a public-benefit project. Fiscal sponsorship covers individuals and international projects.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

  3. Open Collective ↗

    Open Collective · Fiscal-host fees typically 4–10% · Rolling

    Rolling

    Best as a transparent shared account for a community-funded research collective, not as a place to be discovered by donors.

    Eligibility and dates

    Eligibility: Set by each fiscal host.

    Checked 26 Oct 2026

Deadlines change. Every entry shows when it was last checked, and the funder’s own page is the authority.