Sentient Foundation, a nonprofit focused on keeping artificial general intelligence open and decentralized, has committed $42 million to developers, researchers, and companies building AGI in the open, according to information shared with Finbold on June 24, 2026.
The Open Source AGI Grant and Investment Program represents one of the largest funding commitments dedicated exclusively to open-source AGI development.
The program combines non-dilutive grants and founder-friendly investments, designed to accelerate the growth of an ecosystem where critical AI infrastructure, models, tools, and applications remain openly accessible.
The initiative comes as billions of dollars continue flowing into proprietary AI platforms, leaving the open-source ecosystem without dedicated funding mechanisms capable of supporting developers and startups at scale.
“The future of intelligence should be built by the many, not controlled by the few,” said Sachi Kamiya, Director of Venture and Growth at the Sentient Foundation. “A few companies are trying to become the OPEC of intelligence — meter it, price it, decide who gets it. We’re making it air.”
Grants and investments targeting multiple stages of development
The program operates across two tracks. The grant track is intended for researchers, open-source maintainers, independent developers, and public-goods initiatives, with funding provided without equity requirements, ownership claims, or restrictions on future development.
The investment track targets startups and teams developing commercial businesses around open-source AI technologies, using founder-friendly structures designed to help teams scale while maintaining a commitment to openness.
Applicants will be evaluated based on technical merit, ecosystem impact, openness, and long-term potential. Projects do not need to open-source every component of their stack to qualify, at least one essential element must be openly available and contribute meaningfully to the project’s value and adoption. Applications are open immediately and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
To guide the program, the Foundation is convening an advisory council of respected figures from the open-source AI community. The initiative launches with support from Alibaba Cloud, Franklin Templeton, Princeton University, and the Indian Institute of Science, with additional partners expected to be announced in the coming months.
“Open models are improving at an extraordinary pace,” Kamiya said. “When they catch up, and they will, the people building on them should win, not pay rent on intelligence forever.”
Featured image via Shutterstock.
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