Foresight Institute
Foresight Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that funds, convenes, and supports early-career scientists and innovators advancing secure AI, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, and space through grants, prizes, fellowships, conferences, and the new AI Nodes research hubs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Foresight Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foresight Institute
- Legal name
- Foresight Institute
- Website
- https://foresight.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Foresight Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that funds, convenes, and supports early-career scientists and innovators advancing secure AI, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, and space through grants, prizes, fellowships, conferences, and the new AI Nodes research hubs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foresight Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Research Organization
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
Keywords
Where Foresight Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Foresight Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Foresight Institute relies primarily on donations from individuals and organizations to fund its grant programs, events, and operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | AI for Science & Safety Nodes Grant |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Foresight Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foresight Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that supports pioneering scientists and innovators advancing frontier technologies through grants (up to $3 million annually via the AI for Science & Safety Nodes program, with individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000), annual prizes (Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology and usable security), one-year fellowships, flagship Vision Weekend conferences, technical workshops, AI Nodes research hubs in San Francisco and Berlin, and 40+ online seminar groups per year.
Product overview
Foresight Institute is a research organization founded in 1986 that operates a portfolio of programs supporting frontier science and technology advancement. The organization offers a comprehensive ecosystem including Vision Weekend flagship conferences, technical workshops, AI Nodes (physical research hubs in San Francisco and Berlin), grants (AI for Science & Safety program offering up to $3M annually), prizes (Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology), a one-year fellowship program, seminar groups with 40+ online seminars annually, recordings of expert presentations, the Existential Hope podcast, and publications including the book Gaming the Future. These offerings support pioneering scientists and innovators across focus areas including secure AI, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, nanotechnology, space, and existential hope.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vision Weekend Conferences Flagship events gathering leading scientists, entrepreneurs, funders, and policymakers to explore the frontiers of science and technology and plan for flourishing futures.
- Technical Workshops Technical workshops throughout the year bringing together top talent to solve bottlenecks holding back progress at the frontiers of science and technology.
- AI Nodes Research Hubs Physical research hubs in San Francisco and Berlin offering project funding, office and community spaces, and local compute for ambitious researchers and builders using AI to advance science and safety.
- Grants Program Grants supporting projects that use AI to advance science and safety across security, privacy, decentralized cooperation, epistemics, neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, and molecular nanotechnology, with individual grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
- Feynman Prizes Annual prizes honoring Richard Feynman and Norm Hardy for exceptional contributions to nanotechnology and usable security, including the Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology; past recipients include David Baker (2004, 2024 Nobel in Chemistry) and Sir J. Fraser Stoddart (2007, 2016 Nobel in Chemistry).
- Fellowship Program One-year program supporting early-career scientists, engineers, and innovators to supercharge their ability to advance technological progress.
- Seminar Groups Online seminars featuring experts presenting cutting-edge research and practical applications, with 40+ seminars per year in a small, focused setting, including speakers such as George Church, Michael Levin, David Deutsch, Mary Lou Jepsen, and Steven Pinker.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported Nobel Laureates David Baker (2024 Chemistry) and J. Fraser Stoddart (2016 Chemistry) before their awards
Companies that use Foresight Institute
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Foresight Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Foresight Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Global Business NetworkcoreCo-sponsor of the First Foresight Conference on Nanotechnology in 1989. Provided informal reception sponsorship and was a long-term organizational partner in convening interdisciplinary gatherings on emerging technologies.
- Stanford University Department of Computer SciencecoreHosted the First Foresight Conference on Nanotechnology. The conference was originally planned to be held at Stanford before being relocated due to the Loma Prieta earthquake.
- Global Business NetworkminorSupporting sponsor of the 2005 Foresight Conference.
- Niehaus Ryan Haller Public RelationsminorSupporting sponsor of the 2005 Foresight Conference.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Foresight Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Future of Life Institute: FLI is a nonprofit focused on reducing extreme risks from transformative technologies, especially AI, and runs grant programs and convenings similar to Foresight's AI Nodes and Vision Weekend. It directly competes for AI safety donor mindshare and frontier-tech convening leadership.
- Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI): MIRI is a research nonprofit focused on AI alignment and safety, overlapping with Foresight's Secure AI focus area. Both are donation-funded, fund external researchers, and target the same AI safety donor ecosystem.
- Long Now Foundation: Long Now is a nonprofit that fosters long-term thinking through projects like the 10,000-year clock and Seminars About Long-term Thinking — closely comparable to Foresight's seminars, conferences, and long-horizon technology advocacy.
- Singularity University: Singularity University runs executive education and summits focused on exponential technologies (AI, biotech, nanotech), paralleling Foresight's interdisciplinary frontier-tech focus and Vision Weekend conference model.
- Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET): IEET is a nonprofit think tank addressing the ethical implications of emerging technologies, including AI, biotech, and nanotechnology — sharing Foresight's interdisciplinary futurist orientation and convening role.
Broad incumbents
- Open Philanthropy: Open Philanthropy is a large-scale grantmaking foundation funding AI safety, biosecurity, and other long-termist causes — overlapping significantly with Foresight's mission but operating at vastly greater scale.
- XPRIZE Foundation: XPRIZE uses large incentive prizes to drive breakthroughs in frontier domains, directly comparable to Foresight's Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology but at a much larger scale and broader scope.
- Schmidt Futures: Schmidt Futures funds talented individuals and frontier research in science and technology — overlapping with Foresight's fellowship program and frontier-tech grantmaking.
- Future of Humanity Institute (University of Oxford): FHI was an Oxford multidisciplinary research center studying big-picture questions about humanity's future and existential risk — comparable in mission to Foresight's existential hope framing, though university-anchored rather than independent.
Emerging players
- Center for Humane Technology: CHT is a nonprofit focused on aligning technology with human well-being, particularly in AI — overlapping with Foresight's Secure AI focus but with stronger emphasis on product/platform-level interventions rather than frontier research funding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Foresight Institute social profiles
Digital presenceForesight Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foresight Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Foresight Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Foresight Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foresight Institute
What does Foresight Institute do?
Foresight Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that supports pioneering scientists and innovators advancing frontier technologies through grants (up to $3 million annually via the AI for Science & Safety Nodes program, with individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000), annual prizes (Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology and usable security), one-year fellowships, flagship Vision Weekend conferences, technical workshops, AI Nodes research hubs in San Francisco and Berlin, and 40+ online seminar groups per year.
Is Foresight Institute a public or private company?
Foresight Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Foresight Institute founded?
Foresight Institute was founded in 1986. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Foresight Institute based?
Foresight Institute is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Foresight Institute make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Fundraising.
Who are Foresight Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Future of Life Institute, Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), Long Now Foundation, Singularity University and Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET). Broad incumbents are Open Philanthropy, XPRIZE Foundation, Schmidt Futures and Future of Humanity Institute (University of Oxford). Center for Humane Technology is listed as an emerging player.
Does Foresight Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foresight Institute.
What industry is Foresight Institute in?
Foresight Institute's product category is Nonprofit Research Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAI, Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8731.