Winter 2026
Sentient Futures Project Incubator

Thank you for your interest in the Sentient Futures Project Incubator! The incubator runs for 8 weeks, during which promising fellows (or teams of fellows) will be paired with a mentor to work on a project focused on improving the wellbeing of future sentient beings.

Projects can take many forms, including: action-guiding research and writing; field-building and strategic outreach; developing funding proposals; and taking real-world action. Mentees are welcome to apply with a concrete project idea, apply to join a mentor’s project, or apply without an idea (we will provide ideas, though the turnaround will be fast!).

Are you ready to improve the future for all sentient beings? [Apply as an incubatee now]!

Dates

The incubator runs from January-March 2026. The incubator is fully remote.

Eligibility

Anyone committed to making the future go well for all sentient beings should apply!

Time Commitment

Fellows are expected to dedicate at least 5 hours/week to their project.

We are seeking to incubate projects in the following cause areas:

  • Most sentient beings have yet to exist. Influencing the long-term future seems like one of the most promising ways to improve welfare for all sentient beings, both current and future.

  • Most animals are wild, and most wild animals perish before adulthood. We support both research and direct work focused on understanding and reducing wild animal suffering.

  • Some of the most intensively farmed animals, including fish, crustaceans, and insects, are currently under-prioritized. We support projects and work seeking to aid the most numerous and neglected farmed animal groups.

  • As AI transforms the way we work, animal welfare and suffering reduction advocates will need to integrate new tools into their workflows in order to maximize their impact. Our incubator seeks to generate new tools and projects that help multiply the impact of aligned advocates.

  • How will narrow AI capabilities and deployments impact animal welfare? (e.g. AI-empowered factory farming)

  • AGI could soon radically transform society in a myriad of ways. We support projects that help make the transition to a post-AGI society go well.

  • The development of artificial sentience introduces risks of large-scale (and new depths of) suffering. We support projects that help ensure the future goes well for all sentient beings, whether biologically evolved or artificial.

  • We support projects investigating which cause or intervention areas are currently under- or over-prioritized. As the pace of technological change increases, such meta-research and outreach becomes even more important to continuously course-correct the suffering reduction community’s priorities and work.

Mentors