Non-Trivial runs free online research fellowships for talented young people ages 14-20 to develop impactful projects on the world's most pressing problems. The program offers mentorship, scholarships up to $10,000, and a global peer community.
Non-Trivial runs free online research fellowships for talented young people ages 14-20 to develop impactful projects on the world's most pressing problems. The program offers mentorship, scholarships up to $10,000, and a global peer community.
People
Updated 04/02/26Research Fellow | Scholar
Global Research Fellow
Funding Details
Updated 04/02/26- Annual Budget
- $600,000
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
Org Details
Updated 04/02/26Non-Trivial was founded in December 2022 by Peter McIntyre, who previously built 80,000 Hours' advising, headhunting, and job board operations, and co-founded a nonprofit that raised over $10 million for global health charities. The organization launched initially as an EA learning platform for teenagers before evolving into a competitive fellowship program. The fellowship operates in three tiers: Research Foundations (an introductory track), Research Fellows (an 8-week project-based program), and Research Scholars (the most advanced track). All programs are free to participants, fully online, and open to those ages 14-20. Fellows receive project grants, one-on-one mentorship from university-student facilitators, access to expert speakers including Peter Singer and Yoshua Bengio, and community support through a Discord network. Scholarships of up to $10,000 are available. Since its founding, Non-Trivial has received over 40,000 applications and graduated approximately 450 fellows. The program is highly selective — comparable in applicant caliber to Ivy League admissions, with fellows averaging 1560 SAT scores. Alumni have co-authored reports for the UN, published at NeurIPS, founded nonprofits, and received venture funding. The newsletter reaches approximately 100,000 students globally. The core team as of early 2026 consists of three staff: Jonah Boucher (Acting CEO, formerly a high school math teacher and Harvard Graduate School of Education graduate), Stefan Torges (Fellowship Lead, former German debate champion with experience in animal advocacy and AI risk grant-making), and Peter McIntyre (Founder, transitioning to board membership as he moves toward AI safety work). The organization is registered in England and Wales (company no. 16279238) with offices in London. Funding has come primarily from Open Philanthropy, which has been the lead funder since launch. The initial $1 million in 2022 came jointly from the Future Fund and Open Philanthropy. Good Ventures subsequently exited high school program funding, and the Carina Fund has committed to covering the majority of Non-Trivial's budget through the end of 2027, contingent on confidence in new leadership. Non-Trivial has awarded over $400,000 in scholarships and prizes to fellows since its founding. The annual operating budget is approximately £600,000.
Theory of Change
Updated 04/02/26Non-Trivial operates on the premise that talented young people, if exposed early to effective altruism-adjacent frameworks and global priority problems, will be more likely to direct their careers toward high-impact work. By intervening before college major selection and early career lock-in, the organization aims to expand the pipeline of future researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs working on AI safety, biosecurity, global health, and related fields. Mentorship, scholarships, peer community, and project experience help participants build both the skills and the motivation to pursue meaningful careers. The causal chain runs: identify high-potential teenagers globally, introduce them to important and neglected problems, support self-directed research, connect them to expert networks, and thereby increase the long-run supply of talented people tackling existential and catastrophic risks.
Grants Received– no grants recorded
Updated 04/02/26Projects– no linked projects
Updated 04/02/26Discussion
Key risk: The main concern is weakly evidenced, long-horizon counterfactual impact—many participants are already elite and impact-motivated—combined with key-person and execution risk as the founder transitions out and a 3-person team must translate “impressive fellows/projects” into sustained AI-safety-relevant career outcomes.
Case for funding: Non-Trivial is a highly selective, globally scaled, early-intervention fellowship for 14–20 year olds that can plausibly shift top-tier talent toward AI safety (and other priority areas) before college/career lock-in, with unusually strong traction (40k+ applicants, 450 grads, 100k newsletter) and credible networks (e.g., Bengio) for downstream placement.