An African-led research program dedicated to building talent, generating impactful research, and shaping policy to advance AI safety, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Zvi+2An African-led research program dedicated to building talent, generating impactful research, and shaping policy to advance AI safety, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Zvi+2Active Grant Applications
- AppliedILINA Junior Research Fellowship→grantmaking.ai· grantmaking.ai Launch Round· Applied Jul 4, 2026· $40,000 (up to $120,000)
What this application is for
What this project is
We would use the funding to pay more competitive stipends to our Junior Research Fellows (in line with the kinds of stipends other AI x risk fellowships give) and support their travel to conferences, etc.
Theory of impact
This would expand the ability that talented Africans (who we carefully select) have to learn more about AI x risk and then potentially do high-impact AI x risk work in future. For context, ILINA Program has a creditable record of helping talented Africans to get into AI x risk work, join top fellowships and work at leading AI governance organizations.
People
Updated 05/18/26 · By grantmaking.aiCoordinator
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26 · By grantmaking.aiThe ILINA Program is an African-led research program founded in 2022 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to build talent, generate impactful research, and shape policy to advance AI safety, with a particular focus on ensuring African perspectives are included in global conversations about AI safety and governance.
The program operates two primary tracks. The ILINA Seminar is a 12-week educational program that introduces exceptional undergraduate and recently graduated students from across Africa to how AI works, the catastrophic risks it could pose, and AI governance ideas receiving attention today. It is offered both in-person in Nairobi and virtually across Africa. The Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is a research-focused track for recent graduates, requiring a minimum 20-hour weekly commitment over several months. JRFs receive personalized mentorship and a scholarship (currently $5,000 USD) as they develop high-impact research projects in either a governance or technical track.
ILINA's research focuses on the governance of highly capable AI to prevent catastrophic risks, technical AI alignment, biosecurity, and the distinctive role that developing countries and Global South perspectives can play in shaping international AI safety governance. The program's coordinator, Cecil Abungu, is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge studying AI and labour law, a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) and the Institute for Law and AI, and holds degrees from Strathmore University and Harvard Law School.
ILINA's alumni have gone on to participate in prominent programs including the GovAI research fellowship and the AI Futures Fellowship. The program's researchers have published through the Brookings Institution, and team members collaborate with organizations such as the Centre for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA) on whistleblower protections for AI safety. Cecil Abungu was named Co-Chair of the AI and Emerging Technologies Track at RightsCon 2026.
The program is fiscally sponsored by the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI) and received a $369,000 grant from Jaan Tallinn through the Survival and Flourishing Fund's 2025 S-Process round.
Theory of Impact
Updated 05/18/26 · By grantmaking.aiILINA believes that AI safety requires global perspectives, particularly from the Global South, which has historically played a crucial role in designing and using multilateral rules and institutions in areas like international environmental law and intellectual property law. By identifying and training talented Africans to work on AI safety research and governance, ILINA aims to build a pipeline of future AI safety leaders who can bring underrepresented perspectives to bear on the governance of highly capable AI systems. The program's approach combines research production, talent development, and direct policy engagement to ensure that frontier AI is governed in ways that address catastrophic risks, with particular attention to how developing countries can distinctively shape outcomes in global AI governance.
Projects
Updated 05/18/26 · By grantmaking.ai
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