Non-Trivial

Non-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.