Responsible Computing Challenge funding opportunity
Supporting faculty, students, and local communities
Funding for innovative interdisciplinary curricular models
In 2026, The Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC), jointly supported by Mozilla Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, anticipates awarding grants to ten U.S. universities and faculty teams. We seek projects with the potential to create innovative curricular models that connect Computer Science and related STEM fields with the rich inquiry of those in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Grants of up to $125,000 per institution over two years will support the third US cohort of faculty-led projects that develop undergraduate curricula and pedagogy designed to bridge disciplines.
Subversion, imagination & insignificance
We encourage thematic projects that spark ideas across disciplinary boundaries. Some illustrative examples to spark ideas:
Subversion by connecting Indigenous knowledge in sociology with practices of version control in software development
Imagination by linking critical inquiry in speculative fiction, and AI-generated media.
Insignificance by examining statistical null results alongside questions of rejection and loss.
“Responsible computing is much more than a technical requirement. It’s an invitation to engage with deep questions about power.”
Further details
Applicant eligibility
This RCC grant is open to accredited institutions of higher education in the United States.
Proposals are ineligible if they:
- Create a standalone “ethics in computing” course without curricular integration. If the PI is uncertain whether their institution will permit these terms, they should check with their contracting/grants office before submission.
- Primarily serve non-undergraduate audiences,
- Do not agree to open licensing (e.g. Creative Commons) for outputs, or
- List PIs who are ineligible to accept/administer grants at their institutions.
Award requirements
At its core, RCC is about community. Grantees join a Global Community of Practice that now spans more than 75 institutions across four countries. Participation in this community is not incidental to the award– it is central to RCC’s long-term impact.
All submissions must demonstrate:
Curricular integration: how socially responsible and critical computing will be woven thematically into undergraduate curricula and pedagogy in ways that promote responsible technology ecosystems.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: plans for representative project teams that may include academics, researchers, librarians, practitioners, pedagogy experts, and others.
Student engagement: embedded activities such as mentorship programs, student clubs, or student-led initiatives as a core deliverable.
Community participation: meaningful involvement of relevant local community organizations in curricular interventions.
Find out more
Get an overview of the Responsible Computing Challenge and our upcoming Call for Proposals. Our first Introductory Webinar takes place on the 20th October 2025 at 11:00am PT, and will include details on eligibility, the application process, and what it’s like to be part of the RCC grantee cohort.