2026 Impact Opportunities for Pre-College Students: Apply or Share!

🚀 Applications are now open! 

Two top programs for exceptional pre-college students are seeking applicants who want to use their talents to tackle humanity’s biggest challenges.

• Leaf: Five-week winter online courses connecting school subjects to impact thinking and to uni. and career pathways. Mentorship, expert speakers, pathways to promising next steps, and more!
• Non-Trivial: Online spring/summer research fellowship with mentorship, $1,000 project grants, $10,000 scholarships, and zero fees.

Both programs are selective, fully online, and designed for talented students who want to think seriously about impact and start acting on important ideas. Eligible students can apply at each website; EA community members can share these opportunities widely to help more ambitious, altruistic students find us!

Leaf

Leaf is a 5-week, 5-hour-per-week program helping talented students link their studies to real-world impact, university prep., and global problem-solving. Next cohort Jan. 19 - March 1; priority applications due Dec. 15.

One community, four specific tracks:

• The Mathematics of Morality: how quantitative reasoning can guide ethical decisions
• Dilemmas and Dangers in AI: steering powerful emerging technology toward good
• Biology for a Better Tomorrow: life sciences in service of human and planetary wellbeing
• History to Shape History: lessons from the past, economics, and law to guide humanity’s future

Highlights:

• Weekly readings, discussions, and projects
• Small-group seminars with mentors at top universities
• Expert-led Q&As and workshops
• Guidance on university and career preparation for impact
• Global network of motivated peers
• Accessible sliding-scale tuition; most families pay ~$200, but subsidized access available or fully free if needed.

Best suited for: Bright and open-minded students who enjoy facilitated discussion, collaborative learning, and exploring how their academic strengths connect to impact-focused questions. Open internationally, but cater primarily to US and UK time zones.

Non-Trivial

Non-Trivial runs multi-stage, increasingly selective research programs that help pre-college students design and carry out original projects aimed at improving the world.

Programs:

• Research Foundations (March - April): introduction to research and impact-oriented thinking through independent work and peer learning
• Research Fellows (July - August): eight weeks of individually mentored project development; applications for $1,000 project grants
• Research Scholars (Ongoing): 3 x $10,000 scholarships, $2,000+ scholarships for all other selected Scholars, and custom research, university, and career support

All Non-Trivial programs are fully donation-based (default free for all) and open internationally.

Best suited for: Students with a track record of academic/competition excellence who are eager to pursue independent, research-driven projects and explore a high-impact cause area of interest in depth.

Shared aim and collaboration

Both Leaf and Non-Trivial aim to identify and support the next generation of high-impact thinkers and doers. In early 2026 we’re running mostly independent cohorts to continue parallel learning on how best to support these students, but Winter 2026 Leaf participants will be eligible for a direct on-ramp to Non-Trivial’s spring Research Foundations Program.

One future possibility Leaf and Non-Trivial are exploring is a formal integration between our course and research pipelines.

Share with top students!

Know or have access to networks of talented students? Post or share our promo. blurbs now!

Feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any further promotion ideas or questions.