OpenAI Foundation launches Public Data for Health with $125M+ in grants for open biomedical datasets
On Sept 15, 2026 the OpenAI Foundation, the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, launched Public Data for Health. It is its second science program, after AI for Alzheimer's in April, and starts with more than $125M in grants to build and preserve open scientific datasets that AI can learn from. Initial grantees are OpenADMET (UCSF), CTD Commons (1Day Sooner) and UNC's Initiative for Generative Immunotherapy. Nature described the Foundation, which has committed to give away at least $25B, as on track to become one of the world's richest charities.
Key facts
- Announced Sept 15, 2026 on openaifoundation.org; more than $125M in initial grants; the Foundation's second science program after AI for Alzheimer's (April 2026)
- OpenADMET (led by UCSF's James Fraser): datasets and competitions for predicting how small molecules move through the body (ADMET). Nature reports $15M
- CTD Commons (led by Josh Morrison, 1Day Sooner): preserves and publishes regulatory knowledge (FDA submission documents) from failed and bankrupt drug programs. Nature reports $500,000
- UNC Initiative for Generative Immunotherapy (Alex Rubinsteyn): public data for personalized cancer vaccines. Nature reports $40M
- Nature (Sept 2026): the Foundation was created in Oct 2025, holds about a 26% stake in OpenAI and has committed to give away at least $25B. Earlier it put about $100M into Alzheimer's research. Life-sciences lead Jacob Trefethen came from Coefficient Giving
Science result
- Field
- medicine / open biomedical data / drug discovery
- Problem
- Lack of high-quality open datasets for training and evaluating AI in drug discovery and medicine
- Result
- Funding program (>$125M) for open datasets; no scientific result yet
- Human role
- Human-led philanthropy funding data creation
- Verification
- Official announcement; grant amounts per Nature
- Status
- pending
What happened
The OpenAI Foundation announced Public Data for Health, a grant program that helps nonprofits and universities create, preserve and share scientific datasets. The first three grantees cover the whole drug-development stack: molecular ADMET properties, regulatory filings from failed programs, and immunology data for personalized cancer vaccines.
Why it matters
This is one of the first large disbursements from what may become the richest charity in the world, funded by its stake in OpenAI. The Foundation is betting that data, not only models, limits AI-driven biomedicine. The per-grantee amounts come from Nature, not the announcement itself.
Changelog
- 2026-10-01: created (leads run, 07:40 completion)
Related events
- OpenAI completes restructuring into a public benefit corporation ★★★
- Paul Christiano joins the OpenAI Foundation board and its Safety and Security Committee ★★★
Sources (4)
- officialOpenAI Foundation: Public Data for Health
- pressNature: How to spend $25 billion on science: OpenAI's staggeringly rich research charity gets under way
- pressInside Precision Medicine: OpenAI Foundation gives $125M to Public Data for AI-driven health program
- pressInside Philanthropy: The OpenAI Foundation pledged $1 billion in a year. How's that going six months in?
id: 2026-09-15-openai-foundation-public-data-for-health · updated 2026-10-01 · open in the interactive timeline