The Consciousness Foundation’s Science of Awakening program supports pioneering projects that make awakening scientifically legible: defining its constructs, developing reliable measures, and mapping the processes through which it unfolds. We aim to build the foundations of a new field via shared frameworks, open data, and rigorous empirical standards so that awakening can be studied, taught, and ultimately made safely accessible to all.
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For centuries, contemplative traditions have documented enduring transformations of perception and identity, often encapsulated by the term “awakening.” Regardless of the term, this difficult-to-articulate, transformative process can be identified by its characteristic outcomes, including reduced suffering, greater wellbeing, and greater psychoaffective freedom.
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To date, exemplary work in contemplative science indicates that transformative practices can alter brain structure and function and are associated with measurable changes in behavior. Several studies have investigated component constructs such as self-transcendence, nondual awareness, or self-boundary dissolution. However, comparatively little scientific work has focused specifically on awakening as a quantified set of definable, measurable constructs.
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At The Consciousness Foundation, we take the view that the persistent, trait-level changes associated with awakening are tractable to scientific study, ready to be investigated with contemporary methods, and hold substantial potential for translation into individual and societal benefit.
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We therefore seek proposals for research that makes meaningful progress toward operationalizing a science of awakening: clarifying concepts, developing and validating measures and protocols, conducting rigorous empirical tests, and creating resources that other investigators and practitioners can adopt and extend.
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Our goal is to clarify the process of awakening within a scientific context, which is to say defined through evidence that is reproducible, measurable, and quantifiable. To advance these goals, we invite proposals aimed at developing empirical, theoretical, and neurophenomenological foundations for a science of awakening.
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Our mission and vision for the Science of Awakening program are:

• Mission: To operationalize a science of awakening through rigorous research that catalyzes broad awareness of awakening as a tractable pursuit, and inspires new awakening-focused practices, frameworks, and technologies.
• Vision: We envision a world where awakening is understood scientifically, is practically accessible, and is recognized in cultural discourse.

Scope

The program invites proposals that rigorously and measurably advance the scientific understanding of awakening, self-transcendence, and related transformative processes. We are interested in proposals that generate new knowledge, understanding, and translation potential regarding what awakening is, how it occurs, and how to measure it. 

Illustrative areas of interest include:

• Empirical investigations: Including longitudinal or cross-sectional studies, methods development, measurement and psychometrics, multimodal designs (behavioral, EEG/fMRI/MEG, physiological), field-laboratory hybrid designs, etc.
• Modeling and theory: Computational models, formalization of maps or developmental trajectories, model-based analysis plans linked to observable outcomes, etc.
• Phenomenology: Structured first-person methodologies, neurophenomenology, protocolized elicitation, interviewing, and annotation aligned with neural and physiological signals, etc.

Our aim is infrastructure for a new research domain — shared maps, validated measures, open datasets, and ethical protocols. Projects should aim to produce field-level assets with reusability and uptake across labs.

Projects consisting solely of cultural or programmatic activities are not supported under this call, but such activities may be considered under future, separate programs. Translation and cultural engagement components (e.g. workshops, retreats, etc with concurrent data collection) are permitted when they are integral to the research design and necessary to achieve the stated aims. Research exclusively pertaining to psychedelics, non-ordinary states of consciousness, or peak experiences without a specific awakening-related component are not admissible under this program.

Award Information

Amount: Up to $100,000 total per award.
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Duration of award: Up to 24 months.
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Disbursement: A single payment to the PI’s institution will be initiated within 60 days of award notification and completion of required compliance items (e.g., IRB/ethics approvals and executed agreements).
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Allowable costs (illustrative examples): PI/postdoctoral/RA effort, graduate support, participant compensation, core facility fees, data storage and compute, modest equipment, publication or preprint fees, data curation, code audit, etc.

Eligibility

Eligible applicant organizations: Accredited colleges and universities and nonprofit research institutes capable of administering research grants and compliance obligations. Partnerships with retreat centers are permissible, but retreat centers themselves are not eligible as the primary institution. We cannot fund applicants in countries or territories under U.S. sanctions, or anyone listed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
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Eligible Principal Investigator (PI): The PI must be a Professor at a research institution or hold an equivalent senior research role (e.g., Research Scientist, Group Leader) at a nonprofit research institute with independent authority to lead the project and manage awarded funds.
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Collaborators: Postdoctoral scholars may participate as co-investigators or collaborators but are not eligible to serve as PI under this program. Other collaborators (e.g., research staff, clinicians, community partners) may be included as appropriate to the proposed work.
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Submission limits: One application per PI; a PI may be listed as a co-investigator or collaborator on unlimited applications.
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