Opportunities for exceptional high school students - Share before the upcoming deadlines!
By jonah_boucher_leaf @ 2025-12-17T20:50 (+12)
Do you know exceptional high school students? Or teachers, leaders, or organizations who do?
Post or share Leaf and Non-Trivial’s promo. blurbs before our early January deadlines to engage the next generation of researchers, builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders in motivating and impact-magnifying communities.
- Leaf: Five-week winter online courses connecting school subjects to impactful uni. and career pathways. Mentorship, expert speakers, impact ecosystem on-ramps and next-steps referrals, and more. Modest sliding tuition scale; fully free if needed.
- Non-Trivial: Online spring/summer research fellowship with mentorship, $1,000 project grants, $10,000 scholarships available, 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
A five-week, five-hour-per-week program helping talented students apply their studies to real-world impact, impact-oriented university and career exploration, and global problem-solving. Next cohort Jan. 19 - March 1; applications due January 5th.
One community, four courses:
- The Mathematics of Morality: how quantitative reasoning can support ethical action
- 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 pay ~$200, but subsidized access available or fully free if needed.
- Top participants referred directly to Non-Trivial’s research incubation pipeline.
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 timezones.
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. Applications due January 12th.
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; access to $1,000 project grants.
- Research Scholars (Ongoing): Three 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 high-impact cause areas 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 independent cohorts to continue parallel learning on how best to support talented young people. 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.
Know or have access to networks of talented students? Post or share our promo. blurbs now!
Please reach out to jonah@leaf.courses with any further promotion ideas or questions.