Committing to communities: The 2026 People-First AI Fund

In 2025, at the recommendation of our Nonprofit Commission, the OpenAI Foundation launched the People-First AI Fund to support trusted community organizations working at the intersection of innovation and public good. The response was overwhelming, revealing both strong demand and a clear need for resources that enable nonprofits to engage with AI in ways that strengthen their missions and communities.

Today, we are announcing a new $50 million commitment to the Fund for 2026. Building on learnings from the initial Fund and feedback from communities, we have updated the focus areas and eligibility criteria – including expanding eligibility to certain community foundations and regranting organizations.

Applications to the Fund are now open until July 15, 2026 at 11:59PM PT. The focus areas, eligibility requirements, and applicant FAQ can be found below, and the application portal can be accessed here⁠.

We look forward to learning more about your important work.

2026 Focus Areas

The 2026 People-First AI Fund will support trusted, local nonprofits that are co-creating with communities and exploring how practical, community-led engagement with AI can reduce barriers to services and information, expand opportunity, and elevate community voice and participation.

Community organizations play an essential role in connecting people to services, information, and cultural spaces. Guided by the principle that access is agency, the Fund aims to support nonprofits and communities in shaping how AI is used to advance their missions and in service of local priorities.

We will fund organizations working across three areas:

1. Community Support Services

Trusted community organizations play an important role in facilitating access to services, opportunities, and critical support systems. We are interested in supporting local nonprofits that are interested in how AI can strengthen their ability to more effectively serve their communities — particularly in areas where need is growing, systems are overstretched, and organizations may be uniquely positioned to benefit from AI, but have historically lacked the capacity to explore and engage with these tools.

This year, priority will be given to organizations that help people navigate complex systems and access critical resources, such as legal aid, public benefits, and disability and accessibility services. These are areas where trusted community-based organizations play an important role in bridging gaps between individuals and the systems they rely on, where thoughtfully applied AI could help reduce friction in service delivery, and where efforts to help communities understand and make informed decisions about AI-enabled tools can expand access.

We anticipate funding organizations that are co-building with youth, underserved communities, and rural populations, and that are exploring how AI can improve coordination and access to services, reduce administrative burden on frontline staff, and reach underserved or hard-to-reach populations more effectively.

2. Community Arts & Cultural Organizations

Community arts and cultural organizations play an important role in fostering connection and creativity within the communities they serve. These organizations help preserve local histories and perspectives and create accessible spaces for learning and participation.

We seek community-based organizations interested in exploring how AI can expand access to arts and cultural participation, while preserving human creativity, cultural expression, and community voice. We are also interested in efforts that help residents meaningfully participate in shaping how AI is used in creative and cultural life. This includes local arts and music nonprofits, museums, libraries, cultural centers, and other trusted cultural organizations with deep community relationships.

We anticipate funding organizations that are exploring how AI can broaden participation in the arts, reduce operational burdens on smaller organizations, and help communities document and share their stories in ways that elevate community voice and human creativity.

3. Community Journalism & Media

Local journalism and community information organizations play an important role in maintaining public trust, strengthening civic participation, and ensuring communities have access to reliable information.

We seek organizations that strengthen trusted community information ecosystems and help their communities understand how to engage thoughtfully with AI. This includes local media outlets, nonprofit newsrooms, public-interest media organizations, and other journalism-adjacent nonprofits – as well as those educating the public on how to navigate the modern media and information environment in a world with AI.

We anticipate funding organizations exploring how AI can increase access to trusted local information and reporting, expand the reach and accessibility of community-centered journalism, and help communities access reliable information and navigate a rapidly evolving information environment.

Eligibility Criteria

The Fund will provide unrestricted grants* to community-based organizations that demonstrate strong community trust, direct partnership with the populations they serve, and a genuine interest in exploring how AI can strengthen their work and impact.

In addition to alignment with the focus areas, organizations must meet the following criteria:

U.S.-Based 501(c)(3) Organization: Organizations must be a U.S.-based public charity with a valid 501(c)(3) status and be in compliance with applicable 501(c)(3) requirements.
Primarily U.S.-Focused Operations: Organizations must be located in, and primarily conducting work within, the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia.
Small to Mid-Sized Budget: Organizations must have an annual operating budget between $500,000 and $10 million (except for certain regranting organizations, see below)*. Based on demand, we expect to prioritize organizations between $1-8 million operating budgets.
Standalone Organizations: We will not consider applications from programs, centers, or departments housed within larger institutions – including academic research centers, university-affiliated institutes, and think tanks – or programs fiscally sponsored by another institution, even if the program maintains separate operating budgets below $10 million.

However, we will consider:

Local chapters of national organizations, as long as they have standalone 501(c)(3) status and meet the above eligibility criteria.
Select regranting organizations, including community foundations, that demonstrate strong community trust, local partnerships, and a clear strategy for supporting community-rooted initiatives aligned with the Fund’s focus areas. The regranting organization must have an annual operating budget under $15 million, excluding pass-through grantmaking, and meet all other eligibility requirements described below.

Competitive applicants will demonstrate:

Interest in exploring and engaging with AI: While no prior AI experience is necessary, applicants should demonstrate a genuine interest in learning about, experimenting with, or thoughtfully applying AI in support of their mission and communities. The Fund is platform-agnostic: use of specific AI tools or providers is not required and will not affect funding decisions.
Deep community trust: Organizations should demonstrate strong, established relationships with the communities they serve and a track record of community co-creation and people-centered programming, services, or engagement.

*A note on regranting institutions:

This year, we will consider proposals from select regranting organizations that make community-based grants because they enable participation and support for grassroots efforts that otherwise face barriers to receiving funds from institutional philanthropy.

Regranting organizations will be subject to separate grant terms and processes, including additional considerations around budget size, use of funds, diligence, and reporting. They will not be eligible for unrestricted general operating grants. Applicants in this category must demonstrate:

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) public charity status, with operations located in and primarily conducted within the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia.
An operating budget under $15 million, calculated based on direct operating expenses (such as staffing and administration) and excluding pass-through grantmaking where applicable.
Experience managing grants, regrants, and/or fiscally sponsored projects, along with the financial controls and grantmaking infrastructure needed to support local community initiatives.
A clear process for identifying, selecting, and monitoring projects that are consistent with the Fund’s focus areas. Any regranted funds must be in alignment with the Fund’s focus areas and cannot be made to individuals.

Please see the applicant FAQ for more information.

FAQ for Applicants

Applying to Fund

You can access the application portal here⁠. You may be asked to create an account and register your organization, as the Fund is only accepting applications from verified organizations.

For questions on using the application portal, please see here⁠. If you have specific questions about registering and applying as an organization, please see here⁠.

Please note we cannot accept submissions via email.

If you already have a SurveyMonkey Apply account, you may be able to log in using your existing credentials. If you're having trouble accessing your account, try using the "Forgot Password" link on the login page. Please see here⁠ for additional SurveyMonkey Apply FAQ.

If you still cannot log in, please contact [email protected]⁠ with your name, organization, and the email address associated with your account.

No. Organizations may submit only one application per EIN / organization.

Regranting organizations or community foundations should submit a single consolidated application representing the community-rooted work they intend to support.

If you believe you have inadvertently submitted more than one application, please reach out to [email protected]⁠. Any purposeful duplicate applications will not be considered.

Applicants will be asked to upload financial documentation that reflects both historical financial activity and the most recent board-approved operating budget.

Required documents include:

Financial statements for the organization's two most recently completed fiscal years, audited if available.
If audited financial statements are not available, applicants may instead submit:
- their most recent IRS Form 990; and
- an internally prepared statement of revenues and expenses for the most recently completed fiscal year.
The organization's current board-approved operating budget showing anticipated revenues and expenses for the current fiscal year.

For organizations that engage in substantial regranting activity, we encourage submission of materials that clearly distinguish direct operating expenses from pass-through grantmaking where possible. Documents may be uploaded in PDF, Excel, or other standard file formats through the application portal.

The application will require basic organizational information, selection of focus area, and selecting your stage of AI engagement. There are five required questions:

Please provide a brief overview of your organization, including your mission, the communities you serve, and your organization’s core areas of work.* (Max 250 words)
What is the most urgent challenge or opportunity facing the communities you serve today? How might this funding strengthen your organization’s ability to respond? (Max 300 words)
What impact has your organization had in the past 12 months? (Max 300 words)
Please include measurable outcomes, evidence of impact, or concrete examples of meaningful change. You may also include a brief story that illustrates your organization’s impact in practice.
How does your organization build and maintain trust with the communities you serve? (Max 300 words) Please share examples of how your organization has earned, maintained, or strengthened community trust.
How is your organization currently using, exploring, or thinking about AI in relation to your mission, operations, or the communities you serve? What AI-related learning, experimentation, or capacity building are you pursuing – or want to pursue – over the next 12 months? (Max 300 words) This may include organizational learning, staff training, operational experimentation, partnerships, or direct use of AI tools. Organizations do not need existing AI programming to apply.

If you previously received a grant from the People-First AI Fund, you will additionally be asked to answer: Please describe how prior funding from the People-First AI Fund helped your organization and/or the communities you serve. (Max 400 words) Please share any meaningful outcomes, growth, learning, or changes that resulted from the funding, along with at least one concrete example.

If you are a regranting organization, you will additionally be asked to answer: Please describe your organization’s regranting activities, including approximately how much funding is regranted annually, who receives the funding and how they are selected, and the primary purpose of these grants or subawards. (Max 400 words)

All applications must be submitted through the portal⁠. We are unable to accept submissions via email.

Eligibility & Applicants

Yes. Organizations that received funding through the 2025 People-First AI Fund are eligible to apply again.

We deeply appreciate the work of current grantees and welcome their continued engagement with the Fund. However, we anticipate primarily funding new organizations this year as part of our effort to broaden access to communities and nonprofits that have not previously received support.

The Fund is designed to expand opportunity to new communities and organizations over time. Receipt of funding in one year should not create an expectation of future funding. This is not a reflection of the quality or impact of work undertaken by current grantees.

As a regranting organization, there is an additional question for you to respond to in the application. Please calculate your operating budget – which must be under $15 million – based on the portion of your budget supporting direct operations, staffing, and organizational capacity, rather than pass-through grantmaking alone.

Eligible regranting organizations and community foundations should submit a single institutional application describing the broader community-rooted work or initiatives they intend to support through the Fund. The Fund will not accept multiple project-level applications submitted through the same community foundation and regranting organization or EIN.

Community foundations and regranting organizations will be evaluated based on alignment with the Fund’s community-centered goals and focus areas, demonstrated local trust, and ability to support community-rooted participation and leadership.

Committing to communities: The 2026 People-First AI Fund

2026 Focus Areas

1. Community Support Services

2. Community Arts & Cultural Organizations

3. Community Journalism & Media

Eligibility Criteria

FAQ for Applicants

Applying to Fund

How do I submit an application to the 2026 People-First AI Fund?

What is the application deadline?

I can’t log-in to my application portal. What should I do?

Can my organization submit more than one application?

What financial documents will you accept in the application?

Can I preview the application in advance?

Eligibility & Applicants

I applied to the People-First AI Fund in 2025. Do I need to re-apply in 2026?

I received a grant from the People-First AI Fund in 2025. Am I eligible to re-apply?

I’m a regranting institution – how can I apply for a grant?

Grant Funding and Use of Funds

What size grants will the Fund distribute?

Do I need to be using OpenAI products to receive a grant?

Will the grant include free OpenAI accounts or credits?

Does the Fund have an admin, overhead, or indirect cost policy?

I want to propose a collaborative project or collaborate with another organization. Is this possible?

Grant Expectations & Administration

When can we expect to hear back?

If my organization receives funding, how long is the grant period?

If my organization receives funding, will we be eligible for future OpenAI Foundation funding opportunities?

If my organization receives funding, what reporting requirements are associated with the grant?

I missed the deadline – do you accept proposals outside of the application window?

I have a question that's not answered here. Is there somewhere else I can go?

Committing to communities: The 2026 People-First AI Fund

2026 Focus Areas

1. Community Support Services

2. Community Arts & Cultural Organizations

3. Community Journalism & Media

Eligibility Criteria

FAQ for Applicants

Applying to Fund

How do I submit an application to the 2026 People-First AI Fund?

What is the application deadline?

I can’t log-in to my application portal. What should I do?

Can my organization submit more than one application?

What financial documents will you accept in the application?

Can I preview the application in advance?

Eligibility & Applicants

I applied to the People-First AI Fund in 2025. Do I need to re-apply in 2026?

I received a grant from the People-First AI Fund in 2025. Am I eligible to re-apply?

I’m a regranting institution – how can I apply for a grant?

Grant Funding and Use of Funds

What size grants will the Fund distribute?

Do I need to be using OpenAI products to receive a grant?

Will the grant include free OpenAI accounts or credits?

Does the Fund have an admin, overhead, or indirect cost policy?

I want to propose a collaborative project or collaborate with another organization. Is this possible?

Grant Expectations & Administration

When can we expect to hear back?

If my organization receives funding, how long is the grant period?

If my organization receives funding, will we be eligible for future OpenAI Foundation funding opportunities?

If my organization receives funding, what reporting requirements are associated with the grant?

I missed the deadline – do you accept proposals outside of the application window?

I have a question that's not answered here. Is there somewhere else I can go?

More news