Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Accelerate Charitable Giving

• Startups and NGOs using AI to increase charitable giving in health, education or social sectors.

About this scheme

The Gates Foundation's Philanthropic Partnerships Team (PPT) is launching the "AI to Accelerate Charitable Giving" Grand Challenges Request for Proposals. This initiative seeks to explore how artificial intelligence can strengthen philanthropic practices and unlock new possibilities for generosity, particularly by helping donors give more and give sooner. The Foundation's PPT mobilizes resources and cultivates champions for global health and development (GH&D): focusing on improving health, economic opportunity, and human well-being in low- and middle-income countries.

The program offers awards of up to $150,000 USD per project, with a grant duration of up to one year. Budgets should align with the scale and complexity of the proposed work, and indirect costs are allowable within the total requested funding. Travel expenses for in-person convenings with peer grantees, hosted by the Gates Foundation, will be covered separately by the Foundation, allowing project budgets to focus on additional travel costs.

Funding can be used to develop donor-facing applications and underlying systems of giving that test innovative AI applications. Desired outputs include generating practical evidence and examples to inform broader philanthropic practice, with particular interest in solutions that increase support for GH&D. Proposals are encouraged to address challenge areas such as helping donors connect with causes, turning interest into donations, and developing foundational systems and infrastructure for AI-powered giving.

Beyond financial support, the program offers opportunities for project teams to participate in virtual and/or in-person learning convenings. These sessions allow peer grantees to interact, share insights, and collaborate, fostering a community of practice around AI in philanthropy. The Foundation emphasizes thoughtful awareness of ethical issues in AI design, testing, and deployment, aligning with principles of mission alignment, community-informed solutions, risk mitigation, data responsibility, broad benefit, and transparency.

Who can apply

• Applicants must be able to conduct all project activities and reporting in English.
• Applicants must be willing and able to participate in up to three virtual and/or in-person learning convenings with peer grantees over the one-year grant period.
• Eligible entities include Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations, such as registered nonprofits and charities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations.
• Mission-Driven For-Profit Organizations are eligible, provided they have a clear public-benefit mission aligned with the goals of the RFP.
• Consortia, Partnerships, and other collaborative arrangements are eligible, with one lead organization serving as the primary applicant.
• Proposed activities for for-profit entities must advance equitable, responsible, or safe uses of AI benefiting society; funding cannot be used for core commercial product development or general business operations.
• Proposals must address the core question of how AI can support donors to give more and give sooner.
• Proposals must identify at least one challenge area and demonstrate how the proposed solution aligns with it.
• Proposed solutions must apply AI as a central component.
• Proposals must have clear relevance to donor decision-making and charitable giving, including applicability to global health and development.
• Projects must include a practical plan to test, measure, and generate actionable learning within the grant period that informs broader philanthropic practice.
• Proposals must use responsible AI practices and safeguards, identifying and planning to mitigate risks related to fairness, transparency, privacy, and data governance.

Eligible entity types: Private Limited, LLP, Partnership, Section 8 / NGO

Benefits & funding

• Up to $150,000 USD for one year, with indirect costs allowed.
• Travel for in-person convenings is covered.
• Grantees access virtual/in-person learning sessions to interact, share insights, collaborate, and foster a community of practice around AI in philanthropy.

How the application process works

The journey below is informational, compiled from the official program guidelines. Applications are submitted directly with Gates Foundation, in your own name.

1. 1

   Proposals are evaluated based on alignment with challenge areas and AI principles.

2. 2

   Reviewers assess expected impact, feasibility of testing AI tools, and plans for measuring success.

3. 3

   Potential for project sustainability, scale, or sharing is also considered.

4. 4

   Clarification may be requested.

Frequently asked questions