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People-First AI Fund Grantees - OpenAI Blog
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This announcement reflects OpenAI's philanthropic efforts to broaden AI's societal benefits; it is primarily a corporate social responsibility initiative rather than a technical AI safety resource, with limited direct relevance to alignment or safety research.
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Summary
The OpenAI Foundation announces $40.5 million in unrestricted grants to 208 nonprofits across the United States through the People-First AI Fund, with a second wave of $9.5 million in Board-directed grants forthcoming. The initiative aims to support community-based organizations strengthening local communities and expanding equitable access to AI benefits, with many grantees being early-stage or non-users of AI.
Key Points
- •208 nonprofits selected from nearly 3,000 applicants to receive $40.5M in unrestricted grants, disbursed by end of 2025.
- •A second wave of $9.5M in Board-directed grants will target organizations already doing transformative AI work, especially in health.
- •Selection process involved independent human review by external grantmaking experts and former Nonprofit Commission members.
- •Grantees span rural and urban areas nationwide, including faith-based networks, Native-led media, youth organizations, and news literacy groups.
- •Many grantees have never used AI, reflecting the Fund's goal of supporting trusted community organizations at various stages of AI adoption.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Foundation | Organization | 87.0 |
4 FactBase facts citing this source
| Entity | Property | Value | As Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Foundation | key-event | People-First AI Fund awards $40.5M to 208 nonprofits | Dec 2025 |
| OpenAI Foundation | grants-disbursed | 40.5 million | Dec 2025 |
| OpenAI Foundation | key-event | People-First AI Fund awards $40.5M to 208 nonprofits | Dec 2025 |
| OpenAI Foundation | grants-disbursed | 40.5 million | Dec 2025 |
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December 3, 2025
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# Announcing the initial People-First AI Fund grantees
Unrestricted funding for 208 nonprofits advancing people-first work nationwide.
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The OpenAI Foundation is announcing the first recipients from the [People-First AI Fund](https://openai.com/index/people-first-ai-fund/), a multi-million dollar investment in community-based nonprofits working to strengthen local communities and expand the opportunity of AI.
Through an open call, the Foundation will provide $40.5 million in unrestricted grants to 208 nonprofits across the United States. Funds will be disbursed by the end of the year. A second wave of $9.5 million in Board-directed grants will be announced in the coming months, supporting organizations already advancing transformative AI work in areas like health that reflect the Fund’s people-first values and potential for broad public benefit.
_“The People-First AI Fund reflects our commitment to supporting a wide range of organizations advancing work that strengthens communities and expands opportunity. We’re proud to support this first group of grantees and to continue work that is mission-driven and responsive to the people it exists to serve.” —_ **_Bret Taylor, Chair of the OpenAI Foundation Board_**
The OpenAI Foundation looks forward to learning alongside these organizations and local leaders, sharing insights, and expanding our grantmaking work.
[See below for full list.](https://openai.com/index/people-first-ai-fund-grantees/#people-first-ai-fund-award-list)
## The open call selection process
Over the past year, a series of steps laid the groundwork for these grants: the work of our independent [Nonprofit Commission](https://openai.com/index/nonprofit-commission-advisors/), nationwide community listening, [the Commission’s public report](https://openai.com/index/nonprofit-commission-report/), and the launch of the [People-First AI Fund](https://openai.com/index/people-first-ai-fund/).
The application window for the first wave of grants—all unrestricted—was open from September 8 through October 8 and featured a short, four-question application. Nearly 3,000 organizations applied from across the country—an indication of both the demand for support and desire among community-based organizations to help shape how AI can be applied to their work and the people they serve.
Daniel Zingale, who had served as convener of the [Nonprofit Commission](https://openai.com/index/nonprofit-commission-advisors/), supported the Foundation in translating the Commission’s recommendations into the Fund’s implementation. Together with external grantmaking experts, advisors, and members of the Nonprofit Com
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