How to Win a Piece of the $50M OpenAI People-First Fund
OpenAI—the parent company of ChatGPT—has launched a $50 million People-First OpenAI Fund to help nonprofits use AI for real-world impact.
This is a big moment. Many nonprofits have traditionally been left on the sidelines when it comes to big tech innovation. Now OpenAI, one of the most powerful players in AI, is putting real money on the table to help mission-driven orgs play a role in AI innovation.
Below, I’ve built a guide to help you cut through the noise, understand what they want, and position your organization to win a grant. I’ve included an overview of the fund, a sample budget, and 10 nonprofit project ideas.
Note: I have no affiliation with OpenAI, nor do I have access to the internal proposal submission tools. But I do have years of experience helping organizations win RFPs and grant monies, and the below guide is based on that experience. Also, in keeping with proposal recommendations, this article is largely written by ChatGPT with light human editing.
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OpenAI’s Nonprofit Commission
To shape the fund, OpenAI convened a Nonprofit Commission of respected leaders and advisors. Their role: listen deeply to communities and set the priorities that would guide how the $50M should be used.
The founding advisors are:
- Dolores Huerta — Legendary labor leader & civil rights activist with more than 50 years advancing farmworker rights and community organizing.
- Monica Lozano — Media & education leader; former CEO of ImpreMedia (La Opinión, one the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the U.S.) and current champion for equitable access to higher ed in California.
- Dr. Robert K. Ross — Public health educator and reformer; led The California Endowment and has shaped policy around health equity and underserved communities.
- Jack Oliver — Advocate who bridges business, global health, advocacy; former senior advisor roles and involved in nonprofits tackling poverty & disease on international scales.
- Daniel Zingale (Convener) — Longtime public service leader in California; has held senior roles advising governors, working in state health agencies, etc.
Listening Sessions
Over the course of three months, the Commission engaged with more than 500 individuals and 100 organizations spanning labor, business, faith, education, health, youth development, civil rights, and economic opportunity. These institutions represent over 7 million Americans – people whose lives are shaped daily by the systems AI is already beginning to transform.
“While the Commission recognizes that AI is a global force, we began by listening where our roots run deepest within the communities and institutions where trust, connection, and lived impact bind us to the stakes of this transition.”
Key Insights from the Commission Report
In July 2025, based on the results of the listening sessions, the OpenAI-organized commission generated the first-ever report of its kind.
“To our knowledge, this is the first time the AI sector has visited local communities and invited unfiltered ideas from people in this way about how AI can benefit them.”
The OpenAI’s Nonprofit Commission report framed its recommendations across ten strategic priorities, guided by three broad pillars.
- Anchor the Mission – Adopt a people-first charter, align capital with public values, and ensure governance independence.
- Invest in the People Sector – Fund everyday systems like education, health, and housing; stabilize nonprofits in crisis; and treat democratic fluency as core infrastructure.
- Operate as a Civic Platform – Act with agility, provide rapid-response capacity, and embed community accountability into decision-making.
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What OpenAI Wants in Proposals
OpenAI’s $50M People-First Fund puts the Commission’s pillars into practice. Here’s how those priorities translate into what they want in proposals.
- Community Connection & Participation – Prove the people you serve will shape the project.
- Clear, Measurable Impact – Define who benefits, how many, and what changes.
- Equity & Inclusion – Prioritize underserved communities.
- Feasibility & Capacity – Show you can deliver, or partner with those who can.
- Alignment with Priorities – Projects must advance AI literacy, community innovation, or economic opportunity.
- Honest Budgeting – Requests should be realistic, transparent, and tied to outcomes.
⚠️ Important Eligibility Alert
This award is not open to 501(c)(6) organizations (such as chambers of commerce or tourism bureaus). If you are a trade org, plan to partner with or support a 501(c)(3) to apply.
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Remember to Mention OpenAI
First and foremost remember: This isn’t just any grant, it’s not even any AI grant. This is an OpenAI grant. You need to show how you’ll use their tools (ChatGPT, custom GPTs, assistants, automations, fine-tuning, and other tools). The funders want to see you understand the OpenAI ethos and not just the tech.
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What You Need in Your Project and Your Proposal
& How to Use ChatGPT Do It
Community Voice – Community voices are key. Short on time? Ground your proposal in staff insights now; commit to listening sessions if funded. -> How you might use OpenAI: Translate surveys, analyze feedback, summarize results transparently.
Measurable Outcomes – Be clear about outputs and impact. -> How you might use OpenAI: Build AI dashboards, automate reporting, track participation trends.
Equity First – Reach people often excluded from innovation. -> How you might use OpenAI: Apply translation, accessibility, and low-literacy tools.
Capacity & Partnerships – Show how you’ll scale your reach. -> How you might use OpenAI: Automate admin, use assistants for staff, and extend capacity through agents.
Alignment with Fund Priorities – Frame your work under AI literacy, innovation, or opportunity. -> How you might use OpenAI: Deliver AI literacy modules, build community assistants, or create opportunity maps.
Budget with Integrity – Every dollar should connect to outcomes. -> How you might use OpenAI: Use AI to write budget narratives and produce accountability summaries.
REMEMBER: Ask ChatGPT to write the bulk of your proposal. The grant page requests it and this is your chance to show not only need, but better prompting capabilities.
Need prompting help? Check out my CRAFT Prompting Framework post.
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How Much Should You Request
There’s no published max per award, and OpenAI hasn’t shared typical award sizes for this new fund. ChatGPT checked the official pages and announcements—none list a cap or other example awards.
Because this is new, all project sizes are speculative; treat your ask conservatively.
Here’s how to benchmark your ask without a stated ceiling:
- Anchor to eligibility band: OpenAI is targeting 501(c)3’s with $500k–$10M operating budgets. A credible request usually lands at 10–30% of your annual operating budget for a 12–24 month project. (E.g., $300k–$900k ask for a $3M org.) OpenAI
- Scope-based budgeting: price the full cost of delivery (tech + training + community engagement + staffing + evaluation) and let the math set the number—don’t back into it from a vanity figure. The fund emphasizes unrestricted support, so include real overhead.
- Signal scalability: propose a pilot + scale plan—e.g., $450k for 24 months with a path to expand with co-funders if results hit predefined metrics. That reads disciplined and funder-friendly.
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Why Acting Now Matters
Press and social mentions have been surprisingly quiet for a fund of this size. Not even close to the ubiquitous “Bill Gates is giving away millions” chain emails that flooded inboxes in the ’90s.
I only just heard about (although they posted it in July), and I pay attention to these types of headlines. Which means the deadline is now upon us. October 8, 2025; at 11 p.m. Pacific.
The lack of noise and the size of the award do make me nervous — but this program is real, posted openly on OpenAI’s own site.
The potential upside? A significant award, early adopter visibility, and even a possible chance to rub elbows with some very high-profile nonprofit leaders.
There is possibly an opportunity here, if you can get your info together quickly. Creating a proposal is relatively low lift, especially since applicants are encouraged to use ChatGPT to write their proposal.
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Sample Budget
- Technology Access: AI subscriptions for ~250 small businesses ($100,000)
- Training & Capacity: Workshops, 1:1 coaching, training material production ($150,000)
- Community Engagement: Listening sessions, stipends, translation ($50,000)
- Staffing: Program director, project management, part-time data staff ($125,000)
- Evaluation: Independent evaluator, metrics, reporting ($50,000)
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Sample Project Timeline: From Award to Impact
If OpenAI follows through on its stated plan, grants will be awarded by the end of this year. That gives most organizations roughly six to nine months in 2026 to design, test, and deliver. Here’s a realistic way to map that out:
Month 1: Preparation and Onboarding
As soon as funds are received, assemble your team and confirm roles. Hold a kickoff meeting with stakeholders, finalize a simple project plan, and lock in any outside partners or vendors. This is also the moment to secure baseline data so you’ll be able to measure impact later.
Months 2–3: Discovery and Design
Spend the first stretch listening to your community. Run surveys, host small focus groups, or schedule one-on-one conversations. Pair this input with a needs assessment and co-design rough prototypes. By the end of this phase, you should have mockups or draft workflows that reflect both your goals and your users’ needs.
Months 4–6: Pilot Implementation
Roll out a minimum viable product (MVP) or pilot. Keep the scope small and test it with a manageable group. Track usage, gather feedback, and be ready to fix bugs quickly. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s evidence. Show you can take an idea from paper to practice.
Months 7–8: Iteration and Expansion
With pilot feedback in hand, refine the project and scale to a larger audience. Add features, expand outreach, and strengthen your support systems. This is the stretch where you’ll demonstrate real adoption and community impact.
Month 9: Evaluation and Reporting
Close the loop with data. Compare results against your baseline, document successes and setbacks, and prepare a clear final report. Include stories as well as numbers — funders and media both want to see the human side of impact.
Ongoing: Sustainability Planning
Even while piloting, think about life after the grant. Can you integrate the tool into daily operations, attract follow-on funding, or build partnerships for continued growth? Having a sustainability plan makes your project more compelling — and positions your organization as a credible partner for future opportunities.
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Non-Profit Project Ideas
Note these are ChatGPT generated (with a human assist) and only meant to stimulate ideas. Get crazy, or consider asking ChatGPT to get a little crazy with your own AI-powered ideas.
- Arts Council (501c3): Use AI to support artists’ livelihoods—teaching them to turn art into income streams (classes, licensing, digital products) or providing AI-powered grantwriting support to help them secure more funding.
- Native/Language Preservation Org (501c3): Partner with OpenAI to train language models on Native languages—both preserving oral traditions and creating AI tools to support community-led language learning.
- Chambers & EDDs (via 501c3 sponsor)
Collaborate with a foundation partner to launch an “AI Minority Business Accelerator,” providing underserved entrepreneurs with AI licenses, coaching, and market insights to drive equity in economic development. - Cultural Tourism Nonprofit (501c3): Create AI-powered visitor guides that highlight heritage sites, deliver stories in multiple languages, and redistribute tourism traffic toward overlooked and off-the-main-road communities.
- Entrepreneurial Foundation (501c3): Build a central AI resource hub that offers shared AI assistants, training cohorts, and evaluation tools to strengthen smaller nonprofits’ capacity.
- CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution, 501c3): Use AI to streamline loan applications for minority-owned businesses, detect risk patterns, and improve access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs.
- Health Clinic (501c3): Deliver multilingual, AI-generated patient education materials and deploy conversational AI assistants to improve health literacy for non-English speakers.
- Food Bank (501c3): Combine AI demand forecasting with hotel/restaurant food recovery systems to cut waste and ensure more fresh food reaches low-income families.
- Housing Nonprofit (501c3): Apply AI to analyze local housing and rental market data, generate advocacy reports, and model equitable housing policies for city leaders.
- Environmental Group (501c3): Use AI-powered drones and modeling to monitor ecosystems and predict climate threats.
- Creative Workforce Collective (501c3): Train an “AI Arts Corps” of community artists who use AI tools to teach creative entrepreneurship in underserved neighborhoods.
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Terms to Know (So You Sound Like You Belong in the AI World)
- Assistants – AI tools customized for a specific role, like a grant-writing buddy.
- Agents – Advanced assistants that not only respond but take autonomous actions across tools.
- Automations – Using AI to handle repetitive tasks like scheduling and reporting.
- AI Governance – Practices to ensure AI use is ethical, safe, and transparent.
- AI Literacy – The ability to understand, use, and question AI tools effectively.
- Equity in AI – Ensuring marginalized groups benefit, not just the already-connected.
- Fine-Tuning – Training an AI model on your organization’s own data so it speaks in your voice.
- Impact Metrics – Measurable results: people served, jobs created, costs saved.
- Prompt Engineering – Writing smart instructions to get better AI outputs.
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) – When AI pulls answers from your documents and archives to deeply customize responses.
- Unrestricted Funding – Flexible dollars you can use for staffing, overhead, or programs.
- Vibe Coding – Building software with AI tools using natural language prompts. No technical or software coding knowledge is required.
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📌 Reality Check: Where’s the $50M Coming From?
It’s worth noting: OpenAI is not currently profitable. The company is burning more cash than it brings in, investing heavily in infrastructure, research, and global partnerships.
However, not profitable is not the same as no revenue. OpenAI’s new People-First AI Fund is seeded from the company’s commercial revenues. While $50 million is significant, it’s a fraction of the billions OpenAI is raising and spending to scale its tools.
With the above context, this fund serves two purposes:
- Goodwill — showing regulators, critics, and the public that AI investment can benefit communities.
- Market insight — learning how nonprofits actually adopt AI, which can inform future product direction.
For nonprofits, the key takeaway isn’t the source of funds, but the opportunity: if a company under pressure still sets aside $50M for social impact, they want visibility and outcomes. Strong proposals will emphasize both.
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The Bottom Line
This is a rare chance to access not just dollars, but direct support from OpenAI itself.
To win, your proposal needs to be community-led, equity-driven, measurable, and centered on OpenAI tools.
👉 Want to chat with me about your proposal and share ideas on how to implement AI across your organization?
Schedule a free Vision Call →
OpenAI has launched a $50M People-First AI Fund for nonprofits. Learn what they want, how to structure your proposal, and 10 project ideas to inspire your application.”
– Monica Poling
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Next Step
Ready to design your proposal? Copy this article’s link into ChatGPT and ask it to brainstorm project ideas for your organization.
It’s a fast, low-lift way to generate options you can refine into a winning plan.
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