As the World Races to Accelerate AI, Public Institutions Must Build the Architecture That Guides Its Use: The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Announces $75.8M Commitment

149 grants across 13 countries strengthen community power, AI use cases for human welfare, and the institutions that govern AI.

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AI–Headlines often frame a “global AI race” among technology companies and governments. The more important question for the decade ahead is whether AI will merely concentrate power or serve to strengthen public institutions and expand human agency. That answer is unfolding now in classrooms, clinics, newsrooms, and community organizations that will shape our digital future.

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) is investing in the people and institutions defining the future of AI for public purpose, strengthening the civic infrastructure that gives communities power over the systems that affect their lives.

Today, the Foundation announced $75.8 million in charitable spend across 149 grants to organizations advancing AI for public purpose. These grants directly support work in 13 countries and sustain global leadership in climate resilience, human rights, media and journalism, crisis response, digital literacy, and health equity. With $500 million in grants over the past decade, PJMF ranks among the largest supporters of public-purpose AI globally.

Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation: “Innovation does not end when a technology is created. It continues through the choices societies make about how those advances are governed and used in the real world. When people decide how AI is applied to real needs, technology can strengthen democracy, protect human rights, and widen opportunity. This 2025 commitment reflects our conviction that communities are not downstream consumers of innovation; we are co-creators of how technology shapes everyday life.”

PJMF partners demonstrate how AI can advance public purpose when communities participate in its design and governance. Newsrooms are using AI to review thousands of public documents and identify patterns that had remained hidden for years, giving reporters more time for investigative work that holds power to account. Climate networks are assembling representative datasets and predictive models that help communities prepare for drought and displacement while informing fairer national climate policies. Public health systems are creating platforms and centers of excellence that enable governments to evaluate AI systems, design regulations that reflect public interest, and share expertise across borders.

Vivian Schiller, Vice-President & Executive Director, Aspen Digital: “Vital Independent media and civic institutions are under increasing strain. This commitment from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation enables newsrooms, mission-driven local organizations, and civic actors to put technology to work on their own terms. It is an investment in public trust, community voice, and the kind of institutional resilience that democratic societies depend on.”

The Foundation complements financial support with in-house technical teams that advise on data governance, model evaluation, risk assessment, and organizational adaptation. PJMF also fosters communities of practice that connect nonprofit leaders, public officials, researchers, and technologists. Fund.AI, the Foundation’s flagship convening on AI and philanthropy, gathered more than 150 foundations and unlocked tens of millions in new investment to nonprofits building frontier AI applications.

This portfolio builds on PJMF’s leadership in global AI governance. Dhar served on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, where he shaped international policy discussions with community interests at the center. The Foundation has also advised the creation of regional centers for public purpose AI, including the Caribbean Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre in Trinidad and Tobago, and engages directly with governments and civil society organizations seeking to build institutional capacity for responsible AI. Across these efforts, the Foundation advances a guiding belief that AI must function as civic infrastructure, with public purpose and participation driving development and oversight.

Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, United Nations: “Across the UN system, we see a growing need for institutions that can guide technological change toward human well-being. Multilateral cooperation depends on the ability of countries and communities to participate with confidence, to evaluate new systems, and to protect the public interest. The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s commitment strengthens this foundation. By supporting institutions that anchor public life, it helps create the conditions for shared progress and ensures that emerging technologies serve people rather than narrow interests.”

The Foundation will expand this work in 2026 and bring insights from its portfolio to India’s Global AI Summit, where countries will shape approaches to governance, capacity building, and cross-border cooperation. The Foundation’s community-led models and institutional innovations will inform discussions about how AI can advance shared prosperity while strengthening democratic participation and shaping the next generation of digital systems.

Abhishek Singh, CEO, IndiaAI Mission and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India: “Across India and across the world, we are witnessing how communities, public agencies, and local institutions are shaping the role of AI to strengthen health systems, improve learning outcomes, expand livelihoods, and build climate resilience. India’s experience with Digital Public Infrastructure, including the India Stack, shows how empowering people and institutions with open, trusted systems can unlock transformative public value.

Meaningful progress happens when people have the knowledge and tools to guide the technologies that influence their lives, and when institutions are equipped to act with confidence and purpose. The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s $75.8 million commitment powerfully reinforces this direction. By supporting organizations that work directly with citizens and public institutions, it strengthens the broader global movement to ensure that AI delivers meaningful impact, especially for the Global South, and advances human development.”

Democratic values, environmental stewardship, and human creativity become part of AI systems when communities participate in their design and governance. The race to build AI has just a few participants. The race to ensure AI serves humanity will require all of us.

To learn more about the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s AI for public purpose portfolio and 2025 grants, visit mcgovern.org.

See the full list of grants awarded by the Foundation in 2025 below.

[C]Worthy to expand deployment of open-source modeling tools that enable scalable, auditable ocean carbon removal ($400,000)

ACLU Foundation to advance civil rights through AI policy analysis and online discrimination testing ($500,000)

AI4All to elevate youth perspectives in AI governance through participatory storytelling ($300,000)

American Indian Science and Engineering Society to develop and implement AISES’s Indigenous AI Literacy Curriculum for indigenous students ($350,000)

American Journalism Project to scale AI fundraising tools for nonprofit newsrooms ($600,000)

Amnesty International to support the Automated State program and help launch Amnesty’s new Global AI Advocacy Strategy ($750,000)

Amrita Institute of Advanced Research to advance the use of AI/ML in strategic research ($200,000)

AP Fund for Journalism to enhance journalists’ capacity to effectively report on AI ($400,000)

Aspiration to support the AI Commons for the Global South: Capacity Building for a Shared Future ($200,000)

Audere to create tools to evaluate and improve the performance of language model-based AI health solutions ($750,000)

Bank.Green to develop a platform for climate advocacy NGOs to identify and track violations of bank climate policies globally ($250,000)

Bird Story Agency to create and distribute Africa-centered AI literacy training for journalists and produce news articles about AI in the African context ($300,000)

Blue Star Families to advance AI tools that strengthen crisis detection, referral pathways, and resilience for military families ($750,000)

Blue Star Families to bring together key thought leaders to conduct strategic foresight regarding AI’s impact on state power ($250,000)

Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative to design and distribute AI literacy content embedded within the cultural traditions of everyday people in Nigeria ($150,000)

Bridges to Prosperity, Inc. to leverage machine learning and community-driven data collection to enable targeted expansion of rural infrastructure ($500,000)

Brookings Institution to support the AI Equity Lab that emboldens critical subject matter experts from across the globe in highly consequential decision areas, like education and health care, to create more purposeful AI applications and policy remedies while amplifying their efforts in a public interest repository. ($350,000)

Brown University of Providence to support the development of NeoIMPACT, an AI-driven neonatal care platform designed to improve diagnostic accuracy and newborn outcomes in low-resource settings, developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization ($200,000)

Build Change to scale AI-driven housing resilience through multilingual and data-integrated systems ($400,000)

CarbonPlan to democratize access to address-level climate risk data and analysis to inform climate adaptation efforts ($600,000)

CareMessage to support AI-enabled product roadmap for clinic-patient communications ($400,000)

Cascade Climate, Inc. to foster greater scientific collaboration on the impacts of enhanced rock weathering through enhancing Cascade’s data sharing platform and establishing data collection standards for the ERW field ($750,000)

Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) to support the development and implementation of AI policies that promote a just, fair, and accountable society ($300,000)

Center for Democracy & Technology to consolidate the AI Governance Lab as a global hub for AI governance development ($500,000)

Center on Rural Innovation to expand AI literacy and workforce readiness in rural America ($500,000)

CLEAR Global, Inc. to enable scalable, multilingual, voice-powered communication and information channels for crisis-affected communities ($415,500)

Climate Cabinet Education to scale AI tooling and provide accurate, context-specific state-level climate data in the U.S. ($400,000)

Climate Policy Radar to support further development of AI tools for advanced climate policy analysis and global legislative insights ($1,000,000)

Common Sense Media to conduct risk assessments, drive product-level safety improvements, and advance policy protections for youth-facing AI systems ($500,000)

Conservation X Labs to support the Wild Me Lab in using AI and satellite survey data to detect bark beetle attacks on California’s Giant Sequoias and enable early intervention ($122,500)

Corporación Movilizatorio to develop and scale AI literacy training and a WhatsApp-based support for educators in Latin America ($200,000)

Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. to equip global policymakers with foresight tools for AI-era governance ($1,000,000)

Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism CUNY Foundation, Inc. to deploy JESS in newsrooms as a source-verified AI safety assistant for journalists ($300,000)

DataGénero to integrate local language models into its tool for analyzing court data on gender-based violence ($250,000)

Derechos Digitales to support the scale-up of Derechos Digitales’ AI governance regional training program ($250,000)

Digital Green Foundation to increase the adoption and accuracy of its AI-powered agricultural advisory platform to improve livelihoods and climate resilience of small-scale farmers ($600,000)

Direct Relief to support the development of a machine learning–based forecasting system that enables Direct Relief to anticipate humanitarian medical needs and improve the speed, precision, and equity of crisis response globally ($250,000)

Earth Fire Alliance to support the initial development and testing of data products and analytics using FireSat imagery ($400,000)

Earth Genome to embed Earth Index as API-enabled climate accountability infrastructure ($600,000)

Earth Species Project to support the development and scaling of NatureLM-audio, the first audio-language foundation model tailored specifically for animal sounds ($200,000)

Elemental Impact to support catalyzing climate investment through AI-driven tools and insights by expanding Elemental’s Scale Gap research and generating predictive learnings for field buildings across the sector ($250,000)

Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) to restore access to critical federal climate data and build critical capacity for climate-positive decision-making ($650,000)

Epicenter Foundation, Inc. to support a community of practice for local news organizations to share knowledge about AI use cases ($300,000)

EqualAI Charitable Foundation to expand a nationwide AI literacy movement, translating responsible AI principles into public practice ($250,000)

Factchequeado to launch FactDesafIA and develop AI literacy content for Latino communities and media outlets in the U.S ($350,000)

FFWD (Fast Forward) to build AI capacity and awareness throughout the tech for good ecosystem ($500,000)

Fundación Karisma to launch a Latin American coalition on digital welfare governance ($200,000)

Gameheads to support an AI implementation plan to enable Gameheads to integrate AI tools into their existing curriculum and 10-month program ($200,000)

Gender Rights in Tech (GRIT) to support the launch of GRIT’s AI-powered chatbot for public use and initiate a national scale-up to expand accessibility, increase awareness, and maximize impact across South Africa ($150,000)

Generation to enhance Generation’s profession-specific AI literacy content to improve economic mobility ($600,000)

Gigafact to update and scale Gigafact’s AI-powered fact-checking platform and validate paid adoption ($500,000)

Givedignifiedwork, Inc. (Karya) to support bringing crowdsourced AI data collection to Ethiopia ($333,333)

Givedignifiedwork, Inc. (Karya) to support the launch of the Karya Institute, a new research and innovation arm of Karya dedicated to advancing dignified digital work and equitable AI ecosystems across the Global South ($100,000)

Hack Club to expand Hack Club’s AI literacy programs ($400,000)

Hacks Hackers to help small/midsize newsrooms adopt and manage AI tools through expert support and training ($300,000)

HealthAI to strengthen global regulatory capacity and standards for safe, equitable adoption of AI in health ($500,000)

Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team United States, Inc. to advance an open-source marketplace for GeoAI models, enhancing community mapping for global regions ($750,000)

HURIDOCS to build a global, AI-enabled repository of international human rights case law ($600,000)

ICAAD to use AI to identify gender discrimination in judicial decision-making in court cases about gender-based violence ($350,000)

Institute for Security and Technology to advance cross-sector efforts to evaluate and mitigate potential risks associated with the advancement of LLMs ($400,000)

Intelehealth to deploy its diagnostic decision-support model for clinical use and introduce multi-modal support for image, voice, and video-based inputs ($500,000)

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to enhance Datashare’s AI-powered capabilities and interoperability with other leading tools to strengthen global investigative journalism ($600,000)

International Press Institute to launch the AI Accelerator for small and mid-sized publishers in Global Majority countries ($450,000)

International Rescue Committee, Inc. to develop and pilot an AI-driven triage and response system to enhance crisis information access for displaced populations ($400,000)

Invisible Institute to enhance Invisible’s machine learning model and bolster its outreach programs to strengthen local media tech capacities ($250,000)

JA Worldwide, Inc. to expand regional AI cohorts and embed responsible AI literacy globally ($500,000)

Jacaranda Health to expand AI-enabled maternal health and workforce platforms across Africa ($600,000)

Jhpiego Corporation to expand the use and applicability of an ML-powered HIV patient risk-scoring tool in Nigeria ($700,000)

Khushi Baby, Inc. to improve maternal and child health in India by scaling use of an AI-enabled digital health platform and diagnostic tools ($400,000)

Kode With Klossy, Inc. to equip young women with the skills and confidence to actively participate in an AI-driven economy ($400,000)

Laboratory of Public Policy and Internet (LAPIN) to amplify indigenous voices and build capacities for inclusive and sustainable AI governance ($250,000)

Lawyers Hub to support the Africa AI Policy Lab ($300,000)

Learning Collider to provide an AI assistant helping low-income renters access high-opportunity housing ($500,000)

Learning Equality to build AI literacy and enable learning continuity in low-connectivity settings ($500,000)

Maisha Meds to deploy AI models for Africa’s community pharmacies that deliver the majority of health services, improving business operations and providing clinical decision support ($600,000)

MakerGhat to pilot a district-level AI literacy initiative for a nationally scalable model ($52,500)

Malaria No More Fund to develop climate-health foundation models and other adaptable tools to support climate data-informed public health decision-making globally ($650,000)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to support the Code.Tulsa: Igniting Tech Futures experiential learning program to inspire the next generation of Native scientists and technologists ($125,000)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to expand AI literacy access for underserved students through BWSI feeder programs ($250,000)

Materiom C.I.C. to accelerate bio-based materials R&D with genAI ($300,000)

Meedan, Inc. to evaluate and develop privacy-first, AI-enabled information tools for newsrooms and civil society organizations ($750,000)

MIT Solve to provide support for the 2026 AI for Humanity Prize ($200,000)

mothers2mothers to scale the CHARM platform to additional sites and integrate advanced AI-powered features ($400,000)

mRelief to scale AI-powered tools that streamline access to SNAP benefits ($400,000)

MuckRock Foundation to expand AI-enabled investigative tools and launch a consulting unit for small and mid-sized newsrooms ($500,000)

Munich Security Conference to launch a dedicated Tech Strategy Group for foresight on AI-induced global security risks ($250,000)

myAgro Farms to build AI tools that stabilize farmer income and improve access to agricultural inputs in risk-prone settings ($500,000)

mySociety to fully integrate AI into its Freedom of Information software, enabling journalists and advocates to more easily find information about government activities, including compliance with government transparency laws ($150,000)

National Domestic Workers Alliance, Inc. to refine and deploy Aya for the improvement of domestic workers’ employment conditions ($300,000)

Native BioData Consortium to build AI literacy, education on the Global Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDsov) movement among American Indian, First Nations, and Latin AmerIndigenous communities in North America, so that AI is used judiciously, safely and with local benefit ($400,000)

NCLUDE, Inc. to support scaling an AI-powered task automation tool that empowers young people with disabilities to independently complete essential tasks, even on websites that are otherwise inaccessible ($50,000)

New_Public, Inc. to design and build a digital local community platform to facilitate civic participation, healthier online discourse, and public engagement with local journalism ($500,000)

News Product Alliance to scale adoption of open first-party data schema for AI-ready, sustainable newsrooms ($300,000)

News Revenue Hub to build an AI-driven forecasting platform for nonprofit publishers ($500,000)

Nexleaf Analytics to improve health outcomes in Global Majority regions by leveraging generative AI for real-time health equipment support ($500,000)

Noora Health to enhance AI tools that support caregivers in Global Majority countries ($500,000)

Nova Escola to train Brazilian teachers on ethical use of AI in the classroom and inspire students with AI-enabled climate solutions ($400,000)

OceanMind to support OceanMind’s global tracking of fossil fuel movements and enhance emissions transparency ($600,000)

Open Climate Fix Ltd to use AI to forecast and integrate more renewable energy into electricity grids in India ($900,000)

Open Contracting Partnership to enable greater adoption of OCP’s disaster risk prediction tool by refining it for the global disaster risk reduction ecosystem and expanding its scope beyond flooding to extreme heat ($600,000)

Open Data Charter to strengthen open data legal frameworks for AI development in Global Majority countries ($320,000)

Open Earth Foundation to embed new features into CityCatalyst and expand AI-driven urban climate action ($350,000)

Open Function Group to advance real-time AI agents that power safe and scalable health automation in low-resource settings ($500,000)

Open Knowledge Foundation to adapt and create sector-specific AI literacy resources in 4 languages to civil society organizations globally, and develop trustworthy AI for accessing open data ($400,000)

Open Supply Hub to incorporate earth observation data and AI automations into its supply chain mapping platform ($750,000)

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project to complete Aleph Pro and launch a sustainable investigative data platform ($600,000)

Pacific Community Ventures, Inc. to launch the Radiant Data Champions cohort and develop unbiased AI tools for fairer lending decisions ($200,000)

Paris Peace Forum to support the 2025 Paris Peace Forum and advance AI and climate governance ($250,000)

Popvox Foundation to enable more inclusive speech-based AI products by collecting and annotating datasets with Caribbean dialects ($100,000)

Poynter Institute to advance AI literacy by equipping journalists, educators, and civic leaders with the skills to train their communities in responsible AI use ($125,000)

ProPublica to build AI tools for secure tip management and enhanced investigative data search ($150,000)

QED Foundation to develop AI models for anomaly detection and stock forecasting, strengthening HIV commodity supply chains ($280,000)

Quill.org to develop and distribute additional AI literacy modules through Quill’s learning platform ($400,000)

Rare, Inc. to support scaling Rare’s Agent Tierra, an AI-powered virtual extension agent that combines behavioral science and personalized guidance to drive adoption of r

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