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 ₹1.4 crore 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.
