A New Fund Bets Big on AI for Technology Nonprofits

September 29, 2026 - 11:56

I often help leading tech nonprofits, and I know exactly how I would spend a few billion. Now is your chance to bet on the AI Billions Fund.

The fund is built around a simple idea. Nonprofits that work on technology have been asked to do more with less for years. They maintain open source tools, run digital rights campaigns, and train people who would otherwise be left out of the modern internet. Most of them operate on budgets that would not cover a single week of compute for a large AI lab.

That gap is the point. The AI Billions Fund will direct serious money toward organizations that already know how to ship useful things. It is not a grant program for experiments that may never leave a whiteboard. It is a bet on groups with a track record, a clear plan, and a willingness to use AI as a tool rather than a slogan.

The money will go toward three broad areas. First, building and maintaining public interest AI infrastructure that anyone can use. Second, helping nonprofits integrate AI into their existing work without losing sight of their mission. Third, funding the people who will run these projects, because tools without trained staff do not last.

There is risk here. AI can concentrate power, and nonprofits are not immune to hype. The fund will publish what it learns, including the failures. If the bet pays off, the result is a tech sector that serves more people and fewer shareholders. If it does not, at least the attempt will be honest and documented.