Bringing together 1,000 nonprofit leaders across the US to build with AI

At OpenAI, we build tools to help people solve hard problems—including nonprofits working on the frontlines of their communities. These organizations make a difference for people every day, whether it’s supporting jobseekers trying to find work, helping patients enroll at health clinics, expanding access to education, or connecting people to stable housing. Yet many of these groups operate with limited staff, tight budgets, and little time to explore new technologies that could aid them in their work.
To help close that gap, the OpenAI Academy(opens in a new window) is teaming up with the Walton Family Foundation(opens in a new window), Emerson Collective(opens in a new window), and a network of local nonprofit organizations to host the Nonprofit Jam—a one-day, nationwide event bringing together more than 1,000 nonprofit leaders across 10 locations. From Arkansas to Ohio and California to New York, our teams will work with these leaders to explore how generative AI can help scale their impact—and listen to, learn from, and collaborate with those at the center of this vital work.
At its core, AI is a productivity-driving technology that can help scale the ability of people to think, learn, create, and build. The Nonprofit Jam will focus on bringing these productivity gains to philanthropy by teaching practical, hands-on ways to use AI to benefit everyone, including those in underserved communities. Participants will use ChatGPT to build new tools tailored to their specific needs—from streamlining case management, to improving community outreach, to enhancing service delivery.
Crucially, those gains will only come if AI companies first listen to the organizations that know their communities best—and then collaborate to build AI tools that enable them to save time, expand their reach, and reduce costs. These kinds of partnerships will get AI into the hands of more people, which is squarely aligned with OpenAI’s mission of building AI that benefits everyone.
Prior to the event, participants will have access to an online resource hub(opens in a new window) on OpenAI Academy to help them learn the basics of AI and prepare for the Nonprofit Jam. Afterward, they’ll join an online community where they can continue learning, connect with peers, and expand on what they started.
The event builds on the success of our 1,000-Scientist AI Jam earlier this year, which brought US national labs researchers together to explore how AI can help advance scientific discovery. Across both efforts, we’re putting powerful AI tools directly into the hands of experts tackling some of our biggest challenges, and learning from how they put these tools to work.
OpenAI is providing every Nonprofit Jam participant with 12 months of free access to ChatGPT Plus to support their ongoing work. And in August, we’ll publish a short report with key insights, case studies, and lessons learned to showcase how nonprofits are beginning to integrate AI into their day-to-day work. OpenAI is governed by a nonprofit, so we’re built to prioritize long-term impact and broad public benefit over short-term gains—and to ensure our work impacts the needs of people and organizations everywhere.
“Nonprofits are often first to step up when communities face tough challenges, but they’re usually the last to benefit from transformative and disruptive new technologies. The Nonprofit Jam flips that script – ensuring nonprofits have access to our leading AI tools. It’s about democratizing innovation so that AI’s benefits reach as many people as possible, not just a select few.” – Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer, OpenAI
“The Nonprofit Jam is a chance to give community leaders the tools, skills, and mindsets to strengthen connection, collaboration, and impact. By combining proven approaches and new ways of working, nonprofits can model how to best use AI to solve real-world challenges.” – Stephanie Cornell, Executive Director, Walton Family Foundation
At each of the 10 Nonprofit Jam locations, regional nonprofit partners and community conveners are helping tailor the event to meet the specific needs of local organizations, including:
- Oakland, CA – TechSoup(opens in a new window)
- Los Angeles, CA – Center for Nonprofit Management(opens in a new window) and Goldhirsh Foundation(opens in a new window)
- Salinas, CA – Digital NEST(opens in a new window)
- Denver, CO – Community Resource Center(opens in a new window), Colorado Nonprofit Association(opens in a new window) and Philanthropy Colorado(opens in a new window)
- Dallas, TX – Heartland Forward(opens in a new window), North Texas Commission(opens in a new window), and NTEN(opens in a new window)
- Chicago, IL – NTEN(opens in a new window)
- Columbus, OH – The Columbus Foundation(opens in a new window)
- New York City, NY – Robinhood Foundation(opens in a new window)
- Wilmington, DE – Tech Impact(opens in a new window) and Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement(opens in a new window) (DANA)
- Bentonville, AR – Heartland Forward (opens in a new window)
We want to thank the Decoded Futures, National Center for Civic Innovation, and the Fund for the City of New York for supporting the event and sharing their insights on how nonprofits can adopt and leverage technology with participants.
This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that the benefits of AI are accessible to everyone. We’re excited to learn from today’s participants and to continue building tools that empower communities and expand opportunity.