{"slug": "humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access", "title": "Humanity AI Opens $10M Grant Call as $500M Push Takes Aim at Unequal AI Access", "summary": "Humanity AI, a five-year initiative backed by 10 US philanthropies, opened a $10 million grant program on Sept. 10 for community-led projects shaping how AI is built, governed and used, part of a broader $500 million commitment. Grants range from $75,000 to $1 million for US-based nonprofits working in education, labor and the economy, or the humanities, arts and culture, with initial applications due Oct. 21 and awards expected in early spring 2027. The push follows a March 2026 International Labour Organization and World Bank study of 135 countries finding roughly 30% to 32% of employment in high-income countries is potentially exposed to generative AI versus about 10% to 15% in low-income countries, and that about 66.9 million jobs with augmentation potential lacked internet access.", "body_md": "Who gets a say in AI’s future is becoming a funding question. Humanity AI, a five-year initiative launched by 10 US philanthropies in October 2025, opened a $10 million grant program on Sept. 10 for community-led projects shaping how AI is built, governed and used.\n\nThe money is part of a broader $500 million commitment intended to give workers, educators, artists and other communities more influence over the technology’s development. It comes as International Labour Organization and World Bank research points to uneven economic effects from generative AI, especially where internet access limits who can capture productivity gains.\n\n## **Where Humanity AI’s $500M is going**\n\n[Humanity AI launched on Oct. 14, 2025](https://humanityai.ai/humanity-ai-commits-500m-to-build-a-people-centered-future-for-ai/), with backing from the Doris Duke, Ford, Lumina, Kapor, MacArthur, Mellon, Mozilla and Packard foundations, Omidyar Network and Siegel Family Endowment. Its work spans democracy, education, humanities and culture, labor and the economy, and security.\n\nIn May, Humanity AI [announced $8 million in inaugural grants](https://humanityai.ai/humanity-ai-announces-more-than-18-million-in-new-grants-to-shape-ai-for-the-public-good/), a separate $3 million AI Civics program and a forthcoming $10 million open call. The first grantees include organizations working on AI accountability, workers’ rights, education, journalism and other public-interest issues.\n\nThe [$10 million open call](https://humanityai.ai/open-call/) launched Sept. 10 and accepts applications from US-based nonprofits for projects in education, labor and the economy, or the humanities, arts and culture. Grants range from $75,000 to $1 million, with initial applications due Oct. 21 and awards expected in early spring 2027.\n\nThe effort sits inside a broader debate over who shapes AI rules and safeguards. Recent [responsible AI discussions](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-king-charles-responsible-ai-talks-emea-uk/) have brought technology, government and nonprofit leaders together around oversight and AI’s social impact.\n\n## **Why AI’s benefits could remain uneven**\n\nA [March 2026 ILO and World Bank study](https://www.ilo.org/publications/disruption-without-dividend-how-digital-divide-and-task-differences-split) covering 135 countries found that roughly 30% to 32% of employment in high-income countries is potentially exposed to generative AI, compared with about 10% to 15% in low-income countries. Higher exposure in wealthier economies is concentrated largely in clerical and professional roles with greater automation potential.\n\nAugmentation potential is spread more evenly across income levels, but access is not. Across countries with detailed data, about 66.9 million jobs with some augmentation potential lacked internet access, limiting workers’ ability to capture productivity gains.\n\nThe researchers also found that standard exposure measures can overstate AI’s likely effect in developing economies because workers with the same occupation may perform different tasks across countries. In some markets, disruption could therefore arrive faster than the benefits.\n\nOversight is becoming more formal as AI deployment expands. California has created [standards for independent AI assessors](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-california-independent-ai-assessors/), while a recent CISA case showed how approved AI use can still expose [gaps in governance and accountability](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-cisa-chatgpt-ai-agent-governance-accountability/).\n\nHumanity AI’s current open call is US-focused, so it will not resolve global infrastructure gaps on its own. As more of the five-year commitment is assigned, the stronger test will be where the money goes, what funded projects produce and whether communities gain meaningful influence over systems affecting their work, education and culture.\n\n**Let us teach you** **How to Talk to AI** **for free! Try our six-minute course at The Neuron Academy and learn a few simple ways to write better prompts and get more useful results from AI, or browse our other AI course for free for seven days.** **Check out all the lessons here →**", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access", "canonical_source": "https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-humanity-ai-grant-call/", "published_at": "2026-09-16 09:35:39+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-16 13:42:19.574143+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Humanity AI", "International Labour Organization", "World Bank", "Doris Duke Foundation", "Ford Foundation", "MacArthur Foundation", "Mozilla Foundation", "Omidyar Network"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/humanity-ai-opens-10m-grant-call-as-500m-push-takes-aim-at-unequal-ai-access.jsonld"}}