{"slug": "openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public", "title": "OpenAI Foundation gives $100 million fund state AI implementation for public health", "summary": "OpenAI Foundation, the nonprofit that governs OpenAI, announced a $100 million commitment to the Breakthroughs to Follow-Through Initiative, a public health partnership with the Common Health Coalition to deploy AI tools for medical research. The initiative will initially fund hepatitis C treatment development in Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, with more states to be announced within six months. Anna Makanju, Head of AI for Civil Society and Philanthropy at OpenAI Foundation, said the grants are not tied to any specific AI platform, giving participants flexibility in choosing tools.", "body_md": "# OpenAI Foundation gives $100 million fund state AI implementation for public health\n\n## The organization announced the launch of the Breakthroughs to Follow-Through Initiative, which will implement artificial intelligence tools in public health research work.\n\nOpenAI Foundation, the overarching nonprofit that governs OpenAI, has announced a new public health partnership with the Common Health Coalition to bring artificial intelligence tools to developing scientific breakthroughs for medical research across the country.\n\nOpenAI Foundation on Thursday announced its commitment of $100 million to the Breakthroughs to Follow-Through Initiative, a program where states and other local jurisdictions can accelerate medical treatment research deliveries for serious health conditions. Participating jurisdictions will be able to determine what types of AI tools, including generative AI, are needed for their individual projects.\n\nThe B2F’s research funding will initially focus on hepatitis C treatment development. Local organizations and non-profits will be in charge of dispersing grant money — first in states including Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Massachusetts. More state participants will be unveiled in the coming six months.\n\n“The organizations closest to society’s greatest challenges have the deepest understanding of what communities need, but not always the resources or technical expertise to harness the latest advances in AI,” Anna Makanju, Head of AI for Civil Society and Philanthropy at OpenAI Foundation, said in a press release. “We believe this initiative is a model for how AI can strengthen public and community health work and deliver tangible benefits to communities.”\n\nMakanju told *Nextgov/FCW* that the foundation’s grants aren’t tied to one AI platform or system provider, granting participants flexibility in the tools they choose.\n\n“We want our partners to have the agency to decide which tools to use — or what not to use — and to choose what best fits their needs and the communities they serve,” she said.\n\nDave Chokshi, the chair of the Common Health Coalition, echoed Makanju’s sentiment.\n\n“Jurisdictions will determine which tools are needed to help ensure existing medical breakthroughs actually reach the people who need them,” Chokshi told *Nextgov/FCW*. “These tools range from identifying people overdue for screening or treatment, to outreach platforms for re-engaging patients, AI copilots that free up clinicians' time, navigation tools that keep patients on track through cure, and beyond, and are intended to support the human relationships at the center of care.”\n\nIn addition to offering access to advanced AI tools, Chokshi said that B2F will provide the infrastructure needed to facilitate the implementation and usage of AI tools, such as technical support to help shift from the pilot stage into deployment.\n\nThe current focus of B2F is to foster collaborative state-level partnerships, but Chokshi said they are open to participation from the federal government.\n\n“We remain very open to partnership and collaboration with the federal government as this work develops,” said Chokshi.\n\nA similar initiative was previously floated in congressional legislation. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, [introduced his bill](https://www.nextgov.com/policy/2026/07/tech-bills-week-leveraging-ai-cancer-research-securing-chatbots-underage-users-and-more/414714/) on July 9, — the Accelerating Innovation for Kids with Cancer Act — to allocate more federal attention to leveraging AI to aid pediatric cancer research efforts.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public", "canonical_source": "https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2026/08/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-public-health/415382/", "published_at": "2026-08-13 09:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-13 09:20:39.739857+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "generative-ai", "ai-policy", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["OpenAI Foundation", "Common Health Coalition", "Breakthroughs to Follow-Through Initiative", "Anna Makanju", "Dave Chokshi", "Alabama", "Illinois", "Louisiana"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-foundation-gives-100-million-fund-state-ai-implementation-for-public.jsonld"}}