# Update on the People-First AI Fund > Source: > Published: 2026-06-04 16:00:00+00:00 # Update on the People-First AI Fund Completing our initial commitment with $9.5 million in grants—and committing an additional $50 million in 2026. In September 2025, the OpenAI Foundation launched the $50 million People-First AI Fund to support nonprofits and mission-driven organizations working at the intersection of innovation and public good. The fund reflects our belief that AI should be shaped by the communities, educators, workers, patients, and families who can benefit from these tools in practical, tangible ways. Following an open call, the Foundation [awarded](https://openai.com/index/people-first-ai-fund-grantees/) its first wave of grants in December 2025: $40.5 million in unrestricted grants to 208 community-based organizations across the United States working to strengthen local communities and expand the opportunity of AI. Today, we’re announcing the remaining second wave: $9.5 million in grants that will support organizations using AI to drive impact in areas that reflect people-first values. **The Foundation has committed another $50 million to the People-First AI Fund in 2026, and will begin accepting new applications on June 15, 2026.** This is part of our broader [commitment](/news/update-on-the-openai-foundation) to invest at least $1 billion over the next year across [life sciences and curing diseases](/news/ai-for-alzheimers), [jobs and economic impact](/news/economic-futures-in-the-age-of-ai), [AI resilience](/news/resilience-in-the-age-of-ai), and additional programs to be announced. ### Advancing health Health emerged as one of the strongest themes in the Fund’s first wave—reflected in the challenges communities named and in the solutions organizations are exploring. Across communities, health outcomes are determined by the interplay of scientific discovery, access to care, trusted delivery systems, and the economic realities that shape people’s lives. From accelerating diagnosis and treatment for families left behind by medical systems, to strengthening the trusted institutions where communities connect to care, to addressing barriers like medical debt and financial insecurity—which often become determinants of health themselves—the grants announced today reflect that full picture. **CareMessage****:** CareMessage is a social enterprise and the largest patient engagement platform designed for low-income populations in the United States. Founded in 2012, CareMessage has reached 22 million people across 45 states and territories. CareMessage delivers personalized health education and care coordination support via text messaging, and is integrating AI across its platform to help safety-net providers better support underserved patients.**Dollar For****:** Dollar For helps low-income patients access medical bill forgiveness programs. To date, their end-to-end platform has supported over 47,000 patients and eliminated over $150 million in medical debt. By applying new AI-enabled approaches, they aim to scale their reach and eliminate $1 billion in medical debt.**Every Cure****:** Every Cure is a nonprofit biotech organization repurposing existing FDA-approved drugs to treat diseases with significant unmet need. With this grant, they will scale their AI platform that scores ~3,000 FDA-approved drugs against ~18,500 diseases—aiming to double their evaluation capacity and increase the number of drug repurposing programs that move from lab to patient impact.**Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research****at Boston Children’s Hospital:** The Manton Center is building a platform-agnostic, low-cost genetics AI copilot that helps clinical teams reanalyze rare disease cases more quickly and consistently—so more families can receive a timely diagnosis. As they scale this work, the center is focused on disease gene discovery, democratizing access to highly specialized diagnostics, and reducing inequities.**OCHIN****:** OCHIN helps community-based and rural healthcare providers adopt and use digital tools, supporting 2,200+ care delivery sites across 42 states. They are launching a national AI Innovation Accelerator to responsibly extend the benefits of AI to healthcare teams—including doctors, nurses, support and administrative staff—and patients who have historically had limited access to emerging technologies. ### Supporting local journalism Support for local media emerged as another core theme from the first wave of grants, reflecting communities’ need for trusted local news. In response, the Foundation is making an additional grant to [ Lenfest Institute for Journalism](https://www.lenfestinstitute.org/). Lenfest will partner with Axios Media and other partners to train journalists in local newsrooms—with a focus on underserved communities—on responsible use of AI tools, equipping journalists to adopt AI in ways that augment human editorial responsibility. ### Renewing our commitment Nearly 3,000 organizations applied for the People-First AI Fund’s open call from across the country—an indication of both the demand for support and desire among local organizations to shape how AI can be applied to their work and support the communities they serve. Building on our learnings, **applications to the People-First AI Fund will re-open on June 15**—with a new $50 million commitment and updated focus areas. We’ll continue to prioritize fast, flexible funding and partner with organizations that are co-creating with and supporting communities to lead in shaping and applying AI in ways that strengthen local capacity and deliver practical benefits. 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