OpenAI awards $40.5M to a wide range of nonprofits under new foundation structure
OpenAI will award million to more than nonprofits before the end of the year following an open call for applications in September This is the first wave of donations since the maker of ChatGPT rebranded its nonprofit as the OpenAI Foundation in October The company has committed billion to helping fund soundness research and what it calls AI resilience or solutions to minimize the risks of these technologies It hasn t stated how promptly it will grant out those funds OpenAI promised to grant out million in July in response to the recommendations of an advisory commission they convened to offer feedback about how it should accomplish its mission of building safe artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity It disclosed it would announce another million in grants in the coming months based on recommendations from its board of directors The grant funding is unrestricted meaning the nonprofits can use it however they choose However OpenAI inquired groups to apply with projects that assistance AI literacy strengthen civic life or foster economic opportunity Inadequate of the grantees are dedicated to hardware Instead they include journalism organizations dance companies and region organizations OpenAI was formed as a nonprofit in but then incorporated a for-profit subsidiary that has grown to be one of the bulk valuable startups in the world For years it had been trying to escape its nonprofit roots to make it easier to attract investors In October the company reached an agreement with regulators to formally reincorporate as a general benefit corporation though the nonprofit board of directors remains the highest decision making body OpenAI announced more than applications applied for this first round of funding and noted a group of advisors reviewed the application process Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives endorsement through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content For all of AP s philanthropy coverage visit https apnews com hub philanthropy Source