Philanthropy and AI: Home

The Routledge Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Philanthropy acts as a catalyst for the dialogue between two ecosystems with much to gain from collaboration: artificial intelligence (AI) and philanthropy. Bringing together leading academics, AI specialists, and philanthropy professionals, it offers a robust academic foundation for studying both how AI can be used and implemented within philanthropy and how philanthropy can guide the future development of AI in a responsible way.

This case study chronicles the Annenberg Foundation's emergent efforts to integrate AI into their operations and innovate the programs and support they offer nonprofit partners and grantees. The Annenberg Foundation is a small organization, with a staff of 30 and a largely place-based funding strategy, centered on the Los Angeles region.

As society grapples with the increasing prevalence of AI tools, the “Responsible AI Adoption in Philanthropy” guide provides pragmatic guidance and a holistic evaluation framework for grantmakers to adopt AI in alignment with their core values. The framework emphasizes the responsibility of philanthropic organizations to ensure that the usage of AI enables human flourishing, minimizes risk, and maximizes benefit.

As artificial intelligence tools become more powerful and accessible — including many free options like ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot — lots of nonprofit professionals are already using them on the job. Yet few organizations have provided guidance or created policies on how employees can use A.I., what’s not permitted, and processes they must follow to reduce potential risks.

This template provides the foundation for an AI policy for your organization. It is written with the understanding that teams or individuals at your nonprofit may already be experimenting with AI tools. We encourage approaching AI adoption with curiosity and experimentation while balancing this with policies that enable leaders to manage risk, protect liability, and achieve compliance in pursuit of your organization’s mission. -ANB Advisory