Applications Invited for Cities Deliver AI Solutions for Public Services

Applications Invited for Cities Deliver AI Solutions for Public Services

Organization: The Rockefeller Foundation

Apply By: 29 Nov 2026

About Nearly half of the world’s population lives in cities. Public services shape residents’ everyday lives: whether they can get health care, find meaningful work, live safely, and have a voice in local decisions. AI can help residents access services, anticipate problems before they become crises, and respond to resident needs more effectively. The initiative will provide grants of $500,000 to $2 million to organizations working with city governments to improve public services through AI, especially for underserved communities. Together, these projects aim to reach up to 100 million city residents worldwide. Focus areas (improving access to and quality of public services in vulnerable or underserved communities) - Public Health: solutions that extend the reach and readiness of public health systems, from frontline care and disease surveillance to population-scale prevention. Includes healthcare, disability services, food access, and nutrition. - Economic Mobility: solutions that use AI to connect unemployed and underemployed residents to income, skills, and benefits. Includes AI-enabled benefits enrollment, career navigation and skills-based hiring, and employer-aligned training. - Environmental Resilience: solutions that help cities forecast, withstand, and recover from environmental shocks, protecting people and the infrastructure they depend on. Includes public safety and emergency services, energy and grid infrastructure, and land management in communities at risk. - Civic Engagement: solutions that help city governments reach residents proactively and respond faster, from two-way service channels to participatory decision-making. Includes digital access and connectivity, court services, and permitting and regulatory processes. Excludes projects related to voting or elections. Two funding tracks

- Seed: $500,000 to under $1 million

- - For early concepts ready for a first city pilot - Supports refining the idea with city partners, building and testing a prototype, and piloting it - Success looks like evidence the solution works, people use it, and what it would take to sustain and scale it

- Scale: $1 to $2 million

- For solutions piloted in a city with early results - Supports expanding within your city or extending to another city - Success looks like more people reached and a credible path to long-term funding, such as government budgets Grant terms: All grants run 24 months, with 50% disbursed at the start and 50% upon a documented mid-term milestone. Grants don’t guarantee follow-on funding. Applicants should be able to achieve intended project goals with the funding available in this grant within 24 months. Who can apply

Every project needs:

- An eligible lead organization: a nonprofit (including university labs and fiscally sponsored organizations) or a public benefit corporation. For-profits may qualify in limited cases with a charitable project and no more than an incidental benefit to the for-profit company’s business. Governments may not apply directly.

- A city partner: all applicant organizations must have a city partner with a commitment to collaborate.

- A charitable purpose: a benefit to underserved, poor, or distressed communities, or to social welfare.

Existing grantees of The Rockefeller Foundation and RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC) are also eligible. This is an organizational award, not an individual fellowship. The individual completing the forms must be authorized to submit on the organization’s behalf. What they are looking for

- Respond to demand: the project addresses credible demand from city government partners and the communities they serve

- Start with the problem: it tackles a significant problem that the city government has prioritized, affecting vulnerable communities or promoting social welfare

- Then plan a solution: it takes advantage of the latest capabilities of frontier AI models, and those capabilities are core to the proposed solution

- Focus on readiness: the team and city partner can integrate technology into public sector settings

- Build for sustainability: the project is well-positioned to be sustained in terms of follow-on funding, city capacity, and integration with government systems

- Act responsibly: applicants demonstrate the ability to build and manage AI solutions safely and responsibly

- Plan to learn: applicants propose a clear learning agenda for assessing progress, including evaluation, user feedback, and path to social impact

What grantees receive

- Funding: $500,000 to $2 million over 24 months

- Peer learning: a facilitated cohort, plus webinars, mentorship, and evaluation support based on demand

- Technical support: occasional AI product and engineering support, subject to capacity (not bespoke support for each project)

- Visibility and network: access to Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation networks of city leaders, funders, and technical partners

- Convening: grantees and key stakeholders will be invited to a global or regional convening

Timeline

- October 14, 2026: call for proposals goes live

- November 29, 2026: Round 1 proposals (including eligibility screen and short video) due, 11:59 pm U.S. Eastern Time

- December 2026: applicants notified if advancing to interviews

- January 2027: interviews

- February 2027: applicants notified if advancing to Round 2 proposal

- March 1, 2027: Round 2 proposals due, 11:59 pm U.S. Eastern Time

- April 2027: applicants notified if selected for support

How to Apply For more information, please check the link: Applications Invited for Cities Deliver AI Solutions for Public Services

Funding organisation: The Rockefeller Foundation

Grant announcement listed on NGOBOX. Applications are made to the funding organisation — see the official announcement.