Call for Proposals – Rockefeller Foundation Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services 2026
Overview
The Rockefeller Foundation Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services invites proposals for projects that utilize artificial intelligence to improve urban public services. With nearly half of the global population residing in cities, the initiative seeks to address everyday needs related to healthcare, employment, safety, and civic participation. The Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation have committed $50 million to this initiative, aiming to reach up to 100 million city residents worldwide by focusing on vulnerable and underserved communities.
The initiative prioritizes four main focus areas. Public Health projects extend public health systems, frontline care, disease surveillance, population-scale prevention, disability services, food access, and nutrition. Economic Mobility solutions connect unemployed and underemployed residents to income, skills, and benefits through benefits enrollment, career navigation, skills-based hiring, and training. Environmental Resilience projects help cities forecast and recover from environmental shocks concerning public safety, emergency services, energy and grid infrastructure, and land management. Civic Engagement proposals help governments reach residents proactively via two-way service channels, digital access, court services, and permitting processes, while excluding voting or election projects.
Who can apply
Eligible lead organizations include nonprofits, university labs, fiscally sponsored organizations, and public benefit corporations. For-profits may qualify in limited cases for charitable projects with no more than incidental benefit to the company's business. Governments cannot apply directly, but all applicants must have a city partner committed to collaboration. Existing grantees of The Rockefeller Foundation and RF Catalytic Capital are also eligible.
Proposals must serve a charitable purpose by benefiting underserved, poor, or distressed communities or social welfare. Projects must respond to credible demand from city partners, tackle a prioritized problem affecting vulnerable communities, leverage frontier AI capabilities as a core component, demonstrate implementation readiness, plan for long-term sustainability, act responsibly, and include a clear learning agenda.
What you get
Selected projects receive grants ranging from $500,000 to $2 million over a 24-month period. In addition to funding, participants gain access to peer learning through a facilitated cohort, webinars, mentorship, and demand-based evaluation support. Grantees may also receive occasional AI product and engineering support depending on capacity. Furthermore, participants obtain access to the Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation networks of city leaders, funders, and technical partners, along with invitations to global or regional convenings to share experiences and showcase their work.
Key dates
The application deadline is November 29, 2026.