Humanity AI: Communities Leading on AI Open Call 2026
A U.S.-focused philanthropic call supporting community-led initiatives that shape how AI is built, governed, or challenged across education, labor and the economy, and humanities, arts, and culture.
This captured cycle appears closed. Use this page for historical guidance unless the official source has reopened the program.
Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.
Humanity AI: Communities Leading on AI Open Call 2026
At a glance
| Detail | What applicants should know |
|---|---|
| Program | Communities Leading on AI Open Call 2026, from Humanity AI with Lever for Change |
| Purpose | Fund community-led U.S. work shaping how AI is built, governed, used, or challenged |
| Total pool | US$10 million |
| Grant size | US$75,000–US$1 million per grant, for up to three years |
| Funding tiers | US$75,000–US$150,000; US$150,000–US$500,000; or US$500,000–US$1 million |
| Eligible geography | U.S. and U.S. territories; proposals must focus on U.S.-based communities |
| Lead applicant | U.S.-based 501(c)(3), or a collaboration or individual applying through an eligible 501(c)(3) lead or fiscal sponsor |
| Issue areas | Education; labor and the economy; humanities, arts, and culture |
| Initial application | English, submitted through the Lever for Change portal linked from the official call page |
| Deadline | October 21, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. PT / 7:59 p.m. ET |
| Published outlook | Finalists estimated to be notified in December 2026; awards estimated for early spring 2027 |
Details and dates are drawn from the Humanity AI open call. The page lists the opportunity as open, but the published deadline falls on October 21, 2026. Applicants should check the official page and portal for any current status or submission notice before relying on that listing.
What the call is designed to fund
Communities Leading on AI is a philanthropic call for projects that give communities a meaningful role in decisions about artificial intelligence. The call commits US$10 million overall. Individual awards can range from US$75,000 to US$1 million and can support work for as long as three years, according to the official program page. The published range is broad, so applicants should connect the requested tier and project duration to a defined plan rather than assume that the largest request is preferred.
The program describes three ways projects may engage with AI: shaping how it is governed and used, building AI on community terms, or challenging AI deployments that do not serve communities. The work must sit within at least one of the stated issue areas: education; labor and the economy; or humanities, arts, and culture. The core fit is community-led action that shapes AI in the lives and institutions of U.S.-based communities, not simply a project that happens to use AI.
This distinction matters when framing a proposal. A school, worker, cultural organization, or local coalition might be affected by an AI system, but the call asks for community-led work that changes how AI is built, governed, used, or challenged. Applicants should make clear who the community is, how its members exercise influence, what decision or practice the work seeks to shape, and how that activity connects to one of the three eligible issue areas. Those are useful framing questions, not additional published scoring criteria.
Who should consider applying
The call is aimed at organizations and teams with a credible route to community-led work in the United States. A U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization may lead an application. Collaborations may apply with a 501(c)(3) lead, and individuals or informal groups may apply through a U.S.-based fiscal sponsor or a collaborating eligible lead, as described on the Humanity AI call page.
Geographic eligibility is about the focus of the proposed work: the call says proposals must focus on U.S.-based communities and includes the United States and U.S. territories. A group based elsewhere should not infer eligibility from the location of a partner alone. It should verify with the official materials whether its proposed lead arrangement and project geography meet the call’s rules before investing in a full application.
A project should address education, labor and the economy, or humanities, arts and culture. The official page excludes AI literacy, AI adoption, and research-only work from scope. Those activities alone are not supported; if included within a wider effort, explain their role in shaping AI or challenging a deployment, and verify fit against the application questions.
How the awards and tiers work
Applicants choose among three funding tiers: US$75,000–US$150,000, US$150,000–US$500,000, or US$500,000–US$1 million. Grants may run up to three years, and the total pool is US$10 million, according to the official open call. The page does not establish that every tier will receive a particular share of the pool, that requests at the top of a tier are favored, or that every selected project will receive its full request.
How to apply
The published process begins with an initial application in English. Applicants can review the organizational-readiness tool and application questions, then submit through the Lever for Change portal linked from the Humanity AI open call page.
A practical sequence is:
- Check fit against the published scope. Confirm the lead arrangement, U.S.-community focus, issue area, and connection to shaping, building, governing, using, or challenging AI. Check the exclusions for AI literacy, AI adoption, and research-only projects.
- Review the readiness tool and application questions. Use the program’s own materials to identify what the initial form asks, how it describes organizational readiness, and which parts of the proposal need evidence or explanation. Do not substitute assumptions from another grant program.
- Choose a lead and any sponsor or collaborators. If an individual, informal group, or collaboration is applying, confirm that the U.S.-based 501(c)(3) lead or fiscal sponsor is willing and eligible to serve in that role. The brief confirms these routes, but does not spell out the legal or financial arrangements between partners.
- Select a tier and build a proportionate plan. Compare the project scope, planned duration, and amount requested. Confirm the tier boundaries and any budget instructions in the portal before submission.
- Prepare and submit the initial application in English. Follow the live portal’s required fields, formats, and final submission steps. The brief does not specify a document checklist, word limits, or whether attachments are required at this stage.
- Keep a record of the submission. As practical advice, save the final application and any portal confirmation for your records. The brief does not say what receipt or confirmation the portal provides, so check the on-screen instructions when submitting.
Only top-rated applicants proceed to a finalist round. The official page says finalist-stage supplemental materials may include a budget and measurement plan, and selected applicants may be interviewed. “May include” is not a fixed list of mandatory documents for every finalist. Applicants should wait for the program’s finalist instructions before treating any supplemental item as required.
Timeline and deadline
The initial application deadline is October 21, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. Pacific Time / 7:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The Humanity AI page estimates that finalists will be notified in December 2026 and awards announced in early spring 2027. These later dates are estimates, not stated guarantees. The official page is the source to check for updates.
The listed deadline date is today, October 21, 2026. If applying today, check the live portal immediately for its current status and cutoff. A page marked “open” does not establish that the deadline has not passed; the brief gives no grace period or alternative deadline. If closed, check the official page for an update or contact route.
Preparation advice and common mistakes
Preparation advice: Build a short internal map of the proposal before entering the portal. Name the community in concrete terms; describe the AI-related decision, system, or deployment at issue; identify the eligible issue area; and explain how community members shape the work. This can expose a weak fit early—for example, when the proposed activity is mainly general AI training or research with no stated route to community influence. The call’s stated exclusions make this scope check especially useful.
Preparation advice: Agree on roles among the community, lead organization, collaborators, and fiscal sponsor before drafting. Confirm who will submit, who can answer questions, who controls project decisions, and who would handle any award administration. This is sensible coordination, not a list of program-mandated documents. The official brief identifies eligible lead routes but does not describe sponsor duties, partner agreements, or required proof of consent.
Common mistakes include submitting an AI literacy or adoption project as if it qualified on its own; presenting research as the entire project; describing a community as a beneficiary while leaving its decision-making role unclear; and assuming that an individual or informal group can apply without a U.S.-based eligible lead or sponsor. Another avoidable risk is preparing in a language other than English for an application the page says must be submitted in English. Each point follows from the published scope or process at the official call page.
Frequently asked questions
Can an individual apply?
The call allows individuals or informal groups to apply through a U.S.-based fiscal sponsor or a collaborating 501(c)(3) lead. A U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization may also lead an application. Confirm the proposed arrangement in the official materials and portal; the brief does not detail the sponsor’s responsibilities.
Is an AI literacy, implementation, or research project eligible?
AI literacy, AI adoption, and research-only work are listed as out of scope. A project with one of those activities should not assume eligibility based on that activity alone. The official page says the call supports work shaping AI governance and use, building AI on community terms, or challenging deployments that do not serve communities. Check the application questions for how to present any supporting activity within a wider eligible effort.
What documents must I submit?
The confirmed requirement is an English initial application submitted through the linked Lever for Change portal. The page points applicants to an organizational-readiness tool and application questions. At the finalist stage, supplemental items may include a budget and measurement plan, and selected applicants may be interviewed. A complete mandatory document list is not confirmed in the brief; the portal and finalist instructions should settle that.
When will applicants hear back?
Finalists are estimated to be notified in December 2026, with awards estimated for early spring 2027. The brief gives no date for initial decisions or finalist interviews. Treat the published later milestones as estimates and look for updates on the official page.
Official source and what remains unconfirmed
Start with the Humanity AI: Communities Leading on AI open call for the published scope, eligibility routes, grant ranges, application materials, portal link, deadline, and timeline. The linked Lever for Change portal is the place identified for submitting the initial application. Use the live page and portal as the final authority if details change.
The brief does not confirm the full initial-application document list, exact finalist requirements, interview format, formal evaluation criteria, award distribution by tier, allowable costs, indirect-cost rules, matching requirements, payment schedule, or an inquiry contact. It also does not fix the finalist supplemental materials: a budget and measurement plan are examples that may be requested. Applicants can verify those items in the current application questions and portal, then follow direct instructions if invited to the finalist round. No assumptions about these unknowns should be treated as program rules.