AI for Economic Opportunity Fund

The GitLab Foundation, in partnership with OpenAI, has launched the third round of its AI for Economic Opportunity Fund. This initiative builds on prior rounds of investment in artificial intelligence as a driver of economic mobility, with a focus on income growth and expanded opportunities for individuals and communities. The fund reflects the Foundation’s mission to catalyze transformative economic opportunities by supporting projects that leverage AI technologies for societal and economic impact. The purpose of this grant is to support bold projects that apply artificial intelligence in ways that expand economic mobility. Examples include using AI to unlock data for greater impact, lowering the cost of essential services, and enabling workers to better navigate education and job pathways. Selected grantees will receive a combination of financial, technical, and strategic support to prototype, demonstrate, and scale solutions that drive equitable economic growth. Each grantee will receive $250,000 in seed funding to support prototype development and early demonstrations of progress. In addition to funding, grantees will gain six months of direct technical support from OpenAI engineers and advisors, API credits for experimentation and scaling, and the opportunity to engage in peer learning with a network of practitioners and funders. Successful projects will also have eligibility for additional scaling capital from partner funders and will present their work at a high-profile Demo Day hosted at OpenAI’s headquarters in August or September 2026. The program follows a defined timeline with multiple stages of application and review. Applications officially open on September 22, 2025, and the deadline for concept notes is October 31, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Finalists will be notified on November 14, 2025, and full applications from these finalists are due December 12, 2025. The final selection of the third cohort will take place between December 2025 and January 2026, with orientation beginning in March 2026. The program culminates in Demo Day presentations in late summer 2026. The fund does not specify restrictions on allowable uses beyond its mission focus, but awards are intended for prototyping and demonstrating AI-enabled solutions with clear economic mobility outcomes. No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated in the announcement. The GitLab Foundation has emphasized the potential for grantees to unlock significant economic impact, with prior rounds already having supported more than $5.5 million in projects and collaborations with other major funders such as the Ballmer Group. Eligibility is broadly defined to include organizations able to design and implement AI-driven solutions for economic mobility. While the announcement does not list specific entity types, prior rounds have funded nonprofits, research institutions, and technology-oriented organizations. Grantees are expected to demonstrate capacity for impact, alignment with the fund’s objectives, and readiness to engage in a collaborative learning environment with funders and peers. The review process will involve multiple stages, beginning with concept note submissions and followed by finalist applications. The evaluation emphasizes innovation, potential for measurable economic outcomes, and scalability of the proposed AI solutions. Finalists will be selected based on these criteria and notified according to the published timeline. Selected grantees will then proceed into the orientation and support phase, leading up to the public showcase of their work at the Demo Day.

Focus proposals on demonstrating measurable economic mobility impacts through AI, scalability of solution, and affordability of services