OpenAI awards $150k in grants to Indian non-profits
Bengaluru: OpenAI has expanded its AI for Impact Accelerator initiative in India, awarding $150,000 in grants to 11 non-profit organisations focused on developing AI solutions for healthcare, education, agriculture, and other underserved sectors.
The majority of grants are being distributed as API credits.
Operating under the newly created OpenAI Academy, the programme marks a year of collaboration with Indian non-profits leveraging AI for public good. Several participants have integrated OpenAI technology to enhance operational efficiency, improve user experience, and effect measurable change. Rocket Learning, for instance, utilises generative AI via WhatsApp to deliver early childhood content to parents and daycare workers, currently impacting four million children in 11 states.
Noora Health, supporting families of patients in low-resource environments, has automated elements of its caregiver engagement, reducing nurses' message review workload and increasing the scale of families reached.
Educate Girls employs AI to locate and reintegrate out-of-school girls in rural India. I-Stem has converted over 1.5 million web pages into accessible formats for visually impaired users. Pinky Promise, a reproductive health platform, enables a team of three doctors to manage care for 10,000 patients using its AI-powered chatbot, achieving a medication adherence rate of 92%.Further organisations in the cohort are working in agriculture, digital inclusion, public policy delivery, and skills development via AI-led personalisation.
Philanthropic support comes from The Agency Fund, Tech4Dev, and Turn.io. OpenAI recently convened a workshop to help participants explore the latest model capabilities for population-scale solutions.According to OpenAI, the initiative aligns with the objectives of the IndiaAI Mission, which seeks to democratise AI access and develop technology tailored to India's socio-economic context.
Pragya Misra, who leads policy and partnerships for OpenAI in India, described the accelerator as part of the company's ongoing effort to root its technology in practical, real-world scenarios. She said the cohort is pushing forward inclusive innovation, tackling complex national issues through AI. OpenAI plans to admit additional India-based non-profits to the programme later this year and mentioned that new initiatives for the region are in progress.
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