FAQs

This is a Frequently Asked Questions section collecting questions and answers about the Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate Inclusion (AI2AI) Challenge. It is updated on a regular basis, and we encourage you to refer back often. If you still have questions, please send an email to challenge@data.org to suggest for inclusion in the next FAQ update. Thank you for your interest and participation!  

Updated: July 17, 2024

1. Who is eligible to apply?  

Eligible applicants include nonprofits, social enterprises, and academic/research institutions from across the globe. Furthermore, applicants must be located outside of Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, and Ukraine (Russian-occupied territories), and their proposed project must meet the requirements for charitability. 

If you are a for-profit entity (social impact business, research institute, think tank), you can still apply. It is important to show sufficient proof of your application’s charitable purpose For more information, refer to the Challenge Rules. 

2. Does your organization have to be 501c3 certified?  

No, you do not need to be a 501c3-certified organization. Entries are eligible if they:  

• have a charitable purpose, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America, and   
• are not used for any political lobbying purposes.   

More details are listed in the terms & conditions of the Challenge. 

3. Why must the project have an exclusively charitable purpose?  

data.org is a project of New Venture Fund, which is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Funding from 501(c)(3) organizations must be used exclusively for charitable purposes. Additionally, in order for a project to be charitable under U.S. law, it must not result in financial gain to any individual or non-charitable entity that is more “incidental and tenuous” to the related social impact.

To meet the requirement for charitability above, grant agreements between data.org and any Challenge Awardees that are not 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations may include stipulations relating to intellectual property. The nature of any such stipulations will be flexible and will consider your project’s unique structure and goals.  

4.  Is it possible to take part in this challenge as an individual researcher/consultant?

No, all applicants must be an organization. Examples include a non-profit organization, a social enterprise, an academic, or a research institute. Applications from individuals will not be considered. See the Rules of the Challenge for more details.  

5. Can I submit two proposals for different initiatives of the same org?  

Organizations are limited to submitting one Entry to the Challenge. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Challenge may consider multiple Entries from large organizations such as universities. Any such Entries must be distinct, without overlap in the scope of the proposals or the project teams. If you are aware that two or more teams within your organization are submitting Entries to the Challenge, please notify us by email at challenge@data.org, and include an explanation as to how your team meets the foregoing requirement. Fiscal sponsors may submit more than one application but may only submit one application per fiscally sponsored project.  

6. Can the prize money/grant be used to fund salaries? 

Yes, you can use the money to meet personnel costs. It cannot exceed programmatic activity costs. 

7. What is the award size? 

Awardees will receive $200K grant funding in addition to technical assistance. 

8. How many awardees will be selected? 

A minimum of four awardees will be selected. The selection committee reserves the right to make the final decision. 

9. How do you define inclusive growth? 

We define inclusive growth as follows: “Inclusive growth ensures the benefits of a growing economy extend to all segments of society. Unleashing people’s economic potential starts with connecting them to the vital networks that power the modern economy.” 

10. How do you define scale? 

For this challenge, solutions must be in one of the following implementation phases to align with the understanding of “scale”:  

1. Pilot: innovations at this stage are early in their implementation and require testing to understand feasibility. 

2. Scaling: innovations at this stage move beyond pilots and integrate innovations into existing systems to reach a larger scale. 

3. Replication: innovations at this stage can be adapted laterally to different contexts – such as sectors, geographies, and implementers. 

11. What is the deadline? 

Submissions will be accepted till 11:00pm UTC, July 25, 2024. 

12. My team missed the webinar can you please share resources? 

All questions, responses, and relevant resources have been added to the FAQ section. Please review the section for your queries. 

13. My team missed the webinar, where can we direct our questions? 

Our team has been regularly updating the FAQ page with inbound questions. If your query is still not addressed, please write to challenge@data.org with “Application Question” in the subject line.  

14. What is the timeline for the declaration of awardees? 

Proposals moving to the next phase will be notified by September 2024 and awardees will be notified by Q4 2024.   

15. While AI is a part of my program design, it is one of several tech tools utilized. Do I still qualify to apply? 

Yes, you do. We understand that many solutions will have AI as a tool in a larger holistic toolkit. Please specify the use of AI in your key activities for the reviewers to understand the role it plays in bringing you closer to your goals. 

16. Can I submit the application in regional languages? 

We are only able to accept and review applications in English. Please explore Award Force’s user interface translation capabilities for additional support.  

17. Can I submit my proposal as a Word document? 

We are unable to accept any applications in Word format. All applications need to be submitted via Award Force for consideration. 

18. I am having trouble with my Award Force login. Can you please help? 

Award Force has a great support center. Check out its Ultimate Guide for Entrants to see if your question is answered there. You can also submit a form to their help team if the article does not address your question.    

19. Does the proposed project need to have a specific timeline/ project period? 

All applications should have a timeline of one year. Your project/ solution might be longer term and that is acceptable, but you will need to demonstrate what is feasible to achieve within a 12-month period.  

20. What are the evaluation commitments for the award? 

All awardees will be engaged in post-implementation impact measurement activities that will be agreed upon at the grant agreement stage. 

21. Is it possible to propose a project that takes place in multiple countries? (Same project activities happening in 2+ countries). 

Yes, you can propose a project that takes place in multiple countries. Reviewers will be evaluating applications in terms of their feasibility and scale. Your project proposal may be part of a larger initiative that spans multiple geographies. Please be clear about which aspects of your project would be supported by this award so that reviewers can assess the feasibility of your proposal. When completing your application, please choose the country/region where the highest number of target population resides. 

22. Can I edit my application after it is submitted?  

Once an application is submitted, it is considered final. If you have a compelling reason for it to be re-opened, and it is still within the submission period, please contact us at challenge@data.org. 

23. Can I apply with a group of organizations?  

Organizations may join together as a coalition to submit a single application subject to these Rules. However, Awards to coalitions must be distributed to a single legal entity that will have legal responsibility for executing the coalition’s proposal in accordance with the terms of their grant agreement. 

24. Is there a timeline for the use of funds? 

Funding must be used within 12 months.  

25. Do you believe that this type of opportunity will be offered again in the future? 

data.org has run several challenges in the past and aims to do so as a part of our core programming. In the near future, we don’t have plans to run a similar challenge and encourage organizations to apply for this one. 

26. Does this challenge primarily focus on all AI models or is it more oriented towards generative AI models? 

This challenge allows for all AI models and is not geared towards any specific model. 

27. Does the AI solution need to have an element of economic empowerment or having an element of inclusion suffice?

Yes, we are looking for solutions that will include economic empowerment as an immediate or a longer-term outcome.