The 2025 AI for Humanity Report
Written by Fast Forward with support from Google.org, the 2025 AI for Humanity Report is a roadmap for harnessing AI for impact.
What happens when the world’s nonprofits put AI to work for social impact? The 2025 AI for Humanity Report shows how organizations are already using AI to reach millions of lives. It also surfaces what nonprofits and funders need to do to scale these early successes responsibly.
Plus, scroll for our companion whitepaper and playbook to explore the blueprint for what we do next. See what Chronicle of Philanthropy had to say.
Download the Report
A Look Inside
Fast Forward surveyed nearly 200 nonprofits exploring how AI can advance their missions. Some are AI-powered nonprofits (APNs), building tools where AI is central to their impact. Others are nonprofits using AI to streamline operations, applying it behind the scenes to free up time and capacity. Taken together, their responses offer a window into how nonprofits are approaching AI today and where the sector is heading. The survey was conducted in April 2025 and was supplemented by interviews with 12 nonprofit leaders and 6 funders.
Data: Respondent Impact Regions
Respondents spanned impact regions, issue areas, and stages.
Nonprofits from around the world shared how AI is taking root in their diverse contexts and communities. Their work ranges from education and health to climate and human rights, with budgets from under $100K to over $10M.
Data: Median Lives Impacted by Budget
More funding is critical to unlock AI’s potential.
AI-powered nonprofits show a clear link between funding and reach: with small budgets they serve a median of 2,000 lives. At $1M, they reach a median of 500,000, and at $5M+ they impact a median of 7 million lives. 84% say additional funding is most needed to continue developing and scaling their AI work, and nearly half also report higher expenses from AI adoption.
Companion Pieces
Dig deeper with these supplemental resources for funders and nonprofits.
As AI reshapes society, philanthropy has a pivotal role to play. This companion piece builds upon the report, laying out how funders can meet this moment with bold capital, open tools, and cross-sector partnerships.
This guide takes nonprofit learnings from the report and provides a practical toolkit for approaching AI. From primers on AI basics to case studies and lessons from nonprofit leaders, the Playbook on AI for Humanity helps organizations explore AI responsibly and effectively. Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to level up your use, this playbook has you covered.