Press Release: 2025 AI for Humanity Report

2025 AI FOR HUMANITY REPORT FINDS EARLY-STAGE AI TRANSFORMATION OF NONPROFIT SECTOR

New research shows tremendous opportunity for nonprofits using AI and need for philanthropy to pool resources, open tools, and lend their leadership

SAN FRANCISCO, September 30, 2025 — Today, Fast Forward released its 2025 AI for Humanity Report, revealing an emerging ecosystem of nonprofits that are using artificial intelligence (AI) to scale positive social impact. AI is in the early stages of transforming the nonprofit sector, but without major philanthropic investment in tools, talent, and systems, AI’s potential will remain out of reach for many organizations.

Just as AI is transforming the for-profit sector, the nonprofit sector is following suit. AI-powered nonprofits (APNs) use AI to develop or deliver their core solution — it is integral to their mission. Survey respondents include nearly 200 global nonprofits, spanning impact regions and issue areas, such as education, economic empowerment, and health. All respondents are already using AI to scale impact and/or improve operations.

Key findings from the report include:

• Nonprofits are adopting AI at every size, every stage, and even with small budgets. 30% of APNs have budgets under $500K, and 40% of APNs have been using AI for a year or less, underscoring how nascent the field is.
• 84% of APNs said funding for AI systems, tools, and talent would most help them further develop and scale impact.
• Ultimately, bigger budgets allow APNs to reach more people. At the smallest budgets, APNs are serving thousands, a median of just under 2,000 lives. By the time budgets cross $1M, median reach jumps to half a million people. And at $5M+, APNs are reaching millions — a median impact of 7M lives.
• 67% of APNs use chatbots as the entry point into AI, but time and experimentation are unlocking bigger opportunities, such as content personalization (51%) and research assistance (32%).
• 71% of APNs have processes in place to assess and mitigate AI risks, such as breaches of privacy and trust.

“AI-powered nonprofits give us reason to be optimistic. They are deploying AI with humanity’s best interest at heart — and they need our help in order to succeed,” said Kevin Barenblat, Co-Founder and President of Fast Forward.

“This survey confirmed what we at Fast Forward already know to be true: technology and AI have the power to address some of the world’s biggest problems at scale. And based on the survey results, we can say for certain that now is the right time to invest in AI for good,” said Shannon Farley, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fast Forward.

“There’s no question that AI has quickly become essential infrastructure for businesses. But this research sheds an important light on how nonprofits are also starting to figure out how to use AI to their advantage,” said Eunae Yoo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and co-lead researcher. “In our survey and interviews, APNs consistently cited the costs of implementing AI as a steep barrier to success. Fortunately, this is a barrier that can be overcome.”

The 2025 AI for Humanity Report was created with support from Google.org. In tandem, Fast Forward is releasing a new whitepaper, “The Philanthropic Reset: How Philanthropy Can Lead in the Age of AI.”

Research and analysis for the 2025 AI for Humanity Report was led by Vinit S. Tipnis (University of Minnesota), Joanie Weaver, Chao Wu (Wayne State University), and Eunae Yoo (Indiana University).

To read the full report, visit ffwd.org/2025-ai-for-humanity-report.