The Activate AI: Economic Opportunity Challenge is a global call for innovative AI applications that empower people and communities, and that unlock economic opportunity for a resilient future.
With the launch of this challenge, data.org and Zoom are seeking out projects that drive AI workforce development and organizational capacity, develop pathways to create future friendly jobs leveraging data and AI, and build climate resilient communities for a green economy.
Eligibility Criteria
We welcome applications (each, an “Entry”) from for-profit entities, non-profit entities, and government agencies. However, all Entries must have a charitable purpose, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as further described below.
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.
Ineligible Entities
The data.org Challenge is open to any organization or group from anywhere in the world, except for those from Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine (Russian-occupied territories), and Yemen. Further, any directors, officers, employees and contractors of the Challenge Partners, and any of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, siblings and siblings’ spouses, regardless of where they live) or any persons living in the same households of such directors, officers, employees and contractors are ineligible to participate in the Challenge.
Entries from Teams or Coalitions
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.
Additional Requirements
- Your Entry must be submitted in English.
- All applicants must register for the Challenge here prior to applying.
- All Entries must comply with these Rules and be submitted in accordance with any deadlines listed on this Website.
- Your Entry may not contain obscene, defamatory, or illegal content. The Challenge Partners reserve the right to disqualify any Entries that they determine, in their sole discretion, violate this provision.
- All Entries must have a charitable purpose, as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of the United States of America. In order for a project to be charitable under U.S. law, it must (i) have a broad social purpose and benefit and (ii) not result in financial gain to any individual or any non-charitable entity that is more than “incidental and tenuous” to the related social impact. You can read more about the second requirement here.
- All Entries should reflect the anticipated ownership, use, and/or licensing of any intellectual property resulting from the Challenge or any Challenge Award. To meet the second 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 such intellectual property. The nature of any such stipulations will be flexible and will consider your project’s unique structure and goals.
- Challenge Awards may not be used for projects that attempt to: (a) influence the outcome of any domestic or foreign election for public office; (b) support lobbying or other attempts to influence local, state, federal or foreign legislation; (c) conduct any “lobbying activity” as that term is defined under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; or (e) otherwise violate any legal restriction applicable to nonprofit organizations exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), including any federal, state, local or foreign rule or regulation pertaining to advocacy, lobbying, political activity or government ethics