Cities Deliver by The Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation: USD 500,000 to 2 million for AI solutions for city services
Verified by the editorial team 25 October 2026
Added to the catalogue Added to the catalogue from the 16 October GetGrant export, terms verified on the Cities Deliver portal and in the programme overview and FAQs
Summary
USD 500,000 to 2 million over 24 months for non-profits from any country that work with a city government to deploy frontier generative AI solutions for health, economic mobility, environmental resilience or civic engagement. A city government partner of a city with 50,000+ residents is required. Round 1 deadline - 29 November 2026.
About the call
The Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation are committing USD 50 million to Cities Deliver so that city services for vulnerable residents become more accessible and better through responsible use of AI. The call is global: organisations from any region may apply, except those in countries under comprehensive US OFAC sanctions. There is no platform requirement - OpenAI tools give no advantage.
There are two tracks: Seed (USD 500,000 to under 1 million) for early concepts that still need a first city pilot, and Scale (USD 1-2 million) for solutions that have shown results in a pilot. Grants run 24 months, with half paid at the start and half after a mid-term milestone; indirect costs are capped at 15%, and staff, compute and API credits are eligible. Focus areas: public health, economic mobility, environmental resilience (including energy and emergency services) and civic engagement. Software built with the grant must be published under an open-source licence.
For Ukrainian NGOs and university labs already working with city councils on digital services, this is a chance at large-scale funding: Ukrainian cities deal daily with energy resilience, emergency response and access to social services. The city council itself cannot apply - it provides a letter of intent. Selection has several stages: screening and a Round 1 proposal with a short video by 29 November, interviews in January, Round 2 by 1 March 2027 and decisions in April.
Who can apply
- Non-profit organisations from any country, including university departments and labs
- Fiscally sponsored organisations (the sponsor is the applicant)
- Public benefit corporations and, in limited cases, for-profit companies with a charitable project
- Always with a city government partner of a city with 50,000+ residents
Who cannot apply
- City councils and other government bodies - only as partners
- Individuals, independent researchers and consultants
- Organisations in countries under comprehensive OFAC sanctions
What the funds are for
- AI solutions for public health, disability services and food access
- Solutions for employment, skills and benefits enrolment
- Forecasting and responding to environmental shocks, emergency services, energy infrastructure
- Resident-government service channels, digital access and administrative services
- Staff, compute resources and API credits
What is not funded
- Research projects without deploying a solution in city services
- Projects on elections, voter registration and lobbying
- Practices prohibited under Article 5 of the EU AI Act
- Fund-of-funds
Documents required
Forms and templates are on the call page
- Eligibility screening and Round 1 proposal using the template
- Short video demonstrating the AI solution
- Letter of intent from the city government or its agency (foundation template or equivalent)
- Proof of legal status (for non-profits without 501(c)(3) status - certificate of incorporation)
- At Round 2 - budget, team bios, financial statements, official letter or MoU with the city
How to apply
- 1Read the overview, FAQs, terms and Round 1 questions in the Resources box on the programme site
- 2Obtain a letter of intent from the city government
- 3Register on the portal and submit the screening, Round 1 proposal and video by 29 November 2026, 11:59pm US Eastern time
- 4Send questions to citiesdeliver@rockfound.org by 31 October 2026
Timeline
Questions and answers
- Can a Ukrainian city council apply to Cities Deliver?
- No. The applicant must be a non-profit, university or other eligible organisation, and a city government of a city with 50,000+ residents acts as partner and provides a letter of intent.
- Is it mandatory to use OpenAI models?
- No. The call is platform agnostic and using OpenAI tools gives no advantage. The solution must, however, include a meaningful frontier generative AI component.
Change history
- Added: Added to the catalogue from the 16 October GetGrant export, terms verified on the Cities Deliver portal and in the programme overview and FAQs
Donor contacts
Email: citiesdeliver@rockfound.org
Website: www.rockefellerfoundation.org/cities-deliver-ai-solutions-for-public-services/
