Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services

Who can apply

• Nonprofit organisations
• University departments and university laboratories applying through eligible institutions
• Fiscally sponsored organisations where the fiscal sponsor meets the required eligibility conditions
• Public benefit corporations
• For-profit companies in limited circumstances where the proposed project has a genuine charitable purpose and provides no more than incidental commercial benefit
• Joint projects involving multiple eligible organisations, provided one organisation serves as the lead applicant and sole grantee of record
• Existing grantees of The Rockefeller Foundation and RF Catalytic Capital
• Eligible organisations working in partnership with a qualifying city or municipal government
• Organisations with the technical and institutional capacity to deploy AI-powered solutions in a public-sector setting

Focus areas

• Public health
• Frontline healthcare
• Disease surveillance
• Population-level prevention
• Disability services
• Food access
• Nutrition
• Economic mobility
• Benefits enrolment
• Career navigation
• Skills-based hiring
• Employer-aligned training
• Employment and income opportunities
• Environmental resilience
• Climate and environmental shock preparedness
• Public safety and emergency services
• Energy and grid infrastructure
• Land management
• Civic engagement
• Digital access and connectivity
• Two-way public service channels
• Participatory decision-making
• Court services
• Permitting and regulatory processes
• Responsible frontier artificial intelligence
• Inclusive public-service delivery
• Services for vulnerable and underserved urban communities

Requirements

• The applicant must be an eligible organisation rather than an individual or government entity.
• Every proposal must have a committed city or municipal government partner.
• The Round 1 application must include a letter of intent or equivalent document from the city-government partner.
• The city partner must be a city or municipal government, or an agency, department or public authority owned or controlled by that government and responsible for public services.
• State, regional or national government bodies may participate as additional partners but cannot replace the required city-level partner.
• The target city must be a permanently settled, self-governing urban community with a population of at least 50,000 and its own municipal government providing core public services.
• The project must have a charitable purpose benefiting underserved, poor or distressed communities or otherwise promoting social welfare.
• The proposal must address public health, economic mobility, environmental resilience or civic engagement.
• Where a project addresses several focus areas, applicants must select the single area that is most relevant.
• The proposed solution must include a meaningful frontier AI component using recent generative AI capabilities to perform complex tasks.
• Applicants are not required to use OpenAI technology; the call is AI-platform neutral.
• The project must respond to a credible problem prioritised by the city partner and the communities it serves.
• Applicants must demonstrate readiness to integrate technology into a public-sector setting.
• Applicants must demonstrate capacity to develop and manage AI solutions safely and responsibly.
• Applicants must address responsible AI considerations including human oversight, fundamental rights, transparency, privacy, data protection, security, accuracy, reliability, bias and non-discrimination.
• Applicants must present a clear learning approach covering evaluation, user feedback and pathways to social impact.
• Projects should demonstrate a credible route to long-term sustainability and integration with government systems or institutional funding.
• Seed applicants must present a feasible solution and credible plan for a first city pilot.
• Scale applicants must provide evidence from a completed city pilot demonstrating early results.
• Projects focused only on research studies are not eligible.
• Projects related to voting, elections, voter registration or lobbying are not eligible.
• Activities prohibited under Article 5 of the EU AI Act are not eligible.
• Grant-funded software, models and documentation must generally be openly licensed and published under an open-source licence acceptable to RF Catalytic Capital, subject to stated exceptions for pre-existing intellectual property, sensitive data, third-party materials and security risks.
• All grants have a 24-month implementation period.
• Indirect costs may not exceed 15% of the total grant; for-profit applicants are not eligible to charge indirect costs.
• Applications and programme communications must be submitted in English.
• An organisation may submit up to two applications under the call.

Application steps

• Review the official Cities Deliver call page, Frequently Asked Questions and Terms and Conditions.
• Determine whether the proposed project belongs in the Seed Track or Scale Track.
• Identify one primary focus area: Public Health, Economic Mobility, Environmental Resilience or Civic Engagement.
• Secure a qualifying city-government partner with authority over or direct relevance to the public service being addressed.
• Obtain a signed letter of intent or equivalent document from the city-government partner demonstrating alignment with the proposed project.
• Create an account on the official Cities Deliver application portal.
• Complete the online eligibility screening.
• If eligible, complete the Round 1 proposal using the official application questions.
• Prepare and submit documentation confirming the lead organisation’s legal status.
• Upload the required city-government letter of intent or equivalent document.
• Prepare and upload the required short video describing the proposed AI solution.
• Submit the eligibility screening and complete Round 1 application by 29 November 2026 at 11:59 PM U.S. Eastern Time.
• Applicants selected to advance will be invited to a 45-minute virtual interview in January 2027.
• Applicants advancing after interview will be invited to submit a detailed Round 2 proposal.
• Round 2 applicants must prepare a detailed narrative proposal and project budget.
• Round 2 applicants must provide audited financial statements or the applicable equivalent financial documentation.
• Round 2 applicants must provide team biographies and required cybersecurity and compliance information.
• Round 2 applicants must submit an official city-government letter or Memorandum of Understanding and evidence supporting the selected Seed or Scale track.
• Invited Round 2 proposals are due by 1 March 2027 at 11:59 PM U.S. Eastern Time.
• Final grant decisions are expected in April 2027.