Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Awards $9.7M to Democratize Data and Harness AI for the Public Good

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This press release announces $9.7M in grants from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to promote responsible AI, data democratization, and digital inclusion, reflecting philanthropic efforts to shape AI governance and public-interest technology ecosystems.

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Summary

The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation announced over $9.7 million in grants to organizations advancing responsible, inclusive AI and data ecosystems. Recipients include NYU/MuckRock for investigative journalism tools, the Coleridge Initiative for government data use, and the World Economic Forum's Global AI Action Alliance. The grants aim to prioritize ethics, equity, and public benefit in AI development and deployment.

Key Points

•Over $9.7M granted to organizations building inclusive, ethical AI and data ecosystems for the public good.
•NYU and MuckRock receive funding to deploy NLP tools (Gumshoe) helping small newsrooms access FOIA data for investigative journalism.
•The Coleridge Initiative is supported to help US federal and state governments use data for evidence-based, public-interest decisions.
•The World Economic Forum's Global AI Action Alliance (GAIA) receives continued support for multi-stakeholder AI governance commitments.
•Grants also support Access Now, All Tech is Human, and CyberPeace Institute for digital rights and responsible AI advocacy.

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Foundation awards $9.7M to democratize data and harness the power of AI

 
 
 January 19, 2022 

 
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 Emergent AI + Society 
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 To ensure that new developments in data science and artificial intelligence are designed for and advance the public good, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation announced today more than $9.7 million in grants to organizations at the forefront of building inclusive tech, data, and AI ecosystems.  

 Driven by the Foundation’s long-term commitment to a tech-enabled, human centric future, these grants foster the design, development, and deployment of responsible and trustworthy technologies that prioritize ethics, inclusivity, and shared economic and social opportunity. 

 “If we are to harness technology for better societal outcomes,” said Patrick J. McGovern Foundation President Vilas Dhar, “we must start by building systems and tools that center equity in design and use. These grants support critical work: leveraging the use of government data for public welfare, improving data access for journalists and citizens, developing AI education initiatives for policymakers, and building educational systems that further digital inclusion and digital literacy. AI is transforming business already – civil society must advocate for how AI can transform humanity’s future for our shared benefit.” 

 The newly announced grant portfolio includes support for a collaboration between New York University and MuckRock to drive independent and investigative journalism. Combining MuckRock’s journalistic platform for Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests with an NYU-developed NLP tool (Gumshoe) to comb through text data, small newsrooms will have improved ability to access and report on timely and critical information.   

 “I am so delighted that we have increased capacity to bring this AI-tool to small newsrooms across America,” said Hilke Schellmann , Professor of Journalism at NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science. “Enabled with these tools, journalists can help hold the powerful accountable and strengthen our democracy.” 

 

 Also included in the portfolio is The Coleridge Initiative, which works with US federal and state governments to ensure that their data is leveraged most effectively to make evidence-based decisions for the public good. Coleridge builds partnerships with government agencies to create value for the taxpayer: new technologies enable approved secure access to and sharing of confidential microdata; new approaches to data science training ensure that agency staff can use the data to create evidence to inform decisions. 

 “At this moment, we have a unique opportunity to support the capacity of many federal, state, and local governments to use data in making their decisions,” said Julia Lane , co-founder of the Coleridge Initiative and a Professor and a Provostial Fellow at NYU. “This opportunity to support

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