In 2024, we surveyed small-to-midsize grantmakers to understand how they were approaching AI. At the time, nearly one in five foundations said they did not use AI at all, and only about one in ten foundation staff used it daily. Two years later, that number of foundations not using AI at all has dropped to about one in thirty (3.3%). Today we are releasing "AI in Philanthropy 2026," our State of Foundations report, which looks at how foundations are using AI now and what still needs to catch up.

Drawing on a survey of 61 foundations conducted in June and July 2026, the report explores:

• How often foundations use AI, which tasks they use it for today, and where they expect to be in two years.
• The governance gap: how many foundations have an AI policy, who owns AI oversight, and how AI is budgeted.
• How foundations think AI will affect equity among grant applicants, and how attitudes toward AI in grant applications have shifted.
• Whether trust-based philanthropy and AI are actually in tension in practice.
• What foundations want from the sector, and three practical starting points for responsible AI use.

The report also looks at how giving has changed in response to federal funding cuts, and compares this year's results with our 2024 findings wherever questions were asked the same way.

Click the download button below to see how foundations like yours are thinking about AI today, and to get a sample AI policy your team can adapt.

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