Moscow to Launch an “AI Academy” for Nonprofits
Nonprofit employees will be able to receive free training in how to use artificial intelligence and will also gain access to a digital assistant.
The project was proposed by Artem Petrov, director of the autonomous nonprofit organization Prioritet, and his team. The AI will be tailored specifically to the nonprofit sector, helping organizations handle grant applications, reports, publications, and other administrative documents. To answer users’ questions, the system is intended to consult a specialized knowledge base developed by the project team, bringing together grant competition rules, templates, and reference materials.
“It’s important that developers don’t build a product in isolation from the people who will eventually use it,” says Petrov, the initiative’s creator.
At the AI Academy, participants will learn how to write effective prompts, check AI-generated answers, verify information against original sources, and recognize when they should turn to a specialist. The seminars will take place in person at coworking spaces for nonprofits across Moscow, with Petrov serving as the instructor. He brings hands-on experience: as the winner of the sixth season of the Leaders of Russia: Team competition, run by the Russia – the Country of Opportunities presidential platform, he introduced AI into his own work. Now he is sharing what he has learned.
“We expect participants to work on real tasks using their own texts, reports, projects, and informational materials. By the end of the training, they should understand which tasks to hand off to AI, how to check its output, and how to make the tool part of their daily work,” Petrov explains.
The initiative received support through the Moscow Mayor’s Grant Competition in the Civic Initiatives category.
Making Every Line Count
The AI Academy builds on earlier initiatives designed to create a broader support ecosystem for nonprofits. In 2021, the DI:NGO accelerator launched at the business incubator of Russia’s Higher School of Economics. It helped nonprofit organizations adopt digital tools for teamwork, internal communication, and staying in touch with the people they serve.
In 2022, the Istoki Endowment Fund held the second round of its “Stand Out” digital communications accelerator competition. Seven nonprofits split an 8 million ruble prize pool (about $95,000), with the money earmarked for website development, digital marketing, and donor engagement. Another 30 organizations that didn’t win but scored highly received consultations from the program’s partner, Philin Philgood Group. Experts helped them work through specific challenges, then provided written recommendations featuring examples, technical advice, and ideas for positioning their organizations.
In 2023, Sovcombank and SkFintech Hub launched the nationwide Technologies for Good platform. It gives nonprofits access to free or discounted IT services, technical support, and tools for collecting donations.
In 2024, the Code AI project in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region offered nonprofit employees free training in neural-network-based services. In 2025, Yandex, the Help Nearby and Friends foundations, and the To Dual project introduced a pilot course built around six sprints. The curriculum covered generative AI, data analysis, content creation, grant applications, and digital products.
In 2026, Yandex launched a free online course on its Yandex Practicum learning platform for nonprofit employees and volunteers. The course covers grant applications, analysis of beneficiary surveys, and content for social media.
There’s also an international example. In the United States, the OpenAI Foundation awarded $40.5 million in the first round of its People First AI Fund, supporting 208 nonprofit organizations.
Small Teams, Big Challenges
For Moscow, and potentially Russia as a whole, the project could offer a valuable model for improving digital literacy among socially oriented nonprofits. That’s especially important for smaller organizations, where just a handful of employees may be juggling projects, communicating with beneficiaries, and handling administrative work at the same time.
Research also points to growing interest in these tools, alongside a skills gap. In September 2024, the Agency for Social Information reported that 45% of people involved in the grant application process had already used AI to prepare applications. Then, in September 2026, the Potanin Foundation and the National Agency for Financial Studies (NAFI) found that 66% of surveyed nonprofits planned to adopt new digital tools or use existing ones more often. Yet 55% rated their employees’ digital skills as basic or low.
Prioritet Takes the Lead
Training at the AI Academy is scheduled to begin in January 2027, with access through the MAX messaging app and a web interface to follow. In-person classes are planned for March through November 2027. The project will also conduct online assessments for at least 1,000 nonprofit representatives to evaluate their digital skills and develop personalized recommendations.
The service is expected to run on Prioritet’s own server infrastructure. After the grant period ends, the project team hopes to keep access free for Moscow-based organizations, continue operating the assistant, and update its knowledge base.
