About this opportunity
The Rockefeller Foundation and the OpenAI Foundation have launched Cities Deliver, an initiative described as a combined USD 50 million commitment to put frontier AI to work in the services that cities owe their residents: health, economic mobility, environmental resilience and civic engagement. The ambition stated is to back projects that collectively reach up to 100 million city residents.
The award is for organisations, not individuals. The call is addressed to eligible organisations working in close partnership with city governments, and a committed city government partner is required in every project. That shapes who should apply: a nonprofit, a university laboratory, a fiscally sponsored organisation or a public benefit corporation that already has a city at the table, or a realistic path to one. The person submitting must be authorised to bind the lead organisation.
Two tracks run through the call. Seed supports early concepts that are ready for an initial city pilot, and Scale supports solutions already piloted in a city with early results behind them. Grants are described as running from USD 500,000 to under USD 1 million for Seed and USD 1 million to USD 2 million for Scale, all over 24 months, paid half at the start and half after a documented mid term milestone. Funding of this kind does not guarantee more money when the project ends, so sustainability has to be part of the design from day one.
Beyond the grant, the initiative offers a facilitated cohort with webinars, mentorship and evaluation support based on demand, occasional AI product and engineering support subject to capacity, access to networks of city leaders, funders and technical partners, and an invitation to a global or regional convening for grantees. The first submission stage is the one to put in the calendar:
Eligibility
screening, the Round 1 Proposal and a short video are due at 11:59pm U. S.
Eastern Time on 29 November 2026.
What you receive
- Grant funding described as USD 500,000 to USD 2 million over 24 months, depending on track
- Seed track for early concepts ready for an initial city pilot, Scale track for solutions already piloted with early results
- Facilitated cohort with webinars, mentorship and evaluation support based on demand
- Occasional AI product and engineering support, subject to capacity and not guaranteed or bespoke
- Access to networks of city leaders, funders and technical partners behind the initiative
- Invitation to a global or regional convening for grantees and key stakeholders
- A documented pathway toward long term funding, such as government budget support, as success evidence for the Scale track
Who can apply
- Eligible organisations working in close partnership with city governments to improve access to and quality of public services related to health, economic mobility, environmental resilience and civic engagement
- A committed city government partner is required in every project
- The lead applicant must be an organisation and the person applying must be authorised to submit on its behalf
- Projects must benefit underserved, poor or distressed communities, or otherwise advance social welfare
- The published call states no country restriction, so an African city partnership qualifies on the same terms as any other, subject to the official Terms and Conditions
- Existing grantees of the foundation and its affiliated catalytic capital arm remain eligible
Who should not apply
- Individuals cannot apply independently for personal funding
- City governments may not apply directly, they participate as the project partner
- For profit organisations qualify only where the project has a charitable purpose and gives no more than incidental benefit to the company's commercial business
- Voting or election projects are excluded from the Civic Engagement focus area
- Grant funding does not guarantee additional funding after the project ends
Documents to prepare
- Eligibility screening, completed through the application portal
- Round 1 Proposal
- A short video, as part of the first submission stage
- Read first, from the Resources box on the portal: Overview and FAQs, Terms and Conditions, Screening and Round 1 Proposal Questions, Letter of Intent. The published call does not specify the video length or a city partnership agreement template
How to apply
- Read the Overview and FAQs, the Terms and Conditions and the Screening and Round 1 Proposal Questions in the Resources box. Where the FAQs and the Terms and Conditions conflict, the Terms and Conditions take precedence
- Create an account on the Cities Deliver portal, which is managed by the foundation's catalytic capital affiliate
- Confirm your organisation is an eligible applicant type and secure a committed city government partner before you write
- Choose one of the four focus areas and decide between the Seed and Scale tracks
- Prepare the eligibility screening, the Round 1 Proposal and a short video
- Send any additional questions by email to citiesdeliver@rockfound.org before 11:59pm Eastern Time on 31 October 2026, with updated FAQs promised by 8:00pm Eastern Time on 4 November 2026
- Submit the first stage by 11:59pm Eastern Time on 29 November 2026
- Confirm the deadline and each later milestone on the official portal, since the second round dates are announced through the portal rather than the launch call
Selection process
- A staged process runs through the portal: eligibility screening, a Round 1 Proposal with a short video, interviews for applicants who advance, then a second round proposal for invited applicants before selection
- Proposals are judged on genuine demonstrated demand from the city partner and the community, a significant and prioritised problem, frontier AI capabilities being central to the solution, readiness for public sector implementation, long term sustainability, responsible AI management, and a clear learning and evaluation plan
- Interview stage notifications are expected in December 2026 with interviews in January 2027, and selection notifications in April 2027. Confirm these on the official portal
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Can an individual apply?
No. Cities Deliver is an organisational award, not an individual fellowship. The applicant must be an eligible organisation, and the person completing the application must be authorised to submit on its behalf.
Can a city government apply directly?
No. Governments may not apply directly, yet a committed city government partner is required in every project. That is why this call suits organisations already working inside a city.
Is follow on funding guaranteed after the grant?
No. The funding does not guarantee additional support after the project ends, so applicants must plan for sustainability within the 24 month project.
What happens if the FAQs and the Terms and Conditions disagree?
The call states that the Terms and Conditions take precedence, so read those first.
Which date is the real deadline, 31 October or 29 November?
31 October 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Time is the cutoff for sending questions. 29 November 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Time is the Round 1 deadline, covering the eligibility screening, the Round 1 Proposal and the short video.
Important disclaimer
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