This blog post was written by CFLeads Graduate Fellow, Adán Chávez. Adán is a second-year Master of Public Affairs student at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), where he studies domestic policy issues at the intersection of democracy, technology, and philanthropy.
Today, rapid technological changes pose both challenges, but most importantly, opportunities, to community foundations nationwide. Community foundations are uniquely positioned as civic leaders who can convene across sectors, mobilize resources, and galvanize action around critical issues of our time. But without intentional investment, skill and thought development in this new age of artificial intelligence, they risk falling behind just as their communities need them most. Now more than ever, community foundations must be prepared to engage, adapt, lead, and leverage this special moment.
That’s why, in response to this, CFLeads revamped its Issues of Interest survey to solicit perspectives on artificial intelligence. In early 2026, we developed and distributed our third national “Issues of Interest” survey, collecting more than 100 responses from the community foundation field in an increasingly complex environment. We heard from community foundations far and wide, big and small, rural, urban, and suburban, and everywhere in between about impact investing, policy advocacy, sustainable funding models, and more.
Specifically, as it relates to artificial intelligence, we were curious to hear about:
- Current extent of engagement in the use and implementation of artificial intelligence;
- Current collective understanding of artificial intelligence across staff, board, leadership, etc.;
- Comfort level with use and implementation;
- Plans around internal AI policies and concerns around use and implementation;
- And tools and trainings to successfully implement artificial intelligence.
Initial Findings
Here are the three initial findings we heard from community foundations:
- A majority of community foundations surveyed have limited to moderate understanding of artificial intelligence;
- A majority of community foundations surveyed are currently exploring and/or are actively implementing AI tools or workflows. Relatedly, the top three preferred use cases include: research and evaluation, communications and marketing, and administration;
- From the community foundations surveyed, there is a wide array of tools and training community foundations need to successfully implement artificial intelligence.
Uplifting community foundations in this new technological age could not be more important. To learn more about the field’s response to AI and other challenges and opportunities, please join us for our culminating webinar, The State of the Field: Emerging Priorities Shaping Community Foundations’ Work, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Resources
Finally, you can find more artificial intelligence-related research and resources below:
- MacArthur Foundation — use of artificial intelligence: policy for external use.
- Center for Effective Philanthropy —how foundations and non-profits are thinking about and using artificial intelligence.
- The Bridgespan Group — closing the non-profit funding gap in the age of AI.
If you have questions regarding artificial intelligence as it pertains to this survey, please reach out to Graduate Fellow, Adán Chávez, at achavez@cfleads.org.
