News
Microsoft and IREX Target the AI Readiness Gap for Nonprofits
- By Sean Parker
- September 11, 2026
Access to AI tools is only part of what nonprofits need to put the technology to work safely. Microsoft and the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) are launching an initiative aimed at helping organizations develop the skills, governance and security practices needed to turn increasingly accessible AI into something they can use responsibly.
Announced Sept. 2, ASCEND (AI Skills, Capacity, and Enablement for NGOs and Defenders) will focus primarily on civil society, nonprofit and community-based organizations. Developed by IREX in collaboration with Microsoft's Tech for Society team, the program will assess how prepared participating organizations are for AI, examine how they are already using it and develop practical approaches for addressing the opportunities and risks they encounter.
"AI is moving faster than most organizations' ability to use it wisely, and that gap falls hardest on organizations that can least afford to get it wrong," IREX President and CEO Aleksander Dardeli said.
Are Orgs Ready for AI?
Rather than simply providing organizations with AI tools, ASCEND will examine whether they are prepared to use them.
IREX plans to work with local partners, practitioners, AI experts and other stakeholders to assess AI readiness, examine how organizations are already using the technology and identify potential opportunities and challenges.
The initiative will also test approaches to responsible AI implementation and produce practical tools and readiness guidance for social-impact organizations.
Ascend will primarily serve civil society organizations, nonprofits and community-based organizations. The global solutions provider said it will also explore how local offices of international nongovernmental organizations use AI in countries with smaller national networks.
Microsoft's Tech for Society team will provide technical expertise as part of the collaboration.
"AI and data are reshaping how organizations operate and expand their impact," said Ginny Badanes, general manager of Tech for Society at Microsoft.
She said the initiative will help IREX and its local partners develop tools and practical insights helping participating human rights-focused organizations use AI "more responsibly and effectively."
The initiative reflects the challenge IREX sees as AI becomes easier to access: organizations may be able to get the technology, but using it effectively still requires leadership, safeguards and organizational capacity.
As Dardeli put it, the aim is to ensure local organizations "do not have to choose between using AI and using it responsibly."