5 lessons from our grantmaking and field building to take into 2026
As we launch the European AI & Society Fund’s 2025 annual report, we wanted to share some lessons from our grantmaking and fieldbuilding last year that we hope could inform others’ strategies in 2026 and beyond:
- Foster a diverse public interest community
AI is affecting all parts of society and the planet. So it makes sense to nurture organisations across Europe who want to shape AI in the public interest – be that AI’s intersection with healthcare, migration, consumer rights or nature.
In 2025 we distributed €2.4m of new funding across Europe, using open calls to identify the most promising work. We carefully selected organisations with diverse and complementary approaches.
We received a record 325 proposals for our AI Accountability grants to explore how to hold accountable those misusing AI and causing harm in Europe. Three quarters of the applicants were social justice organisations (74%), rather than organisations whose primary mission is to work on technology issues (26%).
With an abundance of strong work to choose from, we awarded 15 grants to projects that address a wide range of issues, including defending workers’ rights, holding data centre operators accountable for environmental and social damage, and tackling AI-enabled profiling affecting black and migrant communities.
- Provide flexible funding for effective collaboration
Unrestricted grants gives organisations flexibility to adapt to fast-changing contexts, and work together as a strong voice representing the interests of the public in AI policy.
Our Build grants kept supporting organisations’ core mission and activities which meant they could adjust their strategy to geopolitical shifts. Many of our grantees’ courtroom victories and advocacy pushes in 2025 have required many years of continuous work. Sustained, flexible funding is essential to give public interest organisations the stability to do this complex systems-change work. For example, in Italy our funding has supported The Good Lobby Italia to establish an Italian Digital Human Rights Network coalition. They now work on joint research and policy priorities.
- Offer practical support for rapid response
In 2025, the European AI & Society Fund launched new flexible additional funding for our grantees to collaborate on new challenges. The €10,000 Collective Action Fund allowed several organisations to work together to tackle critical issues such as AI-powered biometric surveillance at Hungary’s Pride marches.
And sometimes access to technical expertise is more valuable than money. As EU policy focus turned to deregulation through the European Commission’s initiative to ‘simplify’ tech regulation, we commissioned analysis from an independent legal academic to help our community identify specific provisions to safeguard and ensure fundamental rights are not diminished. This equipped public interest groups with invaluable insight to go into negotiations with decisionmakers.
- Learn and strategise together
Bringing grantees and funders together is a worthwhile investment. We did this several times over the year – at our in-person community event, at our AI Accountability Community of Practice session, and through our quarterly funders’ briefings. These moments allow space and time for people to build trust with each other, learn from each other and strategise together on where the public interest field can have most impact. It also builds the field’s shared collective power so they can mobilise quickly in the fast-moving AI space.
- Build civil society resilience in a hostile climate
Turbulent geopolitics and a global trend of shrinking civic space is making it harder and harder for activists to work effectively. Many public interest organisations are being targeted by surveillance and digital harms – and some have even had their offices raided.
It’s no wonder we saw record take-up of our €5,000 learning, development and wellbeing grants available to our grantees – an indicator of the difficult context they work in. 29 grantees requested these grants, and 1 in 5 related to individual wellbeing at work, supporting initiatives focusing on mental and physical wellbeing and team culture. In a world where civic action is increasingly under threat, activists are feeling the strain and need support to prevent burnout, develop resilience, and achieve balance.