How can innovative solutions and programs equip youth aged 18–24 with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate an AI-powered future?

Challenge Overview

Empowering youth and early career individuals with the knowledge and skills to confidently step into an AI-powered world.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries and everyday life, reshaping how young people learn, work, and participate. Yet access to AI literacy and practical digital skills remains uneven, especially for youth who face structural barriers to education or employment.  According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, technological shifts—including rapid advances in AI—are reshaping the skills demanded of early-career workers, with employers identifying persistent skills gaps as a key barrier to youth employment. The report also finds that 39% of existing skill sets are expected to transform or become outdated by 2030, underscoring the urgency of preparing young people for an evolving labor market. Many young people still lack accessible, community-rooted pathways to build these competencies. Strengthening foundational AI understanding along with human-centric skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and ethical reasoning is essential to ensuring all youth can confidently navigate and shape an AI-powered future. 

The StepForward: Essential Innovation Challenge seeks innovative solutions and programs that equip youth aged 18–24 with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate an AI-powered future. According to the World Economic Forum, today’s youth face one of the most volatile job markets, driven in part by AI. We aim to expand AI literacy and future-ready skills while strengthening the human-centric capabilities that remain essential across every career path. Solutions may include AI-based tools, low-tech delivery, hybrid models, or culturally grounded approaches that make learning relevant and accessible. By advancing Essential Intelligence at the community level, we can empower youth with the knowledge and skills to confidently step into an AI-powered world.  

The StepForward: Essential Innovation Challenge is seeking solutions that drive impact by:

• Expanding access to responsive and inclusive AI literacy through engaging, culturally relevant, community-rooted learning environments. 

• Strengthening human-centric skills such as problem solving, creativity, communication, and ethical reasoning alongside understanding AI fundamentals.

• Helping learners find career opportunities by leveraging their new skills.

• Lowering barriers to participation using technology, blended delivery, or community-based approaches that reach youth.

Glossary of Key Terms 

AI Literacy: The blend of knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable learners to engage with AI responsibly and effectively (WEF). 

Community-based Approaches: Strategies designed and delivered with local stakeholders to ensure that AI literacy and emerging skills development reflect community priorities, cultural context, and real-world needs. 

Essential Intelligence®: S&P Global’s central offering: the powerful combination of data, technology, and expertise that enables its clients to view the world with greater clarity, make decisions with increased conviction, and take actions that lead to greater prosperity. 

Human-centric Skills: Problem solving, communication, creativity, collaboration, and ethical reasoning that complement technical competencies and remain essential in an AI-enabled world. These skills help young people adapt to emerging skills needs and evolving workplace expectations. 

StepForward: A new philanthropic initiative by S&P Global and S&P Global Foundation aimed at equipping the next generation with the skills needed to succeed in an AI-enabled workforce.

Challenge Eligibility

Solution stages that will be considered include:

• Pilot: The solution has been launched in at least one community, but is still iterating on design or business model. (Often 10+ users/direct beneficiaries.)
• Growth: An established solution available in one or more communities with a consistent design and approach, ready for further growth in multiple communities or countries. Non-profits at this stage typically have an established set of donors and/or revenue streams. 

Concept, Prototype, and Scale solutions are not eligible for selection.
 
Other things to consider: 

• Organization Type: Only non-profits, a 501c3 or registered international equivalent, are eligible for this Challenge. Organizations will need to be vetted by Benevity if not already in their database. (To check if your nonprofit organization is registered, search for your organization here and click "view details." If the nonprofit organization is registered, it will note "This organization has already been registered.") Additionally, S&P Global Foundation's grant guidelines apply.

• Regional Focus: This Challenge will select six nonprofit solutions, one per global region: Asia-Pacific (excluding India), Europe, India, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and North America. Priority will be given to organizations that are based in and designing solutions for the same region in which they seek to be selected. This reflects the belief that organizations with deep regional presence and context are best positioned to design effective, locally relevant solutions. 

• Region: Priority given to presence in countries where S&P Global has offices.

• Language: Applications must be written in English. 

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and scored using the following criteria:

1. Challenge Alignment: The solution addresses the Challenge and addresses one or more Challenge dimensions.
2. Potential for Impact: The planned solution implementation has the potential to impact the intended population.
3. Feasibility: The team has a realistic, practical plan for implementing the solution, and it is feasible in the given context.
4. Innovative Approach: The solution includes a new technology, a new application of technology, a new business model, or a new process for solving the Challenge.
5. Human-Centered Design: The solution is designed with and for communities who face structural barriers to education, and the solution team demonstrates that they have the experience, relationships, data, and knowledge to develop and deliver a successful solution.
6. Scalability*: The solution has a plan for financial viability and the potential to be scaled to affect the lives of more people.
7. Partnership Potential*: The applicant clearly explains how the solution would benefit from some of the resources that the Solve and S&P Global Foundation community is positioned to provide.
8. Technical Feasibility*: If the underlying technology is novel, the applicant has provided convincing evidence that it has been built and functions as they claim it does.

*These criteria will only be taken into consideration during the finalist stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is running this challenge? 

S&P Global Foundation: 

MIT Solve: 

As an initiative of MIT, solving is core to what we do. We believe that to build a better future for all, we need new voices and ideas. We launch open calls for brilliant and bold tech-based solutions that solve big problems. With over 370 million lives reached to date, we think we’re onto something.

Who can apply and what are the parameters of the challenge? 

Please refer to the Challenge Overview and Challenge Eligibility tabs for more information. 

What does the challenge process involve? 
 
Sourcing Solutions: Anyone who meets the criteria above can participate in this challenge and submit a solution. 

Selecting Solutions: Once the submission deadline passes, judging begins. After an initial screening by MIT Solve and scoring by a Grant Advisory Committee, a selected set of solutions will move forward as finalists. These finalists will be invited to join a virtual interview with the S&P Global Foundation and participate in a vetting process. After final scoring, the S&P Global Foundation will bring leading solutions to the Foundation Board for final selection. 

Supporting Solutions: Each of the six winning solutions will be awarded a grant of US$200,000. Additionally, winners will participate in a Demo Day at one of our global offices to briefly showcase their funded innovation and actively seek feedback from local colleagues with relevant expertise to help strengthen, refine, and stress-test their solutions. 
 

What is the challenge timeline? 

January 8, 2026, 9:00am ET: Challenge launches  
February 6, 2026, 11:59pm ET: Challenge closes  
February 9-20, 2026: Solutions are screened and reviewed 
February 23-27, 2026: Finalists are selected  
March 2-6, 2026: Finalist teams to interview with the S&P Global Foundation 
March 23, 2026: Announcement of Winners
Summer 2026: Demo Day
 

Why should I apply for the challenge? 

Benefits of being selected for the Prize include: 

• Grant funding of $200k per organization that will be awarded to six winning nonprofit organizations (total prize pool of $1.2M).
• Participation in a Demo Day to receive feedback from S&P Global volunteers with subject matter expertise to strengthen, refine and stress-test solutions. 

How will the applications be judged? 

Please refer to the Challenge’s Evaluation Criteria tab.  

Can I use generative AI applications to help me write my application? 
 
We discourage using ChatGPT or other generative AI chatbots to write your application for you. Your application will sound impersonal or generic to reviewers, and this can strongly disadvantage your application in our selection process. We want to hear your passion for and perspective on your solution!  
 
However, ChatGPT and other generative AI chatbots may be able to assist you with initial drafts for some application questions. If you do use GenAI tools to assist in your writing, you must check the content and ensure that it accurately reflects the current status of your solution. Fabricated or misleading information in your application may lead to the removal of your solution. 

Have more questions? 

You can also email your questions to help@solve.mit.edu. Please allow three to five business days for a response.