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How are nonprofits providing innovative direct services, training programs, and career navigation supports for adult workers in the age of AI?

Truist Foundation Inspire Awards Year 4

Accepting Solutions

Deadline to Submit

August 7, 2026 12:00pm EDT

Start Solution

Timeline

Applications Open

June 10, 2026 8:00am EDT
Solution Deadline

August 7, 2026 12:00pm EDT

Challenge Overview

In recent years the future of work and the future of artificial intelligence (AI) have become inseparable conversations. Those touting AI’s positive capabilities often raise its potential to accelerate work, lower barriers for small businesses, and free workers from mundane tasks. Others hold serious concerns that generative AI will have a negative impact on workers if they are not adequately included in the design and implementation processes. Moreover, a recent survey shows that 52% of American workers are concerned that AI will replace their jobs. Despite such concerns from experts and workers alike, 50% of employed American adults report that they use AI at work at least a few times a year. While AI use in the workplace is on the rise, alongside concerns over its effects on the workforce, there remains a clear need to support workers navigating this new age of AI.

Nonprofit organizations have long been critical advocates and service providers for workers in the United States. Nonprofits provide workers necessary upskilling opportunities, AI literacy training, career navigation support, and wraparound services in conjunction with career pathways programming. All necessary for the modern workforce. Meeting the moment, Truist Foundation and MIT Solve want to hear the ways in which nonprofits headquartered in the Truist operating footprint are providing innovative career pathway programming in the age of AI. Although solutions don’t need to focus on generative AI specifically, teams should demonstrate how their career pathways programming align with the following dimensions:

Training and Upskilling Programs – Providing holistic, accessible programming that equips workers with essential skills, industry-validated credentials, and technical literacy for the modern workplace.
AI Readiness and Literacy – Offering high-quality training that helps workers understand generative AI and agentic technologies as augmented intelligence tools, helping to build practical skills like effective prompting, domain expertise application, and ethical use.
Additional Wraparound Services and Basic Needs Support – Supporting unemployed and underemployed workers on their journey to economic mobility through comprehensive, integrated resources including childcare, transportation support, mentorship, mental health services, benefits navigation, and more.
Career Navigation in the AI Economy – Enabling workers to navigate career choices with clarity and confidence by providing accessible information about how AI is reshaping job roles and industries, facilitating informed decisions about high-quality career trajectories that align with individual circumstances, and connecting workers to industry-validated credentials or trainings.

Eligibility + FAQs

Information Session Video

Please review this Information Session recording if you'd like to learn more about the application, timeline, eligibility requirements, available benefits, awards and more!

Who can apply to the Inspire Awards?

The Inspire Awards are open to nonprofit organizations that meet the following requirements:

Hold a registered 501(c)(3) status with the IRS.
Headquartered within and directly serving the Truist operating footprint, which includes: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
The organization is operating at least at a Growth Stage of Development: A registered 501(c)(3) organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth in multiple communities. Organizations at the Growth Stage should have a proven track record with an annual operating budget - see Organization vs. Solution for more information.
The organization’s solution is at least at the Concept Stage of Development: An idea being explored and researched for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model, including prototypes under development. Until the solution has a functioning prototype, we would still consider it a Concept .- see Organization vs. Solution for more information.
Team Lead must be 18 years or older to apply. Additionally, the Team Lead should be the CEO, Executive Director, Primary Investigator, or other key leader for your solution.
Mandatory Team Lead + Secondary Delegate Participation: If your solution is selected as a semifinalist, these individuals will be expected to present the solution to Advisory Council Members during an interview session. If selected as a finalist for the Inspire Awards, the Team Lead will be the lead participant in the support program and is required to attend all sessions. Alongside the Team Lead, an additional team member is expected to participate in the capacity-building components of the support program.
Please note that we are not targeting solutions that support typical degree programs, nor are we targeting solutions that are purely educational with no clear link to career pathways programming.

Truist Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that are open, accessible, and welcoming to all, ensuring that no one is excluded based on demographic factors.

Please note:

If your organization is a 509(a)(3) supporting organization, there will be a space provided in the application to upload a letter from your chairman, executive director or legal counsel that outlines:

Whether your organization is a Type I, II or III supporting organization and the name of the supported organization(s).
Confirmation that your organization is functionally integrated with the supporting organization(s) if you are a Type III supporting organization.

If serving as a fiscal agent, and if you are selected as a semifinalist or finalist, you will be required to submit a final report on behalf of the organization receiving the funding approximately one year after selection. As a fiscal agent, you will need to be able to track metrics and submit the final report requirement.

If serving as a fiscal agent, please attach a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the relationship.

The Truist Foundation Inspire Awards seeks solutions providing innovative direct services, training programs, and career navigation supports for adult workers in the age of AI. If you have a relevant innovative solution, we hope you’ll apply!

How are we CrowdSolving the Inspire Awards?

Sourcing Solutions: Anyone who meets the criteria above can participate in this Challenge and submit a solution. If your organization is at least at the Growth Stage, and you are developing a solution or scaling a product, we’re looking for innovators and entrepreneurs with the most promising solutions.
Selecting Solutions: Once the submission deadline passes, evaluation will begin. After an initial screening by MIT Solve staff and community reviewers, Advisory Council Members will select a group of 15 semifinalists with the most promising solutions. The semifinalists will each receive $10,000 in capacity building funding and participate in an interview session with Advisory Council Members who will then select a cohort of six finalists. Finalists will be awarded additional funding and participate in a six-month support program. Toward the conclusion of the support program, finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions to Advisory Council Members for the chance to be awarded up to $250,000.

Organization vs. Solution:

Organization: The implementing team behind the solution. The Truist Foundation Inspire Awards will only consider registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations at the Growth or Scale stages of development. The Challenge will not consider organizations in the Idea or Early stages. See below for definitions of stages.

Idea: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea.
Early: A team of individuals without a registered status or a registered organization without an operating budget, building and testing its product, service, or business model.
Growth: A registered organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth in multiple communities. Organizations at the Growth Stage should have a proven track record with an annual operating budget.
Scale: A sustainable organization actively working in several communities that is capable of continuous scaling. Organizations at the Scale Stage have a proven track record, earn revenue, and are focused on increased efficiency within their operations.

Solution: Product, service, or business model being implemented by the organization. The Truist Foundation Inspire Awards seeks bold, forward-thinking and innovative solutions that will inspire and influence the future of innovation in the United States. The Challenge will consider solutions in the Concept, Prototype, Pilot, Growth or Scale stages of development. See below for definitions of stages.

Concept: An idea being explored and researched for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model, including prototypes under development. Until the solution has a functioning prototype, we would still consider it a Concept.
Prototype: An initial working version of a solution that may be in the process of getting initial feedback or testing with users (i.e. running a pilot). Until the solution transitions from testing to consistent availability, we would still consider it a Prototype. (Often no users/direct beneficiaries)
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. The solution has an established set of donors and/or revenue streams.
Scale: A standard solution operating in many communities or multiple countries and is prepared to scale significantly by improving efficiency.

The most important point to note is that your solution addresses the focus of the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards Challenge. Through open innovation, this Challenge is looking for a broad portfolio of solutions across regions and team members’ experiences. We strongly believe that there is no singular solution to the world’s most complex challenges—and encourage people of all backgrounds to submit applications.

How will my solution be evaluated?

The Advisory Council for this Challenge will be comprised of leaders and experts from across industries. After an initial screening by MIT Solve staff and community reviewers, the Advisory Council Members will score the screened solutions based on the following criteria. All criteria will be given equal weight:

Alignment: The solution addresses the key dimensions of the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards. See bulleted dimensions on the Challenge Description page here.
Potential for impact: The planned solution implementation has the potential to be transformative in its impact.
Feasibility: The team has a proof-of-concept and a realistic, practical plan for financial sustainability and implementing the solution, and the solution is feasible in the given context.
Innovative approach: The solution approaches the problem in a new or significantly improved way. Includes a new business model, a new process for solving the challenge, an innovation/new technology, or a new application of an existing technology.
Proximate leadership (assessed at semifinalist stage and later): The solution is led by a visionary entrepreneur, innovator, or team who has deep understanding of the communities they serve and the problem they are trying to solve, expertise to develop and implement solutions, and the ability to adapt and respond to feedback, along with the necessary skills and track record to improve, expand, or replicate their solution.
Human centered design: The solution is designed with and for the communities it aims to serve, and the solution team demonstrates that they have the experience, relationships, data, and knowledge to develop and deliver a successful solution.
Scalability: The solution framework is designed to scale regionally and/or nationally to impact more communities.
Partnership potential: The applicant clearly explains how the Team Lead and the organization would benefit from the resources that Truist Foundation and MIT Solve are positioned to provide.

What is the Challenge Timeline?

June 10, 2026: Challenge opens
Aug. 7, 2026: Deadline for applicants to submit a solution
Oct. 14 - 21, 2026: Semifinalists announced
Nov. 9 - 10, 2026: Semifinalists invited for interview session
December 2026: Finalists announced

December 2026 - June 2027: Finalists support program; including an in-person trip to the Truist headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina

What will I receive if my solution is selected?

Truist Foundation and the Inspire Awards Advisory Council Members will select 15 semifinalists. After semifinalists participate in an interview session with the Advisory Council Members and Truist Foundation, all semifinalists will each receive a $10,000 capacity-building grant. In addition to grant funding, Truist Foundation is excited to offer all semifinalists access to a variety of capacity-building resources, including consultants, subject matter experts, resources, and workshops where our nonprofit partners will have the chance to receive insights on industry best practices and the opportunity for no-cost program support that will help reinforce and maintain the success and sustainability of their inspiring community programs.

A cohort of six finalists will be chosen by Truist Foundation to move to the finalist stage and participate in a capacity-building, wraparound support program. Please note that it is necessary for a member of the leadership team to represent your solution as the Team Lead and attend all elements of the support program. Additionally, we ask that a secondary delegate joins the majority of support program opportunities as well.

At the conclusion of the support program, the six finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions in front of distinguished Advisory Council Members and Truist Foundation for the opportunity to receive the following grant awards:

$250,000 for the First Place Grant Award
$150,000 for the Second Place Grant Award
$75,000 for the Community Favorite Grant Award, regardless of status as a runner-up, first-place, or second-place grant award winner
$25,000 grant for each runner-up team

Finalist Support Program

All finalists will be required to participate in a six-month tailored support program run by MIT Solve and Truist Foundation that will include:

A comprehensive needs assessment followed by monthly check-ins to connect finalists to in-kind resources and provide space for ongoing support.
Learning and development modules aimed at refining business model, theory of change, and plans for scaling.
A peer-to-peer network to build a community of practice with dedicated spaces to convene throughout the duration of the support program.
Workshops focused on refining the finalist solutions and pitch consultation to help prepare for the Advisory Council interview.
Wraparound services including an in-person trip to the Truist headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Truist Leadership Institute in Greensboro, NC