Project Evident

As the demand for evidence-based solutions grows, Project Evident is expanding its team with hard-working, impact-focused individuals eager to help advance our mission.

We are thrilled to introduce our network to our new Program Associate on the OutcomesAI team, Dianna Georges 👏. Trilingual in English, Spanish, and Arabic, Dianna brings her nonprofit expertise and relationship-building skills to support high-quality events and programming.

Welcome to the team, Dianna! 🚀

In a Mashable exclusive, Social Good Reporter Chase DiBenedetto outlines how Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, will support Project Evident and Tech:NYC Foundation’s Decoded Futures project through its AI Opportunity Fund – an initiative-wide investment in nonprofit AI integration.

On the collaboration, Project Evident’s OutcomesAI Managing Director, Sarah Di T***a, shared:

"𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘐’𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺. [𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯] 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 '𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯,' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰-𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 '𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘈𝘐?'"

Read the full article 📄 on Mashable here: https://mashable.com/article/google-ai-nonprofit-training-and-funding

Nonprofits get $10 million grant from Google to expand AI The search engine's philanthropic arm is funding organizations that train others in AI.

We are thrilled to share that today, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, announced its collaboration with Project Evident and Tech:NYC Foundation to help U.S.-based nonprofit employees adopt AI skills to enhance their efficiency and impact.

This collaboration will help us provide tailored technical assistance through in-person, hands-on workshops, webinars, and peer learning opportunities, equipping nonprofits in cities across the country to embrace and implement at no cost. Project Evident Founder and CEO Kelly Fitzsimmons shares her thoughts on the collaboration in the graphic below.

Check out Google’s blog 📃about its announcement here: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/ai-opportunity-fund-march-2025-update/

📗 Get to know one of the authors of “Next Generation Evidence: Strategies for More Equitable Social Impact”: Brian Scholl, CEO & Chief Economist of Innometrics.

During the Project Evident-hosted webinar, “NextGen Now: Building a Culture of Evidence to Transform Government,” on Wed., Apr. 2, from 1:00-2:00 PM ET, Brian will share insights from his chapter, “The Unfinished Business of Evidence Building: Directions for the Next Generation.”

Register for next week’s webinar 💻: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pUA11edzS6m1vfbzAaUCTA

Here’s an excerpt from Brian’s chapter that we will explore next week:

"𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘈 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘉 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳... 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵."

Read Brian’s chapter 📖 here:https://projectevident.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Unfinished-Business-of-Evidence-Building.pdf

Today is the day! Join Project Evident and partners nationwide to celebrate National AI Literacy Day!

📢 Students, parents, educators, and community members nationwide! Head to https://www.ailiteracyday.org/ 💡 to learn about the technology shaping our world, supporting more meaningful and equitable outcomes inside and outside the classroom.

EDSAFE AI Alliance |

We invite you to join us on Thurs., April 10th at 2 pm ET/11 am PT for a NextGen Now webinar, "Using Data to Strengthen Communities and Learning."

Drawing from their contributions to our book, "Next Generation Evidence: Strategies for More Equitable Social Impact," Vivian Tseng and Marika Pfefferkorn, alongside moderator Tamar Bauer, will explore how data collection, usage, and sharing, when done equitably, can strengthen communities and learning.

Register for the webinar 🖥️ here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U0mjjh5hR82VcfBaUjMsxQ

Download your free copy of our e-book 📙 here: https://projectevident.org/next-generation-evidence-the-book/

Looking forward to an engaging and dynamic conversation! Join us on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 1-2pm ET for a NextGen Webinar, "Building a Culture of Evidence to Transform Government," featuring Results for America CEO & Co-Founder Michele Jolin and Global Innometrics CEO & Cheif Economist Brian Scholl.

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pUA11edzS6m1vfbzAaUCTA #/registration

Join Results for America's CEO & Co-Founder Michele Jolin alongside Brian Scholl and Tamar Bauer for an exciting virtual event hosted by Project Evident!

Next Generation Now: "Building a Culture of Evidence to Transform Government."

💻 RSVP here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pUA11edzS6m1vfbzAaUCTA #/registration

They will examine what it means to build a culture of evidence, how it often requires “getting uncomfortable,” and how leaders across governments have embraced the opportunity to accelerate the building and use of evidence to solve our most intractable problems.

This virtual event is part of a series of Next Generation Now conversations, where authors discuss themes from their chapters and explore trends in , , , and . Explore Project Evident's book "Next Generation Evidence: Strategies for More Equitable Social Impact" here: https://projectevident.org/next-generation-evidence-the-book/

📗 Join us on Wed., April 2 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT for "NextGen Now: Building a Culture of Evidence to Transform Government." This virtual event is part of an ongoing series featuring authors from our book, "Next Generation Evidence: Strategies for More Equitable Social Impact."

Drawing from their contributions to the book, Michele Jolin and Brian Scholl, alongside moderator Tamar Bauer, will examine what it means to build a culture of evidence, how it often requires “getting uncomfortable,” and how leaders across governments have embraced the opportunity to accelerate the building and use of evidence to solve our most intractable problems.

Register for the webinar 🖥️ today! https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pUA11edzS6m1vfbzAaUCTA

Download your free copy of our book here: https://projectevident.org/next-generation-evidence-the-book/

This comprehensive article discusses the findings of our report led by Sarah Di T***a, managing director of our OutcomesAI practice.

'As commercial interests continue to dominate the technology, the window for foundations to wield meaningful influence over how AI is deployed and developed appears to be rapidly narrowing.
“The nonprofit sector has an incredibly important voice to help shape how our society determines where we should or should not use AI in our workplaces and our school systems and our society writ large,” Di T***a emphasized. “It’s very hard to have a voice and a seat at the table if you don’t have a perspective, and the only way to gain a perspective is by using the tools.”' Read the article by Sara Herschander (below). https://projectevident.org/news/project-evident-publishes-the-funding-the-future-grantmakers-strategies-in-ai-investment-report/

Even Tech-Savvy Foundations Are Uncertain How to Fund AI A new study finds just 36 percent of major foundations feel confident assessing the technical feasibility of AI proposals, raising concerns about philanthropy’s response to a rapidly evolving landscape.

Project Evident is proud to announce the launch of our OutcomesAI team's newly published report, "Funding the Future: Grantmaker Strategies in AI Investment," authored by Sarah Di T***a. This research examines the current state of funders' approach to grantmaking for AI implementation among nonprofits.

As philanthropies consider the opportunities and challenges in how they approach , the findings of this report are informative in answering the question that's been on many of our minds: How do we balance innovation with responsibility?

We want to extend a big thank you to Schmidt Sciences, Google.org, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies who provided support for this critical work, and to all of our research participants for your partnership and insights.

The report provides insights for both funders and practitioners with key takeaways and actionable recommendations.

Access the full report here: https://projectevident.org/resource/funding-the-future/

Funding the Future: Grantmaker Strategies in AI Investment - Project Evident Project Evident’s new report, Funding the Future: Grantmakers Strategies in AI Investment, looks at how philanthropic funders are approaching requests to fund the use of AI. Made possible by Schmidt Sciences, Google.org, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, this report offers a ...

District leaders attending Impact Florida 2025 🚀💡: We hope you can today's session "From Innovation to Impact: The Role of Next Generation Evidence in AI-Enhanced Learning" with Project Evident's Matthew Hillard and Shannon Ranta!

Project Evident is excited to share that team members Shannon Ranta and Matt Hillard will be leading a session at Impact Florida 2025 💡🚀next week!

📣 District and education leaders attending the conference, we invite you to join the pair for their program "From Innovation to Impact: The Role of Next Generation Evidence in AI-Enhanced Learning." Attendees will walk away with an understanding of common AI use cases in education and gain knowledge to apply the foundational tools of predictive analytics to investigate desired outcomes.

Can't make it to the session? We'd still love to say hello 👋 and introduce you to our organization's work. Feel free to say hello to Shannon or Matt when you see them or reach out to [email protected] to schedule a chat.

Our Managing Director of OutcomesAI, Sarah Di T***a, is headed to Austin, TX next week for SXSW EDU 2025! She looks forward to attending sessions from the Future of Tech Track, including “The AI Sandbox: Building Your Own Future of Learning” and “AI & Edu: Sharing Real Classroom Successes & Challenges.”

Sarah will also participate in an EDSAFE AI Alliance interview and is excited to connect with leaders advancing and initiatives in education. 🎒📚✨