Project summary

Tech Forward Impact is launching a global initiative to equip, train, and support underrepresented and underserved talent particularly Black professionals in AI safety, ethics, and governance research. Our mission is to close the equity gap in AI development by ensuring that the voices shaping the future of artificial intelligence reflect the full diversity of the world it impacts.

We’ve already piloted this vision through two of our successful inaugural cohorts:
1. A 4-week AI Safety and Governance Training Bootcamp, which received over 1000 applicants in April 2025, accepted 585 participants from 15+ countries, with 357 participants completing the cohort and earning a certificate.

2. An AI Risks, Safety and Governance hosted In-person workshop in May 2025 which welcomed 50 applicants to deepen community engagement.

   This next phase will scale our impact: expanding bootcamp cohorts, launching a research-focused fellowship, and facilitate the development of managing a community-led Learning Management (LMS) platform which is tailored to local context.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Our goal is to build a globally inclusive pipeline of AI safety researchers and governance practitioners centering Black professionals and underrepresented communities, whether local or in the diaspora who are equipped not only to participate in, but to lead in shaping responsible and equitable AI futures.

With your support, we can ensure that AI is governed by all of us, not just a few.

Specifically, this project aims to:

1. Diversify the global AI safety and governance ecosystem by equipping Black professionals and other underserved communities with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to meaningfully contribute to and lead in AI safety and policy spaces. We have observed this is a neglected cause and do hope to close the gap as quickly as possible

2. Build a robust talent and research pipeline that fosters localized perspectives, critical research contributions, and cross-regional collaboration on AI risk, ethics, and governance.

3. Close access and equity gaps in AI education by making foundational training in AI safety and governance accessible, affordable, and contextually relevant.
   

How will this funding be used?

This funding will be used to scale and sustain our inclusive AI safety and governance programs, ensuring that Black professionals and underserved communities globally are equipped to contribute to AI development with insight, influence, and impact.

Specifically, the funds will cover:

1. Minimum Viable Funding Request – $50,000 (3–6 months of core programming)

The $50,000 minimum funding will ensure continuity of our AI Safety & Governance Bootcamp, cover operational basics, and provide room to strengthen curriculum and mentorship, even if we temporarily defer the research fellowship and broader outreach.

Program Delivery & Expansion – $28,000 (56%)

• Bootcamp Facilitation ($15,000): Instruction, moderation, and coordination of two lean bootcamp cycles, delivered virtually.

• Curriculum Enhancement ($8,000): Light updates aligned with emerging AI safety research and policy trends.

• Mentorship & Workshops ($5,000): Targeted virtual office hours and expert Q&A sessions for deeper learning engagement.

Operations & Sustainability – $18,000 (36%)

• Compensation for Key Staff & Contributors ($10,000): Honoraria for instructors, guest facilitators, and part-time support staff.

• Administration & Project Management ($5,000): Coordination, scheduling, email systems, and learner support.

• Donor Reporting & Communications ($3,000): Basic design and publishing of a digital progress report and newsletter.

Indirect Costs – $4,000 (8%)

• Software & Platform Costs ($2,000): Zoom, Canva Pro, Project tools, LMS maintenance.

• Legal & Financial Support ($2,000): Light bookkeeping, fiscal compliance, and reporting support.

Thanks to early personal investment, our LMS platform is already live and was used for our inaugural AI Safety and Governance Bootcamp. This funding will ensure it’s filled with quality programming, expert insight, and raising a growing global community of AI changemakers.

2. Maximum Funding Request – $500,000 (Full Annual Operations, Talent Pipeline, and Global Expansion)

The $500,000 funding package enables full deployment of our global pipeline strategy - scaling our training programs, launching our AI Safety Research Fellowship, and expanding in-person and regional programming.

Program Delivery & Expansion – $120,000 (24%)

• Bootcamp Facilitation ($60,000): Delivery of 2–3 robust, well-staffed bootcamp cohorts (150–200 learners).

• Curriculum Development ($30,000): Comprehensive curriculum updates, case studies, risk scenario simulations.

• Mentor-Led Labs & Capstone Workshops ($30,000): Interactive live sessions, real-world policy simulations, and collaborative mini-sprints.

Operations & Sustainability – $100,000 (20%)

• Contributor Compensation ($60,000): Fair pay for expert facilitators, moderators, and content contributors.

• Admin & Evaluation ($25,000): Monitoring & evaluation, learner feedback, outcomes tracking.

• Donor Engagement ($15,000): High-quality reporting, campaign storytelling, and multimedia documentation.

Research Fellowship Program – $180,000 (36%)

• Fellowship Grants & Stipends ($100,000): Support for 10–15 emerging Black and underrepresented researchers.

• Mentorship Infrastructure ($50,000): Expert guidance, policy feedback loops, peer learning.

• Publishing Support & Research Dissemination ($30,000): Conference attendance, policy paper preparation, and open-access publishing.

Community Engagement & Outreach – $80,000 (16%)

• In-Person Workshops & Events ($45,000): Town halls, regional forums, and partner-hosted summits across underserved regions and diaspora hubs.

• Strategic Partnerships ($25,000): MoUs and activations with local universities, grassroots organizations, and think tanks.

• Event Logistics & Honoraria ($10,000): Travel, venues, catering, and token honoraria for guest facilitators.

Indirect Costs – $20,000 (4%)

• Software & Subscriptions ($10,000): LMS enhancements, online collaboration tools, media storage, design platforms.

• Accounting & Legal ($10,000): Annual audits, nonprofit legal filings, and fiscal compliance support.
  

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Prof. Rita Orji, PhD – Co-Founder
Prof. Rita Orji (PhD) is an internationally renowned researcher and thought leader in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and Persuasive Technology. She is a Professor of Computer Science and Canada Research Chair at Dalhousie University, where she leads the Persuasive Computing Lab. Prof. Orji has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles and secured multi-million-dollar research grants, and her research has been cited globally for its impact on inclusive digital technologies. She has mentored over 1000 individuals globally, 70% of which are from marginalized communities.

Prof. Orji has received over 80 prestigious awards, including the NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship which is Canada's most prestigious prize for early career researchers in Science and Engineering, and has also consistently been named among the Top 2% of Scientists by impact worldwide by Stanford University since 2019. She is a renowned STEM diversity advocate who is using her lived experience to impact and empower others. for her work in this area by high-profile organizations and institutions. For example, she has spoken at the United Nations numerous times, and also at the Canadian Parliament as well as traveling to over fifty different countries speaking on the same subjects. Recently, she received the Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Awards from Computer Science Canada and was named among the Top 150 Canadian Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Top 60 African Women in STEM, Top 100 Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100 Nigeria’s Leading Women. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and also the Global Young Academy.

As a passionate advocate for increasing diversity and equitable participation in science and technology. Her groundbreaking work spans AI ethics, digital inclusion, and the social impact of emerging technologies, has also been recognised at the federal government levels, such as in Canada, and in Nigeria etc, making her a pivotal force in this project’s academic and ethical vision. She is a highly sought-after speaker and mentor who broke the barriers of growing up in a disadvantaged background and making a great impact on the global stage.

Nancy Eke-Agu, AIGP, CAITL, PMI-RMP, PMP – Co-Founder
Nancy Eke-Agu is a certified AI governance expert, digital transformation strategist, and policy fellow with close to two decades of experience working at the intersection of technology, ethics, and public impact. She is the Halifax City Lead for Women in AI, a Research Group Member at the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), as well as a recognized voice in AI policy circles advancing ethical innovation.

Nancy is also a graduate researcher at Dalhousie University, where her thesis explores algorithmic bias and its far-reaching implications on society, especially for marginalized and underrepresented communities. In addition to her work in North America, Nancy has actively contributed to AI and Human Rights initiatives in the Global South, including supporting Senegal’s National AI Strategy and ethical governance consultations in Africa. Her work bridges research, advocacy, and implementation, ensuring that responsible AI systems are grounded in global realities not just tech-centric ideals, and she is also an expert contributor to UNESCO’s consultation on AI ethics. Her leadership bridges the gap between technical advancement and human impact, making her a driving force behind equitable AI futures.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

Causes of Potential Failure

The most likely causes of failure for this project would not stem from lack of need or lack of interest; but from insufficient funding and institutional support. Without the resources to scale, compensate instructors, and provide structured pathways for learners and fellows, we risk stalling a momentum that has already begun. Additionally, without visibility and strategic partnerships, the project could struggle to achieve broader impact beyond initial cohorts.

Outcomes if the Project Fails

If this project fails, the consequences extend far beyond our organization:

1. A critical pipeline of diverse AI safety and governance talent may be lost or delayed, further reinforcing the concentration of expertise and decision-making power in a few regions and demographics.

2. Voices from underserved communities including Black professionals and underrepresented populations in the diaspora will remain excluded from shaping AI systems that increasingly govern every facet of human life.

3. The AI systems being developed globally could continue to embed bias, inequity, and unintended harm due to a lack of contextual knowledge and inclusive governance input.

4. A generation of brilliant, purpose-driven individuals may lose access to the training and support they need to participate meaningfully in global AI conversations silencing perspectives that are essential to building safe, ethical, and equitable technologies.

In short, the cost of failure is not just institutional, it is societal. The risk is a future in which AI systems are governed without the people they most affect. This project exists to prevent that future, and to help build one where leadership in AI is as diverse as the humanity it seeks to serve.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

To date, this initiative has been entirely self-funded by the co-founders, Prof. Rita Orji (PhD) and Nancy Eke-Agu. Over the past 6 months, they have personally invested from their savings to pilot and execute two foundational programs:

1. The AI Safety, Risks & Governance Training Bootcamp; a 4-week virtual learning program that trained over 575 participants across more than 15 countries.

2. An In-Person AI Risks & Governance Workshop held in Canada, to deepen localized engagement and further test program feasibility and reach.

These initial investments were made to test the waters, validate interest, and demonstrate proof of concept before seeking external funding. The overwhelmingly positive response reflected in high retention, feedback scores, and continued community engagement has confirmed the urgent need and strong demand for this work. We are now seeking external support to expand its reach and deepen its impact.