Microsoft has launched Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers, a new program designed to help nonprofit professionals build AI skills and lead adoption within their organizations through structured training, a professional credential, and a global fellowship.

The initiative was announced during Microsoft’s Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit, where more than 1,500 nonprofit leaders gathered. It comes as organizations across education, workforce development, and community services are being asked to adopt AI tools while managing limited time, funding, and internal expertise.

Justin Spelhaug, President of Microsoft Elevate at Microsoft, said in a post on LinkedIn: “We are living through a period of profound and accelerating change. That change is being felt in how people work, live, and make sense of an increasingly complex world. Nonprofits play a critical role in helping people, the planet, and our shared systems navigate what comes next.”

He continued: “Nonprofits are doing that work while also being asked to adopt AI themselves. Usually without the time or support to do it in a way that actually fits how they operate. What we keep hearing is this isn’t about awareness. It’s about capacity.”

Microsoft positions the new program as a response to that gap, focusing on role-specific training and implementation rather than general AI education.

Spelhaug said the company developed the initiative based on feedback from nonprofit organizations: “We’ve listened and today, we’re excited to launch Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers.”

He added that the program is designed to focus on practical application within nonprofit settings: “A new program designed to help the people inside nonprofit organizations confidently lead AI adoption within their work. Not abstract training. Practical skills that are specific to nonprofit roles, a recognized credential developed with NetHope, and a global fellowship tied to real-world AI implementation.”

Credential, training, and fellowship structure

The program includes an AI for Nonprofits credential, developed with LinkedIn and NetHope, which provides a structured learning pathway aligned to nonprofit workflows. Participants receive a LinkedIn professional certificate recognizing their ability to apply AI in their roles.

Training is delivered through live and on-demand modules covering Copilot, change management, and responsible AI governance. The content is structured around nonprofit-specific use cases rather than general AI training.

A Changemaker Fellowship is also open to nonprofit professionals working on active AI projects. Participants join a global cohort and develop implementation plans with support from Microsoft and partners including EY and Caribou.

Microsoft highlights examples of AI use across nonprofit operations, including reducing administrative workload, scaling program delivery, and improving engagement with donors and stakeholders.

Examples include healthcare provider ARCare using AI to reduce manual administrative work, Opportunity International deploying a chatbot to deliver agricultural guidance, and social housing organization de Alliantie using AI to manage high volumes of support requests.

Spelhaug said: “AI will keep moving. The question is whether the organizations closest to communities are set up to shape how it’s used.”

Source link