RW Institute
Put a partner forward
Everything you need to nominate a nonprofit for Applied AI Labs for Nonprofits: how it works, the two-minute nomination link, and ready-to-send notes you can copy and adapt.
How nominating works
The program takes 25 nonprofit organizations across two cohorts. Nominations closed September 14 and the cohorts are being built now. If a partner comes to mind after that date, put them forward anyway: late nominations go to the reserve list for a seat that frees up, and for the next cohort.
Pick one or two partners you actually know
Organizations in your portfolio that would get real value from hands-on AI training, and that could put two people forward for most of the sessions.
Gauge their interest first (optional but helpful)
If you want to check before you nominate, forward the note in the next section. It is written to come from you.
Submit the nomination
Score each partner against a short rubric and submit. About ten minutes for one, twenty for two. Open the nomination tool →
We take it from there
The working group read nominations as they arrived from September 9, the first invitations went out September 16, and seats were confirmed by September 18. If a seat frees up, PCI sends the invitation directly and copies you, so the relationship stays yours. No one is ever rejected, and anyone not placed this round carries to the next cohort.
Notes you can copy
Three templates. Copy the one you need, fill in the bracketed bits, and send. Nothing here is locked; make them sound like you.
Hi [First name], We have room for 25 nonprofit organizations in Applied AI Labs for Nonprofits, and we want the partners you know best in those seats. Here is the ask: pick one or two nonprofits in your portfolio who would get real value from hands-on AI training, and nominate them. Please do not forward this to your whole list. One or two you would genuinely vouch for is exactly right. What it is: seven 90-minute working sessions over seven weeks, live on Zoom with the main room recorded, where two people from a nonprofit build real AI skills on their own work. It is free to them, funded by Wells Fargo, and run by RW Institute. A strong nominee is a partner you actually know: - You work with them and know people there by name. - They are open to AI, or at least curious rather than resistant. - You understand their work well enough to know this would help rather than get in the way. - They can put two people forward for most of the sessions. How it works: you submit the nomination through the link below. We score nominations against a shared rubric and match organizations to the seats in this round. Nominated organizations then receive a personal invitation. No one is ever rejected. If we are oversubscribed, the extra nominations carry to the next cohort, and only you ever know your partner was on a list. Nominate a partner: https://wf-ai-labs.rw.institute/nominate Nominations closed on September 14 and we are building the cohorts now, but the list is not shut. If a partner comes to mind, put them forward. They go on the reserve list for a seat that frees up, and they are first in line for the next cohort. Labs begin the week of September 28. Thanks for pointing us toward the partners who will actually use this. [Your name] [Title, Wells Fargo Philanthropy and Community Impact]
Hi [Partner first name], We are offering a small group of our nonprofit partners a spot in a hands-on AI program this fall, and your organization came to mind. It is called Applied AI Labs for Nonprofits. Two people from your team work through seven 90-minute sessions over seven weeks, building real AI skills on your actual work. You bring a challenge you care about, something you would genuinely like to solve, and you leave having built toward it. It is free, and it is run by RW Institute. This is a good fit if you come with something concrete. Maybe you have a few problems you think AI could help with, or one specific thing you already want to tackle. If you are looking for a general introduction to AI, this probably is not the right round, and that is completely fine. What it asks of you: - Two people from your organization, working as a pair. - One cohort, either Mondays 12:00 to 1:30 PM Central starting September 28, or Fridays 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Central starting October 2. Both of you attend the same day. - Seven sessions running through mid-November, plus some work in between. Life happens, so you can miss up to two. The main room of every session is recorded, and there is a site with all the materials, so a missed week is recoverable. If this sounds like something your team would use, just reply and let me know. I will take it from there. [Your name] [Wells Fargo Philanthropy and Community Impact] P.S. Want to gut-check the fit first? Take the two-minute readiness quiz: https://wf-ai-labs.rw.institute/apply
Hi [Partner first name], [Nominator first name] at Wells Fargo put your organization forward for Applied AI Labs for Nonprofits, and the working group would like to offer you a seat. [Nominator first name] is copied here. Here is what it is. Two people from your team work through seven 90-minute sessions over seven weeks, starting the week of September 28, building real AI skills on your own work. Every session is live on Zoom, with the main room recorded. Each participant sets up their own Claude Pro account, and Wells Fargo covers it for six months. If your organization already gives you a Claude seat, use that. The program is free to you, funded by Wells Fargo Philanthropy and Community Impact, and run by RW Institute. This is an offer, not an application. If it fits, confirm your seat and name your two people here: https://wf-ai-labs.rw.institute/apply. It takes about ten minutes. If this is not the right time, that is completely fine. Say so on the same page by pressing "Not this time" at the bottom, or just reply to this note, and the seat passes to another organization. We only ask that you let us know either way by [reply-by date], so no seat sits empty. Any questions before you decide, reply to this note and we will get you an answer. [Your name] [Wells Fargo Philanthropy and Community Impact]