How Nonprofit Engine works

In 2027, Nonprofit Engine will award two US nonprofits a senior AI engineering team to build the technology their mission depends on.

Each award is a dedicated team from Toboggan Labs, valued at $250K and provided at no cost to your nonprofit. For three to six months, it works with your own tech team on one major build. Nonprofit Engine is a philanthropic program supported by Kevin Ryan, founder of AlleyCorp.

Who can apply? Nonprofits that…

are based in the US and have 501(c)(3) status or operate under fiscal sponsorship

can demonstrate ownership of a tech stack and the ability to maintain and build on the work delivered through the program, with an in-house, contracted, part-time, or volunteer technical team

can scale their impact using technology

work in at least one of the 2027 focus areas; NYC presence is not required, and past awardees can apply again

Focus for 2027

Health

Organizations improving health outcomes for all, regardless of race, income, location, or other social factors. We focus on access, affordability, and quality of care. This includes mental health and the social determinants of health.

  • Access: helping people reach the care they need, when and where they need it
  • Affordability: lowering what care costs the people who rely on it
  • Quality of care: improving the care people receive and the outcomes it produces
  • Mental health: expanding support for mental health and well-being
  • Social determinants of health: the conditions where people live, learn, and work that shape their health

Workforce

Organizations helping people find good work, keep it, and move forward. Closing skills gaps is part of it; so are navigation, retention, and pathways to better economic opportunity.

  • Upskilling and reskilling for jobs that are changing with automation
  • Data infrastructure that shows where new jobs are
  • Navigation that connects people to employment and to safety-net services
  • Shorter time to employment
  • Retention on the job
  • Fair employment practices
  • Pathways to better economic opportunity at the community level

What does the award include?

The Toboggan Labs team brings applied AI researchers, data scientists, engineers, product designers, user researchers, and project leads, sized to what your build needs. The work can run from discovery and scoping through to production.

Capabilities include, but are not limited to:

Applied AI research and machine learning built around your mission

Data science and data pipelines that make your data usable

AI product design and UX

Platform, infrastructure, and API engineering to take AI into production

New AI-enabled product development

How the program runs

  1. Send your application

    Fill in the application form and submit it by the deadline. You'll share a short slide deck about your organization and project, a video presenting the deck, and a video walking through your existing tech stack.

    Apply TodayDeadline December 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
    See what to prepare

  2. Live pitch

    Finalists are notified by February 18 and pitch on March 2, 2027, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time, remotely or in person in New York City. Lunch follows from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Time. In-person participation is optional.

  3. Selection

    The two awardees are chosen on pitch day.

  4. Build together

    A dedicated team from Toboggan Labs works with your tech team for three to six months on one major build. The work starts in the spring.

  5. Demo Day

    Around May or June, awardees present what they built at Demo Day. In-person participation is optional.

How could Nonprofit Engine help your nonprofit?

Hear from our organizers, see what past awardees built, and get answers to common questions. None of this is required to apply.

Join a Q&A session

Get your questions answered in real time by Nonprofit Engine's organizers.

20NOV

Nonprofit Engine Q&A Session

Fri, Nov 20, 2026 · 12:00 PM ETRegister on Zoom
16DEC

Nonprofit Engine Final Q&A Session

Wed, Dec 16, 2026 · 12:00 PM ETRegister on Zoom

Watch the latest Demo Day

See the final product demos from our most recent cohort.

Apply TodayDeadline December 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time