The Rockefeller Foundation and OpenAI Foundation have introduced Cities Deliver: AI Solutions for Public Services, a $50 million initiative backing nonprofit and civil society organizations that help city governments use AI to anticipate and meet residents’ needs. Through a global open call, the program will award grants of $500,000 to $2 million, aiming to reach up to 100 million city residents. Applications open on October 14 and close on November 29, 2026.
The initiative focuses on four areas: public health, economic mobility, environmental resilience and civic engagement, with projects related to voting or elections excluded. Each project must be led by an eligible organization, include a committed city government partner, serve a charitable purpose and feature a meaningful frontier AI component. Applicants may choose whichever AI models suit them, with no requirement or preference for OpenAI technology.
Cities Deliver builds on a 2023 convening of more than 40 civic leaders from six continents, after which the Rockefeller Foundation supported projects in Cali, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. Follow-on grants are planned to expand Rio’s AI-enabled flood-alert system, extend Dengue.AI’s outbreak forecasting from Cali to Cartagena and grow Cape Town’s resident-engagement platform.
Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, said the initiative opens up what has worked in those cities to institutions everywhere. Anna Makanju, Head of Civil Society and Philanthropy at OpenAI Foundation, said AI can help cities reach residents faster, anticipate problems earlier and make public services more responsive. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said the Dengue AI tool anticipates outbreaks up to three weeks in advance, while Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere described their AI tools as practical models other cities could adapt.
In other OpenAI news, the company has suffered a setback in its trade secrets dispute with Apple. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila has granted Apple expedited access to OpenAI hiring materials linked to interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles in its consumer hardware and robotics groups, as OpenAI develops its first AI hardware device. The materials could include interview guides, scripts and technical presentations, as well as records showing discussions referenced Apple technology or components. OpenAI has five days to hand over materials already collected and 14 days for the rest.
Apple’s July lawsuit alleges a pattern of theft, including former employees using Apple laptops to download confidential files on unannounced products and coaching others on what information to bring to interviews. The judge also granted Apple access to private LINE messages between individuals named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liuand Alyssa Peng, and approved depositions for both, as well as for OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan. All three are former Apple employees.
Davila denied Apple’s request for expedited access to OpenAI research in areas such as metal finishes and power management, along with several broader discovery requests, but left the door open for Apple to narrow and resubmit them.
