A groundbreaking three-year FutureReady grant from the Mizuho USA Foundation is putting AI talent inside New York City nonprofits. The goal? Prove that technology can expand opportunity, not just replace jobs.
According to a 2020 report from the New York City Comptroller’s Office, nearly 662,025 New Yorkers work for nonprofits across the arts, health, housing, social services, youth development and more. Together, these jobs represent almost one in five private-sector positions and contribute approximately $77.7 billion into the city’s economy each year.
But here's the problem: while Silicon Valley races ahead with AI tools that can draft emails, analyze mountains of data, and automate entire workflows, many of these organizations are running on outdated systems, limited IT support, and budgets that make digital modernization seems impossible. According to Sage's 2025 Nonprofit Technology Impact Report, 58% of nonprofits are struggling with hiring and retention, and only 4% feel "very confident" in their ability to leverage AI. The AI revolution? For many nonprofits, it might as well be happening on another planet.
That's about to change.
Pursuit, a New York-based training organization known for breaking down barriers to tech careers, just secured a flagship three-year FutureReady Grant from the Mizuho USA Foundation, to launch something that's never been tried before: the AI Nonprofit Build Corps.
The concept is deceptively simple—and potentially transformative. Take people trained in cutting-edge AI tools. Pay them to work inside nonprofits for three months. Let them solve real problems while gaining real experience. Everyone wins.
Pursuit isn't starting from scratch. The organization was one of the first workforce training providers in the country to shift to AI-native programming, launching its intensive AI training in March 2025. Since then, Pursuit has trained over 300 adults from low-income communities - 70% Black or Latinx, 60% without four-year degrees, 50% women or non-binary—preparing them for careers in an AI-driven economy.
And they've already proven the model works. In 2025, with support from Amazon and Google.org, Pursuit ran a small business pilot that embedded 10 AI-trained graduates as paid consultants inside New York City small and medium-sized businesses. The results were striking: a Queens fabrication firm built an AI system that captured decades of institutional knowledge; a Brooklyn government contractor created tools to level the playing field in RFP responses; an immigrant-serving mail center in Flushing streamlined operations while maintaining personal care.
"This work is about people and possibility," said Devika Gopal Agge, Pursuit's Chief Development and Employer Services Officer. "We've shown that adults from any background can become AI practitioners, and that organizations—whether businesses or nonprofits—can harness AI in ways that are affordable, practical, and transformative."
Now, with the help of the Mizuho USA Foundation’s FutureReady grant, Pursuit is taking that playbook to the nonprofit sector - where the need may be even greater.
AI isn't coming. It's here. The question isn't whether it will change how work gets done - it's who will benefit and who will be left behind.
"AI is rapidly reshaping every job, not just those in tech," said Nick Simmons, CEO of Pursuit. "The AI Nonprofit Build Corps ensures that communities who have historically been left out of tech revolutions are equipped to lead in this one. With Mizuho's partnership, we're proving that AI-powered workforce pathways can strengthen both people and the organizations that serve our city."
Research shows that 56% of interns are offered full-time jobs after their internships, and 66% of employers consider work experience a critical hiring factor. But in an AI-disrupted economy, those opportunities are vanishing—especially for people without traditional credentials or insider networks.
Two-thirds of nonprofits have technical teams of five people or fewer - some have none at all. Training accounts for just 1% of their technology budgets. And as federal and philanthropic funding landscapes shift, these already-strapped organizations are being asked to do more with less.
The AI Build Corps creates what Pursuit calls a "virtuous cycle."
For nonprofits the program will provide AI literacy training, hands-on collaborative "Build Days" where staff work alongside Pursuit graduates to prototype solutions, and three-month paid deployments of AI-trained talent who work as embedded team members. These "Builders" as Pursuit calls its graduates, will help build custom tools and train staff to maintain them.
For Builders, it's something rarer than a certificate: actual work experience. They'll build portfolios tied to meaningful outcomes, develop professional networks, and earn a paycheck while learning to apply AI in contexts that matter. In an economy where employers demand proof you can do the job—even as they struggle to define what AI skills they need—having real-world projects is the difference between getting hired and getting passed over.
And for New York City's economy, the ripple effects could be significant. When nonprofits can do more with less, they become more resilient. When workers gain AI skills in real-world settings, they become more employable. And when both happen at scale, the benefits compound across neighborhoods and sectors.
John Buchanan, Chief Information Officer of Mizuho Americas and board member of the Mizuho USA Foundation shared: “Mizuho is committed to investing in the future of work in ways that are both innovative and inclusive. By supporting the AI Nonprofit Build Corps initiative, we’re helping AI adoption expand opportunity for organizations that serve our communities and for New Yorkers ready to contribute to an AI-enabled economy.”
"New York is one of the world's great innovation centers, and it is also home to a valuable nonprofit ecosystem that underpins economic mobility," said Liz Ceisler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Mizuho Americas, and Chair of the Mizuho USA Foundation. "We're proud to partner with Pursuit to bring AI-enabled talent into that ecosystem - while supporting the training and development of AI-ready professionals."
Launching in early 2026, the Build Corps is designed to be replicable. Pursuit is in conversations with additional partners to expand beyond the initial cohorts and explore scaling the model to new regions.
The AI Nonprofit Build Corps is designed to be replicable, creating a blueprint that other cities and organizations can adapt as AI continues to reshape the economy.
"We have proven that with the right training, support, and real-world application, adults from varied backgrounds can become AI practitioners," Simmons said. "Now our job is to scale this model to reach thousands of workers and thousands of organizations that power New York City's communities."
If it works, the model could help reshape how tech talent is cultivated, how nonprofits build capacity, and who gets to participate in the AI economy.
It’s a different kind of AI story - one rooted in community, opportunity, and shared progress.
About Pursuit
Pursuit is a New York City–based nonprofit advancing economic mobility by training adults for AI-enabled careers and placing them into real jobs with real impact. The organization specializes in preparing talented individuals—many without traditional credentials—for the rapidly changing world of work through intensive, employer-aligned, AI-native training and paid, hands-on experience.
By partnering closely with employers, community organizations, and public leaders, Pursuit builds workforce pathways that translate cutting-edge technology into sustained wage growth, organizational capacity, and inclusive economic opportunity.
About Mizuho
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. is one of the largest financial institutions in the world as measured by total assets of ~$2 trillion, according to S&P Global 2024. Mizuho's 65,000 employees worldwide offer comprehensive financial services to clients in 36 countries and 850 offices throughout the Americas, EMEA, and Asia.
Mizuho Americas is a leading Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) that provides a full spectrum of client-driven solutions across strategic advisory, capital markets, corporate banking, and fixed income and equities sales & trading to corporate, government, and institutional clients in the US, Canada, and Latin America. Through its acquisition of Greenhill, Mizuho enhanced its M&A, restructuring, and private capital advisory capabilities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Mizuho Americas employs approximately 4,000 professionals. For more information visit www.mizuhoamericas.com
