Allied Work
The trajectory of technological innovation is not predetermined—it is shaped by collective choices, investments, and imagination.
Guiding innovation in the public interest benefits from shared influence and coordinated effort. As power and decision-making in technology become more concentrated, working in close partnership with others helps expand the range of possibilities and support meaningful alternatives. Strengthening the public interest technology ecosystem depends on deepening relationships among funders, capital allocators, and field-builders, while also incorporating the perspectives, evidence, and lived experience of communities.
Below is a selection of major partnerships that Siegel engages in beyond grantmaking to advance our vision and mission.
Humanity AI
Humanity AI is a multi-year philanthropic collaboration bringing together the Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Omidyar Network, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment to help ensure that people have a meaningful stake in the future of artificial intelligence. Through coordinated investments and shared learning across fields including labor, democracy, education, the arts, and security, the partnership supports a people-centered AI ecosystem—one that reflects the perspectives, concerns, and creativity of workers, artists, communities, and the public.
NYC Workforce Funders Collaborative
The New York City Workforce Funders Collaborative (NYCWF) aims to strengthen NYC’s workforce development ecosystem for low-income New Yorkers. Housed at the New York Community Trust, NYCWF is comprised of senior leaders from 12 contributing foundations who engage in collective grantmaking and ecosystem-wide convening to address systemic challenges, reduce fragmentation, and advance effective pathways across the City’s myriad education and workforce systems. Since 2001, the collaborative has awarded more than $20 million to support programs, research, and policy efforts that promote robust, coherent, and effective workforce development systems for low-income New Yorkers.
Opportunity AI
Opportunity AI is a collaborative community of more than 100 professionals from over 50 philanthropic organizations working to advance economic mobility through the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The partnership supports shared learning, funder collaboration, and the development of multi-donor initiatives by increasing access to technical expertise, surfacing practical use cases, and strengthening connections between funders and practitioners. Through convenings, learning sessions, and joint projects, Opportunity AI helps build the capacity of the impact sector to engage AI in ways that expand opportunity and economic inclusion.
PIT.Fund
Public Interest Technology Infrastructure Fund is a collaborative funding partnership (current and previous members have included Ford Foundation, Pivotal Venture, Schmidt Futures, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation) that pools philanthropic resources to strengthen the capacity of the public interest technology ecosystem to develop and use technology in service of the public interest. The Fund supports organizations building the infrastructure needed for more effective, equitable, and accountable technology, prioritizing approaches that advance justice, broaden participation, and enable learning and scale across the field.
PIT-UN
Public Interest Technology–University Network (PIT-UN) is a collaborative higher education network, fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund, that supports universities in advancing public interest technology through education, workforce development, and applied practice. The partnership convenes institutions through regional hubs, student-led Tech for Change Hackathons, working groups, and an annual summit, creating space to share learning, seed collaboration, and pilot new approaches. Together, these efforts help cultivate the next generation of civic-minded technologists and strengthen the infrastructure connecting higher education, communities, and the public interest.
Tech Together
Tech Together is our annual convening for the public interest technology ecosystem, designed as a structured space for capital allocators to build relationships, share knowledge, and align efforts across the field. In 2025, with support from co-hosts and sponsors including the GitLab Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Public Interest Technology Infrastructure Fund, and Siegel Family Endowment, the convening focused on strengthening connection across boundaries, expanding collective imagination about the futures technology can enable, and building shared capacity to move from vision to action.