Rockefeller Foundation Pledges $10M to Scale IRC's AI-Powered Crisis Solutions

Event summary

  • $10M multi-year commitment from Rockefeller Foundation to IRC's Airbel Impact Lab for AI-driven humanitarian solutions.
  • Focus on scaling innovations for 213M people in 20 conflict-affected countries with failing systems.
  • Aims to address 23% drop in official development assistance between 2024-2025.
  • Innovations include AI immunization tools, next-gen diagnostics, maternal health interventions, and anticipatory action models.
  • Partnership leverages Rockefeller's convening power and IRC's operational expertise to mobilize public-private financing.

The big picture

This partnership addresses the growing concentration of poverty in fragile states amid declining aid funding. By combining AI technology with rigorous evidence-based approaches, the initiative aims to demonstrate a new model for humanitarian action that connects innovation with systems change. The $10M commitment reflects a strategic shift toward leveraging technology to address systemic failures in humanitarian response.

What we're watching

Scaling Challenges
Whether IRC can transition promising innovations from pilot stage to national and global adoption.
Financing Models
How the partnership will mobilize new forms of public and private financing for humanitarian solutions.
Impact Measurement
The pace at which measurable results will be delivered in conflict-affected settings.