TL;DR
Microsoft’s Ai123 programme has trained over 61,000 people across 4,000 UK charities in AI fundamentals, whilst the complementary Charity AI Leadership Accelerator has helped 100 charity leaders develop governance frameworks. Participants are using their new skills to reduce administrative burdens and improve service delivery.
Addressing the Charity Digital Skills Gap
The Charity Digital Skills Report 2025 revealed a significant disconnect: whilst most charities express strong interest in using AI, lack of confidence and leadership guidance prevents them from maximising the technology’s potential. With over 170,000 charities registered in England and Wales, many smaller organisations lack the time and resources to navigate AI implementation safely.
“Charities play an increasingly critical role in our society supporting those most in need but are under increasing pressure to deliver services with increasing costs and funding challenges,” says Charles Eales, Microsoft UK’s AI National Skills Director. “AI has the potential to be a gamechanger for the charity sector but only if they have both the tools and the skills.”
Two Programmes, Complementary Approaches
The Ai123 programme, created by Neighbourly with Microsoft support, offers free one-hour webinars introducing AI basics and responsible use. Participants receive interactive tools, lesson-plan templates, and digital certificates. The “train the trainer” philosophy has proven remarkably effective—charity leaders are passing their learning to an average of 14 colleagues each, potentially benefiting up to 1.5 million people through improved efficiency.
The Charity AI Leadership Accelerator, developed by Zoe Amar Digital, focuses on governance and strategic implementation. Over four 90-minute sessions, trustees and senior teams learn to drive AI implementation ethically and effectively. The programme achieved a 94.1% confidence lift among participants, with 82.4% rating it “excellent.”
Practical Applications Emerging
Bristol-based charity Empowering Futures described the impact as transformative: “The amount of administration work we will be able to do in minutes instead of hours is astounding.”
Charities are now using entry-level AI tools to draft grant applications faster, improve communication consistency, and reduce administrative overhead—freeing staff to focus on their core mission.
Looking Forward
This initiative contributes to Microsoft’s broader commitment to provide AI skills to a million people by 2025—a target already surpassed, with 1.3 million trained to date. For UK charities facing persistent funding pressures, practical AI adoption offers a genuine pathway to doing more with less.
Source: Microsoft UK Stories