Sustainable AI in Philanthropy

Used well, AI can lower the environmental impact of grant administration by cutting travel, printing and rework while using efficient cloud services.

• Digital workflows replace paper and postage.
• Remote reviews reduce travel to panel meetings.
• Efficient models run only where they add value.

Practical steps for greener grantmaking

Optimise the process before optimising the model.

• Move to e‑signatures and online guidance.
• Schedule asynchronous reviews with shared workspaces.
• Monitor compute usage and cache results where appropriate.

Key takeaway: sustainability starts with lean processes.

Choosing responsible vendors

Assess hosting, data centres and model choices.

• Prefer providers with renewable‑energy commitments.
• Use region‑hosted data to cut transfer overheads.
• Select right‑sized models and avoid unnecessary calls.

Key takeaway: Plinth designs features for efficiency and proportionate use.

Measuring and reporting impact

Track what changes and share progress openly.

• Paper saved, travel avoided and time reduced.
• Include sustainability in board dashboards.
• Set targets for continuous improvement.

Key takeaway: small operational changes add up across portfolios.

FAQs

Isn’t AI energy intensive?

Training large models is, but using efficient hosted models for targeted tasks can reduce overall impact.

How do we avoid over‑use?

Set policies for when AI is appropriate and monitor usage.

Can charities access the same efficiencies?

Yes. Applicant portals and templates cut duplication for grantees too.