Last Call: Submissions to the New Commons Challenge Close 2 June

On 14 April 2025, The Open Data Policy Lab, a collaboration between The GovLab at New York University and Microsoft, launched the New Commons Challenge. This innovation challenge is an initiative aimed at advancing data commons for responsible AI development in service of the public good.

With only five days left to apply — the deadline being June 2, 2025 at 11:59 PM PT–prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their concept notes for the chance to receive $100,000 in funding. Two winning organizations will be awarded grants to build data commons that drive ethical, impactful AI innovation.

Addressing an Urgent Need

As generative AI has grown more visible in society, there have been growing questions about how this tool can be used to address pressing social challenges. However, building these tools to produce meaningful results requires diverse, high-quality, and responsibly shared data.

As the Open Data Policy Lab noted in its Blueprint to Unlock New Data Commons for AI, data commons offer just this opportunity. These collaboratively governed data ecosystems that responsibly share high-quality, diverse datasets allow data suppliers to provide data to address urgent needs in ways that align with their needs and expectations.

The New Commons Challenge is, thus, an attempt to put research into practice and data into action.

“By enabling new models of data stewardship, we aim to support AI applications that save lives, strengthen communities, and enhance local decision-making where it matters most,” said The GovLab Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer Stefaan Verhulst in the launch of the New Commons Challenge.

Submitting Your Application

With only a few days left to submit an application, The New Commons Challenge Team has developed a variety of resources to help potential applicants.

In addition to the main site, which describes the Challenge and its focus, our team has created a FAQ page to respond to recurring questions that have arisen over the past few weeks. These range from questions around eligibility, the process itself, partnerships and scope, and the evaluation criteria.

We have also published a recording of one of our Challenge webinars, which ran through the Challenge and gave registered participants a chance to ask questions about the grant opportunity. That recording can be found on our website here.

Additional questions and concerns can be directed to our email at newcommons@opendatapolicylab.org. We will be closely watching this address over the next few days to ensure we answer all incoming queries.

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The New Commons Challenge closes in five days but offers an exciting opportunity to build data commons that support the public interest. We urge you not to miss this opportunity to shape the future of data and AI for the public good.

Learn more and apply now at newcommons.ai.