Propel brings artificial intelligence to nonprofits in the Southern Cone, with the support of Google.org.

Thousands of nonprofits in the region work to bridge gaps. Propel, with the support of Google.org, is bringing the Nonprofit Academy to the Southern Cone: an AI training program for them to scale their impact.

Argentina has one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world: 65% of its population already use this technology for learning and working. Chile leads Latin America with 70.5 points in the AI literacy index. But in both countries, there's a paradox that no one is addressing: social organizations—those working with the most vulnerable populations—are being left out of this transformation. In Latin America, less than 11% of foundations have strategically integrated AI.

"In Latin America, 76% of nonprofits want to digitize—but only 6% succeed. The gap isn't one of conviction; it's one of execution. The Nonprofit Academy exists to close it and to ensure AI is no longer a privilege of large corporations," said Claudia Belmont, CEO and co-founder of Propel.

Today, Propel, with the support of Google.org, is bringing the Nonprofit Academy to more nonprofits in the Southern Cone: the academy dedicated to training Latin America's social sector in AI. Through practical courses, it trains leaders and teams to strategically integrate digital tools and scale their impact. This is part of a grant of US$1 million from Google.org to reach 1,000 NGOs across Hispanic America.

"The ecosystem of social organizations in Latin America is the engine that drives support for our communities. However, despite their immense conviction to innovate, we know that many NGOs face significant barriers to adopting new technologies. With Google.org's funding for Propel, our goal is to democratize access to Artificial Intelligence and ensure that the third sector doesn't fall behind in this digital transformation, providing them with the necessary skills to scale their missions," affirmed Verónica Gebhardt, Manager of Google.org for Latin America and Canada.

Propel held 'AI for Social Impact' on May 27 to train Argentine social organizations in AI. The event brought together over 70 social sector leaders at Fundación Navarro Viola with an expert panel and a practical AI workshop.

Tamar Colodenco, Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for Google's Southern Cone, added: "AI is not just technology—it's an impact multiplier. With our support for Propel's Nonprofit Academy, we aim for Argentine social organizations to stop investing energy in operational processes and focus it on what truly matters: transforming lives. Argentina already leads AI adoption in the region; today, we are ensuring that this leadership also reaches the sector that needs it most."

In Chile, the event was held on June 5 at Fundación Mustakis. Over 170 social sector leaders joined to explore how AI can transform the work of their organizations.

"AI has the power to give social organizations back their most valuable resource: time and the ability to generate value for society. Chile has demonstrated its capacity to be at the forefront of technological adoption—through our support for Propel's Nonprofit Academy, we want that advantage to also benefit the foundations and social organizations working for the most vulnerable," affirmed Cristóbal Lea-Plaza, Public Policy and Government Relations Manager for Google Chile. 

Interested nonprofits can access the program at: propelacademy.org

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About Propel: Propel accelerates the impact of social organizations in Latin America with AI and talent. Learn more at: wepropel.org

About Google.org: Google.org applies Google's innovation, research, and resources to advance progress and expand opportunities for all people.

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