With the rise of AI, Candid continues delivering philanthropy news with context 

Since 1995, Candid’s Philanthropy News Digest has kept readers informed about the priorities of grantmakers, the activities of nonprofits, and evolving trends across the sector. Today, Candid and PND are working to leverage AI technologies to deliver news with even greater speed, depth, and precision. That work includes the use of machine learning to deliver a regularly refreshed news feed in tandem with our daily digest of the latest top stories, and that use of technology will only expand in the future.  

As AI changes how we gather and share information, Candid is excited about how these technologies can enhance our news offerings. But our commitment remains the same: to ensure that the news we provide is accurate, responsible, relevant, thoughtfully curated, and deeply rooted in context. 

Why Candid shares news about the social sector 

The news Candid shares is not simply the latest grantmaker-to-grantee transactions; it complements and contextualizes our rich repository of data, illuminating the relationships between philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. By providing timely examples of philanthropy in action, we help our audience see beyond numbers and statistics. Whether it’s a foundation tackling climate change or a nonprofit addressing food insecurity, the stories of organizations and individuals making a difference brings our data to life, providing a real-time context for the data we collect and share with the sector.  

But delivering philanthropy news is more than assembling stories and headlines. It’s a practice of thoughtfully preparing information for everyday use, balancing detail and brevity as well as currency and relevance.  

News provides immediate value when it is timely and actionable, but the deeper impact is its ability to reflect broader trends across the sector—whether identifying new areas of philanthropic interest or analyzing emerging nonprofit strategies. 

As we leverage AI to increase and improve the news we deliver, curation and precision are key. We must prioritize stories that matter most to our readers, filter out the noise, and focus on what is essential. And while the speed of delivering news is important, ensuring accuracy and providing context takes time—and requires human editors.  

The promise of AI for philanthropy news 

One of the most exciting aspects of the widespread availability of AI technologies is that it frees people from routine tasks like data collection and categorization. AI allows us to accelerate access to the latest news, ideally without sacrificing the quality of the content. By using AI models to surface more meaningful philanthropy news, we can focus on curation and ensuring accuracy. 

AI models must, however, emulate thoughtful high-quality journalism as they are trained to learn by example from existing data. Training an AI tool is no passive exercise and requires real people with experience and discernment to help our new tools avoid bias and misinformation. The more we teach AI what good reporting looks like, the better it becomes at identifying and delivering news that meets our standards. Over time, this will enable us to provide even more targeted, relevant content to our readers. 

Even as AI becomes more sophisticated, the role of trusted sources remains critical. At Candid, a data-first organization, we understand the importance of vetting our news carefully, given how misinformation—or simply inaccurate reporting—spreads quickly in the world of digital news.  

Our editors filter out inaccuracies and unintentional mistakes. They evaluate the provenance of the information we publish, ensuring that it is timely, correct, truthful, and well sourced. AI can assist in this process, but there are certain judgments—like the integrity of a source or the quality of reporting—that only experienced editors can make. 

What AI means for the future of philanthropy news  

As Candid’s exploration of AI solutions continues to evolve—and as our capacity to improve the tools we develop expands—our ability to assemble and deliver relevant, important, and timely philanthropy news, while curbing misinformation, will only get better. Algorithms will be able to curate content more effectively, and AI will likely improve its ability to present news with style and clarity. In the future, we’re likely to see AI learn to anticipate trends in philanthropy, providing even more valuable insights for the social sector. 

But limitations remain. AI cannot yet identify untapped value in resources it has yet to explore or consider in a new context; it cannot yet recommend stories outside its immediate view or surface indirectly related content to deepen understanding. This is where human editors will continue to shine; they bring an intuition and experience that technology has yet to replicate. If done right, AI will serve as a powerful complement that increases the efficiency of the work that writers and editors already do.  

This partnership between human expertise and AI can create a richer, more insightful news experience. Our very human team at Candid is working to ensure that the news is not only timely and comprehensive, but continues to provide the insight, context, and knowledge that nonprofits need to succeed in their missions.