PRNewswire
Singapore, November 11: AVPN, Asia's largest platform for social impact, today announced the 28 organisations selected as local implementing partners joining phase three of the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, supported by Google.org and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The new cohort expands the Fund's AI skills training into classrooms and workplaces across 19 markets, including through organisations participating in AI Ready ASEAN led by ASEAN Foundation.
Most of the new local implementing partners will work directly with K-12 teachers, university students and faculty, extending the Fund beyond today's workforce to the educators shaping the next generation of workers. By building AI fluency among teachers and faculty, phase three is designed to carry that capability through successive cohorts of students. Other local implementing partners will reach healthcare workers, agricultural and service-sector workers, as well as employees of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
More information on the phase three organisations are here. Among the organisations receiving funding are:
- Pratham Education Foundation (India) – works across schools and communities to improve education and prepare children and young people for a changing world. Pratham will train teachers to use AI critically in the classroom, adapting and localising content including Experience AI and Google for Education for its learners, alongside practical skills such as understanding when not to rely on AI tools.
- JA Korea (South Korea) – has trained 11,000 teachers over six years, and will pair Google's AI training with formal certification for public school educators, with dedicated outreach to rural teachers. Classroom results will also feed into policy convenings with ministry officials, aiming to institutionalise national K-12 AI education policy, with dedicated outreach to give rural teachers equal access.
- AI Edu Corp (Vietnam) – a pioneer in digital skills training in Vietnam, AI Edu Corp has trained nearly 150,000 educators, students and workers since 2019. It has existing partnerships with Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training and will support efforts to embed AI literacy into teacher standards nationwide.
"AI tools are already entering classrooms and workplaces across Asia-Pacific. The challenge now is making sure people have the skills to use them well, and the judgement to know when not to be overly reliant on them. Phase Three takes that work further into the places where people learn and work, from schools and universities to healthcare, agriculture and small businesses," said Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO at AVPN.
"Local organisations are central to making that happen. They understand the languages, communities and institutions they serve, and can adapt training in ways that a regional programme alone cannot. By also equipping educators, we have an opportunity for that knowledge to carry forward through successive generations of students," she added.
A Single Point of Access to AI Learning
Today, AVPN is also launching the AI Opportunity Learning Platform, AVPN's gateway to AI training programmes across Asia-Pacific. The platform connects learners with AI learning opportunities and resources designed and delivered by trusted local partners. Each programme is tailored to its target learners, kept up to date, and delivered in local languages, helping educators, students, workers, and MSMEs apply AI confidently and responsibly in their own fields.
Available in 16 languages, the platform will recommend a learning pathway based on a short assessment. Certification available upon completion of training. A Gemini-powered assistant will help users navigate the platform, answer questions about it and provide guided learning.
For Phase 3, AVPN has brought on a new strategic partner, the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The Foundation will work with local implementing partners to localise Experience AI content for their markets and languages, while providing training and guidance on using the content. Another new strategic partner is the Ayala Foundation, who will provide access to Google AI learning resources for educators and students in the Philippines. Additionally, Ayala Foundation will support the AI Opportunity Fund's local implementing partners in the Philippines to access more opportunities for organisational growth.
"Access to AI skills depends on whether people can find training that is relevant to them, in a language and setting that works for them. The 28 organisations joining Phase Three bring that local knowledge, whether they are working with teachers, students, healthcare workers or small businesses," said Marija Ralic, Head of Google.org APAC.
"The AI Opportunity Learning Platform extends that approach. By bringing training and local partners together in one place and making it available in 16 languages, we can make it easier for learners across Asia-Pacific to find relevant training and connect with organisations in their market."
Launched in 2024 with a USD 15 million commitment, the Fund received a further USD 10 million in Phase Two in May 2025 and another USD 10 million in Phase Three in May 2026, bringing Google.org's total commitment to USD 35 million.
To date, the Fund has trained more than 850,000 workers and 63,000 small businesses across Asia-Pacific, working through almost 60 local implementing partner organisations and delivering programmes in more than 30 local languages.
About AVPN
AVPN is Asia's largest platform for social impact, where close to 1,000 resource providers, innovators and intermediaries from across 48 markets collaborate to mobilise capital. Grounded in deep regional expertise and partnerships, AVPN is building a thriving ecosystem that accelerates measurable progress toward inclusive growth, empowering Asia to lead the way in global impact. AVPN's mission is to translate intent into impact by bringing together people, ideas, and resources for Asia. We do this by strengthening partnerships, fostering open collaboration, and enabling the coordinated flow of resources across markets and borders. Together with our community, AVPN is building a thriving impact ecosystem that drives a prosperous and inclusive Asia.
For more information about AVPN and our work, please visit our website and read our latest Annual Review.
About Google.org
Google.org, Google's philanthropy, brings the best of Google to help solve some of humanity's biggest challenges combining funding, product donations and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone. We engage nonprofits, social enterprises and civic entities who make a significant impact on the communities they serve, and whose work has the potential to produce scalable, meaningful change.
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