£20,000 was donated in April 2025 to CAST.
CAST offer support to UK charities, showing them how to make the fullest use of digital and AI technologies, to be as responsive and resilient as possible.
The project we funded was to empower 50 health and social care organisations to critically engage with AI. Support was delivered online through a mixture of learning sessions and peer sessions. They also gave free access to specific resources and support to encourage participants to use, explore and question the use of AI.
Who did the money help?
111 health and social care organisations signed up to critically engage with AI. Our grant enabled CAST to more than double their target to reach 50 organisations.
AI is having a huge influence on how people search for information; what information they trust and how people engage with information and advice. Building the capacity of these organisations, who often have small budgets, to keep up with AI developments is crucial for the sector to thrive.
Key feedback from participants
92% of participants rated the sessions as ‘highly useful’ for their work and strategy; giving a Net Promoter Score of +69 (exceeding the ‘excellent’ threshold) and 94% would recommend to colleagues in the sector. Whilst this is the start of their AI journey, they’re now more confident in safely exploring the use of AI in their work and for their communities.
One participant commented,
“I’m completely transformed… ready to emerge as a butterfly.”
Observations learned from delivering this project
The speed of development in AI is rapid and CAST report that the way that charities engage with it is uneven. Two particularly important things: engaging with AI is currently led by individuals own interest, rather than structured through organisational planning cycles. This means there’s a broadening of AI engagement across charities which presents difficulty for leaders to create strategic and operational alignment.
Second – engaging with AI is still incredibly emotionally charged, with people excited, concerned, resistant and curious. Again, this makes it difficult to make collective progress.
Finally – there’s a growing demand for trusted support and advice – not only resources and expert sessions, but peer spaces where charity practitioners can learn from each other.
If you are a charity that wants trusted guidance and resources around using AI visit www.wearecast.org.uk for free learning opportunities and support resources.