The Promethean Collective was founded on a simple but urgent observation: Civil Society—the charities, unions, faith groups, and grassroots networks that safeguard the common good—is unprepared for the AI age. While governments and corporations race ahead, over 10 million Civil Society organizations worldwide lack the tools, training, and voice to shape how AI develops and affects their communities. We exist to close that gap, transforming passive anxiety into informed agency so Civil Society can help shape the future of AI rather than merely endure it.

Our work is built on four interdependent pillars to help Civil Society keep its bearings amidst the turbulence of AI. Educate (the spinning rotor) provides the essential energy and momentum that ensures CSOs are confident consumers and competent critics of AI. Amplify (the inner gimbal) ensures that knowledge is shared and voices gain impact through coordination with others in Civil Society. Connect (the outer gimbal) builds the strong networks of trust and collaboration with the private & public sectors. Finally, Listen & Measure (the mount) anchors our efforts to reality, ensuring accountability and responsiveness to community needs.

This balanced system is how we cultivate a resilient and coherent Civil Society, ready to shape the future of technology for the common good.

We are a nonpartisan, policy-agnostic nonprofit—we don't prescribe outcomes, we build capacity. Our role isn't to champion specific regulations or ethical stances, but to ensure Civil Society has the competence, confidence, and seat at the table to apply their own values and perspectives to AI governance. Through mission-locked governance, participatory decision-making, and financial independence, we remain accountable to Civil Society rather than any single funder or ideology, serving as trusted infrastructure for responsible AI development that serves the common good.

We are guided by five core values that shape every decision we make. We practice epistemic humility, celebrating the learning that happens when we acknowledge we were wrong—because in periods of technological upheaval, certainty is dangerous and overconfidence a liability. We champion plurality and representation, learning most from those who see the world differently, creating spaces where diverse worldviews can genuinely contest rather than rubber-stamp predetermined consensus. We believe in empowerment through understanding—not just surface awareness but the deep, practical knowledge that enables Civil Society to engage as equals in complex technical and policy discussions. We maintain impartiality and independence, creating trusted neutral spaces for open dialogue free from state control or market pressures, serving the democratic process itself rather than predetermined outcomes. Above all, we operate with integrity—aligning our actions with our values, practicing the participatory governance we advocate, and holding ourselves accountable through an independent Ombudsperson who conducts annual reviews of where we've fallen short.

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