Zendesk Foundation Announces 2025 Impact Award Winners

The Zendesk Foundation has announced the winners of its fourth annual Tech for Good Impact Awards, recognizing nonprofits using technology to deliver scalable and sustainable social impact. The 2025 class of winners was selected from more than 500 global applications spanning education, conservation, humanitarian response, and digital inclusion.

Recipients will receive access to Zendesk’s AI-powered customer-service platform as well as financial grants, enabling them to expand their reach, scale operations, and increase effectiveness. 

Highlighted among the winners are: 

Global Winners

• Disaster Accountability Project – Improves disaster-response transparency and coordination. Will use Zendesk AI Agents to enhance its SmartResponse platform for real-time collaboration between donors, volunteers, and local partners.
• Blue Marine Foundation – Global marine conservation group working to protect at least 30 % of the world’s oceans by 2030. Will integrate AI Agents to gather field data and manage dashboards tracking marine-protected-area outcomes.
• Respond Crisis Translation – Network of translators and interpreters providing multilingual services to migrants and refugees. Plans to use Zendesk AI Agents to extend coverage to 200 + languages and improve coordination for humanitarian partners.
• Kobo – Open-source data-collection and analysis platform serving 30 000 + organizations worldwide. Will implement Zendesk AI to support faster response and data-driven decision-making for humanitarian and development operations.

Latin America

• RET International – Works with youth and women in communities affected by violence, conflict, and disaster. Will use Zendesk’s case-management tools and dashboards to monitor education, protection, and employment outcomes.

Europe, Middle East & Africa

• She Code Africa – A pan-African nonprofit closing the gender gap in tech. Will develop an AI-powered community-support system to enhance mentorship and training experiences for girls and women.
• Madhi Foundation – India-based organization focused on improving foundational learning. Will use AI Agents to operate a multilingual parent help-desk supporting families and educators in Tamil Nadu.

United States

• USAHello – U.S. nonprofit offering free multilingual online resources for immigrants and refugees. Will use Zendesk AI to track misinformation trends and strengthen community outreach.
• California Academy of Sciences – World-renowned science and education institution advancing regenerative practices. Will modernize its internal support systems using Zendesk Employee Service Tools to improve collaboration and outreach to underrepresented youth in STEM.

Since its launch in 2018, Zendesk’s Tech for Good program has supported more than 110 nonprofits and contributed over US $50 million in software, services, and grants to help mission-driven organizations scale their impact.

“Technology — when aligned with purpose — has the power to accelerate the work of organizations tackling the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Dr. Tiph Turpin, Vice President of Global Communications & Social Impact and President of the Zendesk Foundation.

Source: Adapted from a press release distributed via PR Newswire on behalf of Zendesk — November 12, 2025.