Free AI Training Courses for UK Charities

We're a charity that's been building AI since 2022 and delivering free AI training courses for non profits since early 2023. More than 50% of learners rate our courses 10/10.  With support from Microsoft, Charity Excellence Learning:

• Equips anyone with the AI skills they need to use it effectively and to keep themselves and their non profit safe.
• Support individuals in achieving their career aspirations by training them in the key skills they will need in the near future to be successful in an AI enabled world.
• Enable those who won't use AI, to keep themself and others safe. As a minimum, everyone in your organisation needs to know the basics of how to stay safe from cyber attacks, scams, deepfakes and misinformation.

Why AI Training for Charities is Urgently Needed

We have been using our data systems to track AI adoption within the charity sector since January 2025.

It is a huge opportunity but the metrics we track have barely improved and, currently, only one of the 13 indicators is at green and 8 are at red. We are not yet able to exploit the benefits of AI and are at increasing risk of not being able to manage the impact of AI effectively and safely.  Moreover, opting out is not an option.  AI is being built into everything, much not even visible and there are the growing risks from AI scams, disinformation and deepfakes.

Those most at risk are the vulnerable, many of whom are charity beneficiaries. With support and funding from Microsoft, we have built a completely free AI training programme to meet that need.

AI Training for Everyone

Our AI courses are for anyone. From making everyone aware of the threats from phishing e mails, to comms safeguarding against deepfakes, finance spotting cloning scams and fundraisers using AI effectively to find and secure income, through to senior management and the Board understanding the new ethical and oversight issues that AI brings.  We all need some knowledge.  The programme meets all of the above needs and requires no digital or tech expertise to complete. Our aim is to give anyone the confidence and skills to not only benefit from using AI but also to keep themselves, others and their organisations safe.

Supporting Your Career Aspirations

AI will change and be fundamental to the majority of roles in the near future.  Our free courses enable you to acquire the AI skills you need to progress your career, by providing a range of certificated training.  You can start knowing nothing and progress as far as you wish, because our courses give you the confidence and skills to progress to more advanced AI learning. Each not only has downloads and links to resources but also links to other relevant free AI training from expert organisations, such as Microsoft, the ICO and NCSC. These enable you to either widen your AI learning into new areas and/or progress to more advanced, in-depth learning.

AI Course Content

Each course takes about 45 mins but is delivered in short units you can take at any time and at your own pace.  It comprises short lessons, demo videos, tasks, quizzes, infographics and checklists you can download, as well as links to other resources and further free AI training courses.  For a selection of all the courses available, visit our Microsoft AI Training Course web page.

AI Training Courses - Programme & Launch Dates

You can order and pre-order all of our courses via the Charity Excellence Learning website.

• An Introduction to AI.  Gain a clear understanding of how AI works, what AI can do, and how to use it safely and effectively in everyday tasks.
  • It is suitable for anyone who will oversee or manage AI, or who wants to know more about it.

Very clear, concise and easy to understand/follow. I can't think what would make it better as an intro - felt like it covered everything!

• Getting Started Using AI. Gain the confidence and practical skills to use AI effectively, including AI’s strengths and weaknesses, writing prompts, improving your results and troubleshooting any problems you may have.
  • This course is for anyone who wants to use AI, such as Microsoft Copilot.
• AI Safety for Everyone. Understand how AI is being used to attack and exploit individuals and organisations, and learn simple, practical steps to keep yourself, others and your organisation safe from these threats, such as deepfakes, scams, misinformation/disinformation and slop.
  • We're all at risk but this course is particularly important if you are working with those at greater risk.
    • For example, vulnerable people, women and children, and groups such as our Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQI+ communities.
• Understanding AI Risks. Understand how AI is changing the risks you and your organisation face, and learn simple, practical steps to keep yourself, others and your organisation safe.
  • • It contains essential knowledge if you are involved in running an organisation (no matter how small) but will be of benefit to anyone.
• Fundraising With AI: How to Use AI to Find Funders.  How to use AI confidently and effectively to search for funders, including all the information you'll need. It would be useful to have completed the Understanding AI course first but you do not need fundraising experience.
  • • It is for anyone who is involved in researching or sourcing charitable funding and/or writing funding bids, both professionals and amateurs.
    • The funding bid part of the course contains information of value to grant makers.

• Jan 26. How to Write Effective Funding Bids Using AI. This course teaches anyone how to write the kind of comprehensive but human centric funding bids that grant makers will want to receive. It would be useful to have completed the Understanding AI course first but you do not need fundraising experience. For fundraisers, those managing fundraising and grants makers.
• Feb 26: AI Made Simple for Boards and Managers. AI ethics and governance, including risks and responsibilities, how to guide safe, ethical, and practical AI adoption and what you need to know and do about updating existing policies and procedures, training and supporting your people.
  • It contains essential knowledge for directors and management of even very small organisations and others involved in AI oversight and/or procurement.
• Feb 26. Planning for the Future: Making AI Work for Your Organisation.  To help boards and managers confidently plan for the future in an AI-enabled world, how the world of work is changing and practical steps to take in leading and supporting their people.
• Mar 26. AI: Meetings Made Smarter. How to safeguard against bot attacks and how to select and use an AI note taker to make your meetings more efficient and ensure data protection compliance.
  • For trustees, managers and anyone running a meeting.
• Mar 26. AI and Fundraising Compliance.  The Fundraising Regulator will be issuing AI guidance in Dec 25 (I think).  Once available, it'll be turned into a course.
  • For fundraisers and those managing fundraising.

Most training can be pre-ordered now by going to learning.charityexcellence.co.uk and creating an account, logging in and ordering courses.  You'll be notified by e mail as each is made available.

Scaling Sector AI Training

We do not have the technical expertise to create courses for every aspect of AI use and we recognise that larger organisations may need/want more control over their training provision.

• Learner tracking - we can issue codes for larger organisations that enable them to track progress of their learners.
• Social Franchising
  • Large Organisations - we will licence our IP, content and materials to larger organisations that wish to create and run their own branded courses.
  • Expert organisations - we will support organisations to create their own online learning in specialist areas to be hosted by Charity Excellence Learning and promoted through our networks.

Our aim is to catalyse the rapid adoption of AI, not to generate funding. However, commercial companies would be expected to contribute financially and non profits to meet any costs that we would incur in supporting them.

Find the Funding and Free Help Your Charity Needs

A registered charity ourselves, the CEF works for any non profit, not just charities.

• Funding Finder - with categories for Core Cost Funding and Small Charities & Community Groups.
• Help Finder – find anything for free, including companies that make financial donations and raffle prizes.
• Data Finder – for fundraising bids & research, impact reporting, planning and campaigning.

Plus, 60+ policies, 8 online health checks and the huge resource base.

Quick, simple and very effective.

Find Funding, Free Help & Resources - Everything Is Free.

Register Now!

AI Training Video Production​

A huge thank you to Big Picture Charity Films for their advice, expertise and production of our video content.  This made  a huge difference and, because we could not possibly afford to pay full commercial production rates, their support has made our courses possible. The funding we were able to provide will be used by them to offer even more free films for charities, which is what they do!  How good is that!?

Thank You.  Our thanks also to everyone in our community testing group and Aliza Uppal whose input into this page and draft programme enabled us to improve both.