15 April 2026
by Jonathan Andrews
The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved the transition of the GovAI Coalition into an independent non-profit organisation.
Khaled Tawfik, CIO/Director at the City of San Jose, said the decision marks a “major strategic milestone”.
“Moving to a non-profit model ensures long-term sustainability and unlocks access to philanthropic funding, positioning the Coalition to continue growing and supporting government agencies nationwide,” he said.
San José created the GovAI Coalition in November 2023, convening around 50 government agencies to address shared concerns around artificial intelligence, including data privacy, vendor transparency and governance.
The coalition publicly launched in March 2024, releasing policy templates, an AI factsheet and guidance documents to support AI adoption across government.
It now includes more than 3,000 members across over 900 government agencies.
“What started as a vision has grown into a thriving community … setting a new standard for government collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation at the pace of AI. At a time when the AI landscape is evolving rapidly, this kind of collective effort is more important than ever,” Tawfik said.
The coalition focuses on collaboration across local, state and federal agencies, with workstreams covering governance, procurement and implementation.
It also launched an AI Contract Hub in partnership with Pavilion, providing contract templates, cooperative agreements and procurement guidance to government agencies.
Tawfik said the transition receives support from the mayor, Matt Mahan, the city council and city manager, Jennifer Maguire.
The coalition plans to share further updates at its AI Summit in December, Tawfik added.
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