Zendesk Foundation Unveils 2025 Tech for Good Impact Award Winners Driving Meaningful Change

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Zendesk Foundation's Tech for Good program announced the winners of its fourth annual Global Impact Awards. These inspiring nonprofit organizations will receive funding and access to Zendesk's AI-powered customer service platform, providing them with uninterrupted, 24/7 support, and the advanced technology needed to increase their impact in the communities they serve.

"Our Impact Awards recognize, amplify, and equip changemakers with our leading AI-powered technology and vital financial resources to create a lasting, positive change in their communities," said Dr. Tiph Turpin, vice president of global communications and social impact, and president, Zendesk Foundation. "This program is important to us because technology, when aligned with purpose, has the power to expedite the work of organizations tackling some of the world's most pressing challenges."

Empowering Change Together
This year, the Tech for Good Impact Awards received over 500 applications – the highest number in the program's history – demonstrating the lasting influence of the awards on past recipients. The selected nonprofit organizations were chosen due to their unwavering commitment to scaling their impact, addressing social and environmental challenges, creating pathways into technology for underrepresented groups, and fostering resilience during times of crises.

The 2025 Impact Award winners are:

Global

• Disaster Accountability Project , an independent nonprofit dedicated to improving effectiveness and efficiency in disaster relief and humanitarian aid, will use AI Agents to transform its SmartResponse platform. This transformation will allow donors to easily engage and support locally-led and last-mile organizations without any disruptions, facilitate requests for capacity building and mentoring support services through one centralized interface that allows coordination and fulfillment across our global team of skilled volunteers, and allow organizations to share essential data through a chat interface instead of only requiring more traditional surveys.
  
  
• Blue Marine Foundation , a global marine conservation charity working to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, will use AI Agents to enhance its research on technology use in marine protected areas (MPAs). Specifically, Zendesk software and funding will be used to conduct surveys, collate data and house dashboards tracking technology use, barriers to adoption and opportunities to enhance marine protection. This will help collate the voices of MPA practitioners and inform technology integration within MPAs across the globe.
  
  
• Respond Crisis Translation , a global network of translators and interpreters that supports migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, will use AI Agents to resolve issues remotely, reduce disruptions, and support clients and partners in 200+ languages. Zendesk's technology and grant will expand its team's capacity and ensure refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors are not left without critical language support.
  
  
• Kobo , a leading open-source platform for data collection and analysis in humanitarian and development contexts, will use AI Agents to enhance its service delivery to more than 32,000 organizations that use KoboToolbox to better serve crisis-affected communities and vulnerable populations in more than 220 countries. AI Agents will help Kobo's global remote team to better support humanitarian response, public health, human rights, conservation, and development efforts worldwide, ensuring that field users working in challenging environments receive the assistance they need to serve affected communities effectively.

Latin America

• RET International , a nonprofit that supports communities made vulnerable by violence, conflict, and disaster, with a focus on youth and women, will use Zendesk to streamline its case management. This will enable youth-led community help desks and utilize data dashboards to track needs, expanding access to education, protection, employability, and participation for displaced and vulnerable youth.

Europe, Middle East & Africa

• She Code Africa , a nonprofit closing the gender gap in Africa's tech ecosystem by equipping girls and women with digital skills, mentorship, and career opportunities, will use AI Agents to build a robust community support system that manages queries, streamlines learner engagement, and improves the overall participant experience.
  
  
• Madhi Foundation , a nonprofit reimagining public education in India by tackling the urgent challenge of foundational learning, will use AI Agents to power a multilingual Parent Helpdesk in Tamil Nadu, giving millions of parents timely guidance to support learning at home and strengthen engagement with schools.

Americas (US) 

• USA Hello , an online hub providing multilingual resources to help immigrants, will use AI Agents to track misinformation trends and coordinate community responses.
  
  
• California Academy of Sciences , a leading scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration, will use Zendesk Employee Service to transform its internal request processes and streamline collaboration efforts.

"Being recognized with a Tech for Good Impact Award is so much more than financial support," said Mark Ruffo, PhD, chief advancement officer at California Academy of Sciences. "It represents a meaningful investment in the California Academy of Sciences's transformative education programs for young people who have been historically excluded from STEM pathways. Zendesk's support will help ignite curiosity, transfer knowledge, and inspire deeper connections to the natural world for learners of all ages."

Since 2018, the Zendesk Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm that connects its people, products, and resources with nonprofit organizations addressing complex social problems, has partnered with nearly 110 organizations from a diverse range of sectors, spanning from education to social justice. The Foundation has invested over $50 million in software donations, reaffirming its commitment to powering exceptional service for every individual around the globe, leaving no one behind.

Tech for Good Impact Award recipients were chosen through a multi-stage review process, including evaluation by a panel of experts. To learn more about Zendesk Foundation's Tech for Good Impact Award Winners, visit here.

About Zendesk
Zendesk powers exceptional service for every person on the planet. As a leader in AI-powered service, we offer the Zendesk Resolution Platform, designed to redefine customer experience with advanced tools that integrate AI Agents, a comprehensive knowledge graph, actions and integrations, governance and control, measurement and insights, and human expertise. Our purpose-built platform enhances service by combining automation and human insight for seamless interactions. Easy to use, easy to scale, and easy to get value from, Zendesk helps companies strengthen relationships, improve efficiency, and grow. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.

SOURCE Zendesk, Inc.