Opportunity through technology
Make AI useful.
Make access
possible.
More independence for people. More capacity for communities.
BrdgFwd exists to turn AI access into greater independence and community capacity. Our first pilot is designed to help underserved adults complete useful tasks on their own and help community organizations reclaim staff time—through practical training, hands-on support and affordable computing.
An initiative of Watson Foundation Incorporated.
Good technology.
More people moving forward.
Purpose-led. Greater independence. Stronger communities.
Practical by design. Measured by what people can do.
Why this work matters / National evidence
Old barriers.
A new AI divide.
Technology creates opportunity when people have the resources to use it. BrdgFwd is building a path for Black and Brown communities, underserved individuals and small businesses to turn AI into useful work—with computing access, practical skills and ongoing support.
The broadband gap persists.
In 2025, home broadband subscription rates were 71% for Black adults and 68% for Hispanic adults, compared with 81% for White adults.
Gaps of 10 and 13 percentage points.
Pew Research Center · 2025 survey ↗
Income shapes access.
Home broadband reached 54% of adults in households earning under $30,000, versus 94% in households earning $100,000 or more.
A 40-percentage-point difference.
Pew Research Center · 2025 survey ↗
Small firms face an AI gap.
Census reported AI use at 37% of firms with 250+ employees, compared with less than 20% of firms with four or fewer.
National firm-size comparison, not owner race.
U.S. Census Bureau · May 2026 analysis ↗
The risk we are working to prevent
Access to computing can determine what people get to build.
Compute means the processing power available through a computer, a shared GPU workstation or cloud services. Running local models and building repeatable AI workflows can require more resources than occasional chatbot use.
Our concern is that unequal access to equipment, paid services and technical support could compound existing economic barriers as AI becomes part of everyday work. That is a risk we aim to reduce, not a measured forecast.
What funding makes possible
Shared resources. Practical results.
We seek support for suitable computers, shared GPU capacity, cloud credits and guided project time. Participants will use resources matched to a real task: prepare job materials, analyze business information or improve a community service.
We will record access barriers at intake and follow up at 30 and 90 days: suitable device and connectivity, available cloud/GPU access, out-of-pocket cost, tasks blocked by cost or capacity, and tasks completed independently. We will report results alongside time saved and cost per successful participant.
See our proposed outcome measures →Sources, context and what we still need to measure
These are national comparisons, not findings about BrdgFwd participants. Pew surveyed U.S. adults Feb. 5–June 18, 2025; its summary was published Jan. 8, 2026. White and Black categories are non-Hispanic, single-race adults; Hispanic adults may be of any race. Broadband subscription does not measure computer ownership or GPU capacity.
Census’s May 26, 2026 analysis covers Dec. 14, 2025–May 3, 2026. It asks about AI use in any business function in the prior two weeks. Firm size is not a proxy for the race of an owner, and AI use is not a measure of compute access.
AI participation is already substantial: Pew’s February 2026 survey found chatbot use among 49% of Black adults, 49% of Hispanic adults and 46% of White adults. These figures do not establish a White-over-Black or Hispanic adoption gap. Read Pew’s June 2026 report ↗
We do not have a verified national estimate of GPU or cloud-computing access by race. Our pilot will measure participants’ actual barriers rather than assume them. Any demographic reporting will use voluntary information and protect small groups from identification. National statistics reviewed September 7, 2026; pilot targets remain proposed.
One connected approach
Access takes more
than a connection.
A powerful tool offers little help without a suitable computer, time to learn or someone to turn to. Our proposed pilot brings learning, practical assistance and computing access together—so participants leave with something useful and the confidence to continue.
AI skills for everyday opportunity.
Guided workshops on understanding information, preparing job materials, organizing work and using AI responsibly. Practice checking outputs, protecting personal information and knowing when a human expert is needed.
Support for community organizations.
Hands-on clinics for small nonprofits and community-serving organizations with limited technical capacity. Start with one routine challenge and create a documented workflow that staff can review and maintain.
Tools people can actually use.
Suitable computers, shared AI workstations and sponsored cloud resources to support the learning and clinic programs. Evaluate equipment for compatibility, usefulness and ongoing cost before putting it into service.
Different communities. Concrete barriers.
Opportunity should
be within reach.
We aim to reach adults and community organizations underserved by existing technology support, including communities facing economic or structural barriers. We will shape a manageable first cohort with community partners and the people the program is intended to serve.
Initial service area, participant selection and delivery partners will be confirmed before enrollment. We welcome prospective partners who understand the needs of their communities.
Help build the first pilot
Your support has
a practical purpose.
Fund the people, tools and ongoing support that make learning possible. We are developing a phased pilot budget and seeking sponsors and partners to shape a responsible launch.
- +Sponsor learning
Support instruction, participant access, learning materials, coordination and evaluation.
- +Offer technology
Contribute suitable computers, complete GPU workstations, cloud resources or software access. Advanced computing requests will be tied to defined program needs.
- +Keep the program working
Help cover connectivity, hosting, maintenance, shipping and responsible administration.
- +Become a delivery partner
Bring participant referrals, space, instructors, technical expertise or community insight.
What success looks like
Measure the change.
Then earn the right to grow.
Our purpose is to expand what people can do and give community organizations more capacity to serve. The first pilot will test whether instruction, practical support and computing access produce useful, lasting change.
Proposed pilot targets—not achieved results. We will finalize cohort size, resources and these thresholds with delivery partners before enrollment, and publish the agreed measures before delivery begins.
80% demonstrate practical AI skills.
Our proposed target is for at least 80% of enrolled learners to independently complete three practical tasks at exit, including checking an AI error and protecting private information, through guided practice and individual support.
20% less time on routine work.
Our proposed target is a median reduction of at least 20% in staff time per selected task, with quality maintained, through a documented workflow that staff can operate and review.
Remove the barrier to a completed task.
Our goal is for every enrolled participant with an identified computing barrier to have a suitable supported device or cloud option and complete the task that brought them to the program.
Establish a baseline.
Record starting skills, task time and access barriers. Assess exit outcomes against the agreed criteria. Attendance and equipment counts describe delivery; the scorecard shows what changed.
Check what lasts.
Follow up on independent use, workflow adoption and remaining barriers at 30 and 90 days. Report response rates and separate observed demonstrations from participant self-reports. Track work or education progress without assuming AI caused it.
Show results and cost.
Publish an aggregate scorecard within 30 days of the 90-day follow-up: targets versus actuals, cohort size, missing data, delivery costs, cost per demonstrated outcome and what we will change. Protect participants’ identities.
These are pilot learning goals, not promises of employment or income. Small cohorts and before-and-after comparisons have limits; we will describe them alongside the results.
Our leadership
Enterprise leadership.
Community purpose.
Mario Watson
Founder & President · Watson Foundation Incorporated
Mario Watson brings enterprise product leadership, commercial growth experience and nonprofit governance to BrdgFwd. He is Vice President of Product Management, Retail Media at Albertsons Companies, with a career built around turning technology strategy into platforms, teams and businesses that scale.
During 18 years at Target, Mario advanced through analytics, digital commerce, software and product leadership. He helped build and scale Target’s billion-dollar retail media business, leading global product teams across advertising platforms, self-service tools, measurement and monetization. His work connects product vision with the operating discipline needed to deliver it: clear priorities, accountable teams and measurable results.
As a director on the Normandale Community College Foundation board, he brings that same perspective to educational access and opportunity. Through Watson Foundation, which he founded in 2017, Mario is now developing BrdgFwd Community AI Lab—bringing practical AI learning, organizational support and computing access to communities with fewer resources.
Why this work matters to Mario. His career was shaped by leaders who took a chance on him, mentors who challenged him and teams that helped him grow. BrdgFwd carries that lesson forward: opportunity takes more than a tool—it takes access, guidance and someone willing to invest in your potential.
After helping large organizations turn technology into measurable growth, Mario is applying that same discipline to community opportunity. His ambition is to help people use AI with independence and judgment, and help community organizations spend more of their time serving people. Success means showing what participants can do afterward, what time organizations recover and whether those gains last.
Explore Mario’s professional background ↗
Career and board affiliations describe Mario’s experience; they do not imply organizational sponsorship.
Our nonprofit foundation
A registered charity.
A clear public purpose.
BrdgFwd Community AI Lab is an initiative of Watson Foundation Incorporated, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Incorporated January 13, 2017 · IRS exemption recognized March 2017 · Public records checked September 7, 2026
Questions from supporters
A thoughtful start.
Is the pilot already running?
The pilot is in development. Enrollment, schedule and launch scope will be confirmed when delivery partners and resources are ready.
Can we offer equipment instead of funding?
Yes—equipment offers are part of the proposed sponsorship process. We will assess whether the system is complete, supported and useful, and whether shipping, power and maintenance are affordable. Please do not send equipment before acceptance is confirmed.
How will AI be used?
We plan to start with practical learning and routine organizational workflows. People will review outputs. Training will cover errors, privacy and appropriate limits; sensitive or consequential decisions remain with qualified people.
How will sponsors know what their support achieved?
Sponsors will receive the agreed scope, budget and outcome measures before committing funds. Our public scorecard will compare targets with actual results, report cost per demonstrated outcome and explain missing data. See the proposed pilot measures.
BrdgFwd Community AI Lab
Test the technology.
Make the evidence useful.
BrdgFwd Community AI Lab is the public identity for our AI evaluation work. We plan to connect transparent testing with practical decisions about which models, tools and computing resources can serve communities well.
Clear attribution
Our benchmark entries will identify the model, the WerkGraph harness and the BrdgFwd Community AI Lab team. A model's abilities and the surrounding software must remain distinguishable.
Evidence before claims
Published results should link to the benchmark version, tested configuration, run evidence, costs and limitations. Self-run results will be labeled separately from results accepted by a leaderboard.
Community value
Technical scores help guide evaluation. They do not establish better learning, employment or community outcomes; those require separate program measurement.
Benchmark results and leaderboard links will appear here after verification and publication. No ranking or accepted submission is claimed on this page.
Build the opportunity with us
Bring your resources.
Your expertise. Your perspective.
We welcome conversations with funders, equipment donors and community partners who want to make technology more useful and accessible.
Contact [email protected] to discuss program sponsorship, equipment or collaboration. Please do not send confidential records or account credentials.