However, as AI agents become more capable, organizations must consider an equally important question: How do we ensure these systems operate securely, responsibly, and within clearly defined boundaries?
Human Feedback Foundation Launches Agentic AI Design Exchange
On October 21, 2026, the Human Feedback Foundation announced the launch of the Agentic AI Design Exchange, a national initiative designed to help Canadian nonprofits develop and deploy AI agents responsibly.
The Agentic AI Design Exchange: Canada’s first national program for nonprofits to design their own AI agents and put them to work for the communities they serve — supported by a $240,000 investment from RBC through the RBC Stronger Nonprofits Program.
Canadian Nonprofits account for 8.4% of GDP and employ 2.9 million people – (Imagine Canada).
Supported by a $240,000 community investment from RBC through the RBC Stronger Nonprofits Program, the initiative will provide participating organizations with practical learning opportunities, including workshops, bootcamps, and collaborative agent development.
The program builds on the Foundation’s Responsible AI for Social Impact (RAISE) initiative and emphasizes human-centred design, accountability, and responsible technology adoption.
With two in three charities report rising demand (CanadaHelps, 2026), only 20% of Canadian nonprofits use AI for more than three activities, mostly for basic admin (Imagine Canada & CCNDR, 2026).
Five Security Considerations for Nonprofits Deploying AI Agents
1. Establish Clear Agent Identities and Permissions
AI agents should operate using explicitly assigned identities and permissions, rather than unrestricted access to organizational systems.
2. Protect Sensitive Organizational and Community Data
Nonprofits may process donor information, beneficiary records, employee data, and other confidential information. Organizations should establish clear rules governing what information AI agents can access, process, store, and share.
3. Maintain Human Oversight
Clearly identify how human oversight and responsibility is integrated into the agentic process and how issues are escalated and to whom.
4. Secure AI Tools and Integrations
AI agents increasingly interact with external services through APIs, plugins, and connected applications. Organizations should evaluate the security of these integrations, protect credentials, and monitor agent activities for unexpected behaviour.
5. Establish AI Governance and Monitoring
Responsible AI deployment requires more than technical security controls. Organizations should establish appropriate AI usage policies, document agent responsibilities, monitor outcomes, and periodically evaluate systems for security, accuracy, fairness, and effectiveness.
AI Innovation and security must advance together
At Reputiva, we believe the successful adoption of agentic AI requires organizations to consider security, identity, governance, and operational resilience from the outset. This is particularly important for nonprofits, where limited resources can make it difficult to establish dedicated cybersecurity and AI governance capabilities.
Organizations do not necessarily need complex governance frameworks to begin their AI journey. They do, however, need a clear understanding of the risks associated with connecting autonomous systems to sensitive information and business processes.
Starting with narrowly defined use cases, applying least-privilege access, maintaining human oversight, and introducing appropriate monitoring can help organizations adopt AI more confidently.
The Human Feedback Foundation’s Agentic AI Design Exchange represents a promising step toward making responsible AI adoption more accessible across Canada’s nonprofit sector.
The opportunity is not simply to build more AI agents. It is to build AI systems that organizations and the communities they serve can trust.
Learn More
Nonprofit organizations interested in the Agentic AI Design Exchange can explore the program through the Human Feedback Foundation.
Reputiva
Reputiva is a cloud, cybersecurity, and FinOps advisory firm helping SMEs reduce cyber risk, strengthen cloud environments, and manage technology costs with confidence. We publish practical insights on cloud security, identity, AI risk, compliance, and digital transformation.
