Apply by August 7 — training can be scheduled anytime through spring 2027.
Zoss CollaborationsEmail Sami
Category 1 — Discovery

Find out where AI actually fits — for half price.

Category 1 splits the cost of a professional discovery engagement 50/50 with the state, up to $5,000 of match. Two ways in, depending on the size of your question.

Straight talk on cash flow: you pay the full amount up front; the state reimburses YOUR business after award, delivery, and documentation. “Final cost after reimbursement” is your true number — not a discount at the register.
Flagship

AI Discovery Sprint

Two to three working sessions that answer the question you actually have: which tool, why, what it really costs to implement, and what has to change in your workflows and your people for it to stick. You leave with a tool decision, an ROI case in the state's own terms, and an implementation roadmap — which doubles as your ticket to Category 2: Sprint clients get an exclusive window until November 12 to apply for up to $20,000 more in training match.

$9,500 · Final cost after reimbursement: $4,750
Smaller footprint

Mini Diagnostic

A half-day compressed assessment for smaller organizations: one working session, a short findings memo, one clear recommended first move. When you're ready for the full roadmap, the Mini's fee credits toward your Sprint.

$4,500 · Final cost after reimbursement: $2,250
Real AI work gets messy before it gets clean — I won't pretend otherwise. What I promise is the other end: my goal on every engagement is to make myself unnecessary. You'll finish knowing exactly what to build, what it costs, and what it asks of your people.
— Sami
What we usually find: 10+ staff hours a week buried in donor thank-yous, grant narrative drafts, board packet assembly, and meeting notes. Discovery names which of those AI genuinely fixes in YOUR stack — and which it doesn't.

Your application kit

  1. 1
    Open DLR's web form — the only accepted way to submit: dlr.sd.gov AI funding page ↗
  2. 2
    Copy my consultant block straight in:
    Consultant block
    Consultant: Zoss Holdings, LLC (d/b/a Zoss Collaborations)
Contact Name: Sami Zoss
Phone: (605) 929-9773
Email: sami@samizoss.com
Website: zosscollab.com
  3. 3
    Write your Key Challenges (2–4 honest sentences — steal this starter):
    Key Challenges starter
    We spend significant staff time on [reporting / donor communications / scheduling / data entry]. We believe AI could help but don't know which tools fit our operations, what they'd cost, or what would have to change internally. We want a professional assessment before spending on tools.
  4. 4
    Sign and submit in the web form before August 7.
Want a second set of eyes before you submit? Email me — I'll pressure-test your Key Challenges live. Free. Apply by August 7 — training can be scheduled anytime through spring 2027.
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