Rising Voices Seeks Micro-Grant Proposals for Citizen Media Outreach
Application Deadline: Friday, February 4, 2011 at 11:59 PM GMT
It has been more than three years since Rising Voices began with a simple mandate: to help bring new voices from underrepresented communities to the global conversation through the use of citizen media. We have been accomplishing that by providing microgrant funding, as well as technical and mentoring support to our grantee communities. Ever since the first microgrant competition was announced in May 2007, we have provided seed funding to 24 projects from around the world to help turn their ideas into reality. The diversity of these grantee projects has made Rising Voices a unique place on the web to have a firsthand look at places around the world, such as Tamatave, Madagascar and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, through the first-person accounts of these new bloggers.
Beginning on January 11th, 2011, Rising Voices is launching the latest round of microgrant funding and is now accepting project proposals from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or individuals for funding of up to $4,000 USD for digital media outreach projects around the world. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to underrepresented communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, or podcasting on their own.
Who is Eligible to Apply
This funding opportunity is open to both NGOs and private individuals. However, if an NGO does not have experienced citizen media trainers on their staff, it is extremely important that they seek collaboration with the local blogging community to find the right trainer(s) with the necessary skills. On the other hand, it would also be highly beneficial for individual applicants to partner with an existing NGO from the communities they plan to serve in order to strengthen the project's impact.
What Kind of Projects May be Funded
Rising Voices seeks project proposals that share our mission of bringing voices from new communities, as well as underrepresented language groups to the online global conversation through the use of citizen media. The projects’ primary activities should be to provide citizen media training workshops to the target community, as well as ongoing support and mentoring to the participants. Please see our roster of current and alumni grantee projects for examples of previously funded projects.
Examples of potential projects include:
- Distributing flip video cameras to local residents to help map and document environmental issues affecting the area and to propose solutions.
- Partnering with a local library with a computer lab to train youth how to record and document the history of their local neighborhood by using mp3 recorders to interview local elders.
- Organizing blogging workshop for local artisans to help them market their work online, but also tell the story and history of their handicrafts.
- Distributing $10 digital cameras to two different groups in different neighborhoods and create a Flickr group where they interact with each other's photographic perspectives of their city.
Application Process
Interested applicants should complete the online proposal application form (link here), which should also include a detailed budget. If you would like to download the application questions to complete offline in order to upload later, please download the text document here (PDF format). While we welcome and encourage projects from all corners of the global, all applications must be completed in English.
Rising Voices outreach grants will range from $2,000-4,000 USD. Please be as thoughtful, specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets. Applicants are encouraged to submit budgets for less than the maximum $4,000 USD as smaller grants allow us to fund more projects.
The application deadline is February 4th, 2011 at 11:59 PM GMT. All applicants will receive a confirmation email indicating that we have received your proposal. The proposals will be reviewed by a committee of Global Voices staff and volunteers, as well as members of previous Rising Voices grantees. We will announce the grant recipients by February 28, 2011.
Expectations of Successful Grantees
Successful projects will be prominently featured on the Global Voices networks. Grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement, which will outline accounting, reporting, and other terms and conditions regarding how funds will be distributed. Grantees will also be required to post regular project updates to the Rising Voices website, be in regular communication with Rising Voices staff, as well as actively participate in the Rising Voices community.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below or by sending an email to eddie [at] globalvoicesonline [dot] org.
41 comments
Hi all,
It will be wonderful to support the invisible girls project in Zambia and be able to advocate for silent and suppressed voices of female sex workers on the two key communities in Zambia. You can give me an input on how great this can be done in a more sustainable manner. I look forward for the outcome of the project funding.
Kayafa in Zambia
Thanks very, We are very happy to take part in this process
Hi All, nice to know each of you. About your idea, project and initiative concerning to community-based development… including story about amazing works around the world related community empowerment, environment protection, and local wisdom. Keep moving forward. Arifsyah/KuALA-Aceh.
This is one of the best programs that can be used to deal with the rural poverty and situate communities on top of thier challenges. CCIDESOR is interested to make a difference if the opportunity is given along with other interesting ideas I have read.
well, we gave it our best but since time is never enough for very bright students in exams, and because our community is very isolated in the western part of mount Rwenzori, we were disturbed by lack of electricity for almost two weeks due to technical break down of our transformer, so we almost got caught up in the last minute. Every thing went on well, spare for the budget.
Thanks to rising voices.
I would like to partner with you and participate globally
I wish to answer me on the draft submitted by the committee
of employee women in north lebanon
Your idea is good and people be benefited. Thanks.
Asma
CAMP©-Children As Media Producers is a Participatory Video initiative of the Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad.
Among other things, the basic premises of CAMP include:
· Children must be seen as producers and contributors of information and not only as consumers.
· Community media can play an important role in strengthening cultural rights, and in particular, the rights of linguistic and cultural minorities, and indigenous peoples by providing access to the means of communication.
· Access to the means of communication must be supplemented by education and training to assist a critical understanding of the media and to enable children to develop their media and communication skills.
Please visit the website for more details. I would be happy to associate myself with Rising Voices in any manner possible.
Thank you & warm regards
vasuki belavadi
associate professor
department of communication
university of hyderabad
gachibowli, hyderabad-500046
andhra pradesh, india