Rising Voices Call for Proposals for Citizen Media Outreach

We are no longer accepting applications.

A major part of Rising Voices’ mission to support and nurture underrepresented communities so that they can begin to take full advantage of participatory digital media tools has been our microgrants for citizen media outreach projects. Since 2007, these small grants provide an opportunity for individuals, grassroots groups, networks, and other organizations without significant access to larger funding to be able to pass along knowledge by teaching others in their community in the use of these tools, as well as to provide ongoing support.

Rising Voices is pleased to announce the 2012 open call for microgrant proposals, and we are currently accepting project proposals for funding up to $4,000 USD for global projects.

Who is Eligible to Apply

risingvoices1.jpgThis funding opportunity is open to private individuals, groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We encourage partnerships between individuals and organizations. For example, if an NGO does not have experienced citizen media trainers on staff, it would be extremely important that it seeks collaboration with the local blogging community to find the right trainer(s) with the necessary skills. Individual applicants might also find it highly beneficial to partner with organizations from the communities they plan to serve in order to strengthen the project's impact and to have access to potential project participants.

There is no requirement for an organization to be legally registered, but we do require selected projects to have access to a bank account that is able to receive international bank transfers.

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 participatory citizen media. The project's primary activities should be to provide citizen media training workshops to the target community, as well vital ongoing support and mentoring. Please see our roster of current and alumni grantee projects for examples of previously funded projects.

Examples of potential projects may include:

  • Organizing a citizen media “boot camp” with experienced local bloggers to train and mentor participants from underrepresented communities that will result in a local network of support.
  • Working with an indigenous community to teach and encourage new generations to begin to use Twitter to connect with others as a way to preserve and promote their native language online.
  • Partnering with a local library with a computer to lab to invite community members to discuss local problems and solutions, and train them how to create a group blog to take these conversations to the wider community.
  • Organizing a series of digital photography group walks where residents can document life in their community together and create an online Flickr photography exhibit.
  • Teaching local residents to record and edit audio recordings on Audacity for a community podcast that can be uploaded online, as well as distributed to local radio stations for a wider reach.

Project ideas are not limited to these, and we encourage you to be creative, yet realistic in your proposals.

Application Process

Interested applicants should complete the online proposal application form (link here), which should also include a detailed budget. It is extremely important that applicants follow the word count guidelines for each of the questions.

If you would like to download the application questions to complete offline in order to upload later, please view or download the text document here (Google Doc format). However, all applications must be submitted online, and we cannot accept any additional attachments. Once you have submitted the application, you will see a confirmation screen like this. While we welcome and encourage projects from all corners of the global, all applications must be completed in English due to the common language of our selection committee.

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 3rd, 2012 at 11:59 PM GMT (Please double check the time zone equivalent in your region). The proposals will be reviewed by a committee of Global Voices staff and volunteers, as well as members of previous Rising Voices grantees. We hope to be able to announce the grant recipients by February 28, 2012.

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.

Good luck!

100 comments

  • emhafauzi

    I am from Indonesia. I am working to advocasi human right for people who use drugs and HIV and AIDS, I want to know that could i apply from Indonesia?

  • M'MONY

    Dear Responsibles,

    Tanks for your support, CEIFD is working with Bakyembe people in the area of Fizi territory, south Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Your support is highly needed to be on touch to exchange more and more cultural situation by ntic. We will submit our proposol in next hours. In french is possible ?

  • Press for Peace (PFP) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization working in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was established in 1999 as a platform to provide advocacy, capacity building, research and networking in peace & security, human rights, gender empowerment, sustainable development and related issues.

    We are currently working with unrepresented populace in the highly remote area of Azad Kashmir in District Neelum. The individuals have least access to education therefore they are unaware of importance of media in the development process in the current era. We aim to build their capacity to utilize new tools and methodologies to represent themselves at state level and highlight their issues through media. internet, photography, reports in the local and national news papers.

    We expect a positive response from your side to bring change.

    Regards,

    Meraj Alam

  • Umar Zada

    Dear friends,

    greeting from Pakistan,

    Our organization name “Social Awareness and Development Organization” (SADO) working in a very remote and the most backward area of Pakistan. It is situated on the Afghan Border which badly affected by militancy first and then the worst flood of 2010. it was already very very backward by all aspects of life.its literacy ration is very poor, health facilities are very rare, access to information is a dream and lake of media role. All these need to be address to educate the people and media and make their strong coordination and empower the local community to play their active role in appears of the state and present their problems through media.
    our organization is keen to work with you to overcome the issue through active role of media.
    best regards

  • We as organization work for the rights, Empowerment and Dignity of the domestic Workers, Migrant workers and Child domestic workers. We are interested in this project. We want to help our domestic workers, migrant workers and child domestic workers to tell their stories to the world. We need a guidance from you whether this project can help us to train the young girls and boys to know the tecnology. kindly give us some more incite in this project.
    Sr. M. Josephine Amala Valarmathi, ICM

  • Thank you for the opportunity given to potential applicants. We at YOVI wishes you success in future and for continuity of the programme in order to bring light to the rural population.

  • D K GEETHA

    We DIRDO NGO based at Bangalore working for rural Karnataka State, India. Our Main focus is for livilihood activities, cluster development projects, watershed, income generation activities, microfinance, self-help groups, community development, training programmes, etc. We have nearly 500 women self help groups in Karnataka.

    Can we apply for this project. Pl suggest.

    Ms. D.K.Geetha
    Bangalore

  • Dear friend, I am happy for the call for proposals for citizen Media Outreach. I am working for the poor children who drop from school or who are non-literates. We provide for them education through morning school, and technical education in computer and garment making. Many of them after qualifying in computer and tailoring would like to start self-employment activities but are unable due to poverty. I would be very grateful if you help us to be able to help such unfortunate children.

    Lina Kharjana, FMA-Outreach
    Shillong, Meghalaya, N.E.INDIA

  • padan ulae

    I am from Malaysia and I am working among the indigenous communities in the Island of Borneo. We deal more with the documentation of the community oral history and community mapping. Am I eligible to apply for such fund?

  • JULIUS

    It is good good the origin of my tribe is known to very few people and especially old ones, however at home I was told there is a book written in a local language called kamalampaka i am going to apply specifically for translating this book and uploading to the internet and open a web site for the tribe so that everybody will understand his origin, i have never seen this book but i have heard a lot tales from it, very interesting
    julius

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