Please note: extended deadline to Monday, April 14.
Do you have an idea for a project to help your local community use citizen media to tell their story? Do you need funding and support for it to become a reality? Do you want to be part of a network that helps bridge the digital participation gap worldwide?
If you answer “yes” to all three questions, then we invite you to take part in the 2014 Rising Voices Microgrant Competition.
MICROGRANTS
Rising Voices supports people in sharing knowledge and skills about citizen media for digital storytelling and citizen participation. Since 2007, we have supported 40 small-scale citizen media projects with funding and mentoring and welcomed them to the Global Voices community.
These projects have helped local leaders introduce new and underrepresented voices to the global digital conversation, shining a light on issues that are important to their own communities.
Over the past three years of holding microgrant competitions, we have seen how awareness of digital tools and communication has spread exponentially. We have received thousands of applications from more than 100 countries. With this in mind, we are increasing the number of grants we will award this year, even though they will be slightly smaller than in the past.
In 2014, we will be awarding up to 10 micro-grants of between USD $2,000-2,500 to projects with a strong and clear idea for how to provide training and ongoing support to a local community. New grantees will join the Rising Voices network and will be featured on Global Voices.
GUIDELINES
Rising Voices seeks proposals that share our mission of using online citizen media as a tool for self-empowerment, understanding between people, and social change.
Please see our roster of current and alumni grantees for examples of previously funded projects.
We are looking for projects that:
1. Actively engage members of a local community that is “underrepresented” online, either demographically, linguistically, or geographically. We are especially looking to support leaders who themselves belong to these communities and know how and why citizen media could benefit community members. If the applicant is not a member of the community, local residents or community members must be a part of developing and implementing the project.
2. Provide training, mentoring and leadership. We want project leaders who are eager to share their knowledge and skills with others. Through hands-on training in citizen media production and storytelling techniques, participants will feel equipped and confident to take full advantage of the tools. Ongoing support is essential in the formation of a productive digital storytelling community.
3. Tell digital stories about issues important to the community. After participants take part in training workshops they are ready to share their voices with the world. We are looking for stories that give insight to the community, their challenges or successes, told from a uniquely personal perspective.
4. Use free and widely available citizen media tools and social media platforms. This may include blogs, microblogs like Twitter, free software like Audacity for editing audio, SoundCloud, Audioboo, or Radioteca. Video sites like YouTube and Vimeo, or mapping with OpenStreetMaps. You might also consider using social networking sites like Facebook to distribute your content.
We encourage you to be creative and ambitious, yet realistic in your proposals. See the Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
To apply, please visit the “Submit a Proposal” page, where you will find short questions that will help you outline your project plan. We encourage concise answers (with specific character limits) to help you organize your thoughts into what matters most.
AN OPEN PROCESS
We encourage you to share your applications publicly on our online platform. Our hope is that communities working near each other, or on similar issues, can connect and collaborate.
2014 Rising Voices Microgrant Platform
Last year's proposals are still visible online and most include a way for you to contact the applicants through Twitter or Facebook. Please review proposals that may based in your same locality or deal with similar issues and explore whether a collaboration might be possible.
We will give special consideration to applications that make an effort to build partnerships with other applicants. There is a question in the submission form that asks you to describe your partnerships, please include the information there.
If you are not able to share your application openly for security reasons, you have the option to submit privately.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The competition will follow the following timeline process:
Open for Applications: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Applicants submit their initial proposal via the online platform in English (please note that this requirement is due to the common language of our selection committee). Once the proposal has been published online, we invite applicants to share their proposal with their networks, to solicit comments and receive input from others.
All proposals will be reviewed by a committee of individuals from the Global Voices community, including former Rising Voices micro-grant recipients.
Application deadline:
Wednesday, April 9, extended to Monday, April 14, 2014 at 23:59 GMTWinners will be announced: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 (subject to change based on the number of proposals to be reviewed).
Please feel free to ask questions by leaving a comment or by sending an email through our Contact Form.
Good luck!
33 comments
This is a good chance to share and promote minority rights and culture which are part of the larger development communities. We have to promote correct use of the internet as the WWW reach its 25th Anniversary, there are still more than Half of the word population who have no access to the Internet to rise their voices! We are one of that community!
I am glad that the Micro grants open its call for proposal again to promote citizens communication rights. I hope the Rising Voices have wider impacts with positive impacts!
gracias por la oportunidad….sera un placer participar….
se puede participar quienes hablamos español? muchas gracias.
Hola Jhonny, hay que postular en inglés, pero se puede usar Google Translate para traducir de español->inglés:
http://translate.google.com
we need helping hands
plz think about rural ngos
I am glad that the Micro grants open its call for proposal again to promote citizens communication rights. I hope the Rising Voices have wider impacts with positive impacts!
is there any opportunity for india
Individuals and organizations from all countries are eligible to apply.
This is a beautiful opportunity to the downtrodden communities from the developing world and specially you are inviting the individuals also, which is normally not allowed. But allowed for only NGOs. I am really very eager to join this moment. I wish you all the best.
Mala Nagaraju
Director
Child Line
RDT – ANANTHAPUR
thanks for that opportunity I would like to know eligible countries of Rising voices micro grants and aims to solve public interest as we Tanzania in Africa a developing country and how to receive grants on criteria.
Yes, all countries are eligible to apply.
i am very happy to see comment last year was regarded and sent me a ‘ a good answer all country are eligible to apply the opportunity fund looks like very few
and perhaps nothing at all for Africa or my country Tanzania let us know clearly beyond the amount each program of funding proposal and how many winners in the last year 2014 with their contacts to proof it. why not replied after receiving proposal .