Application Deadline: June 15, 2007
Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for the first round of microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.
As the internet becomes more accessible to more people, as computers become cheaper, and as software applications move from the desktop to the web, the so-called digital divide seems to be narrowing. In its place, however, we see a participation gap in which the vast majority of blogs, podcasts, and online video are being produced in middle-class neighborhoods in major cities around the world.
Rising Voices aims to help bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the conversational web, by providing resources and funding to local groups reaching out to underrepresented communities. Examples of potential projects include:
- Purchasing an affordable digital video camera and teaching a group of rural students how to produce an ongoing video-blog documentary about the lives of their grandparents.
- Organizing a regular workshop on blogging and photography at a local orphanage. Portions of the budget could be used on cheap digital cameras and internet cafe costs so that participants could describe their local neighborhoods to a global audience with text and photos.
- Working with a local NGO or social entrepreneur so that their challenges, successes, and stories are told to a global audience.
- Translating our new media curriculum to an indigenous language, like Quechua or Wolof, that is currently not represented in the blogosphere or “podosphere.” Then use the learning modules to encourage bloggers to write in those languages.
The sky is the limit, but unfortunately funding is not. Rising Voices outreach grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Please be as thoughtful, specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets.
Successful projects will be prominently featured on Global Voices.
Completed applications will be accepted no later than Friday, June 15. Please email them to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org
Download grant application in .DOC format
Download grant application in .RTF format
Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below or by sending an email to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org
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[...] Read more on Global Voices Bookmarks:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
[...] Voices Online’s Rising Voices project is seeking microgrant proposals for blog outreach projects in communities which would otherwise not have access to citizen media [...]
Are grants available to individuals to provide assistance to nonprofit organizations, or only to nonprofit organizations?
Eric
Hi Eric,
Grants are available to both individuals and organizations.
[...] Read detail information here. [...]
When will the next award deadline be, for people who didn’t hear about this in time to get an application prepared?
Also, is the program open to applicants from all countries?
Thanks.
Rita
Hi Rita,
Though I strongly encourage you to apply for this round of funding if you are able, we will have a second round of grants announced sometime later in the year - probably in the fall.
Applicants from countries outside of North America and Western Europe are especially encouraged to apply.
[...] G8 Summit in Germany. Got any ideas for new blog projects? There’s just one week to go before Rising Voices and J-Lab grant proposals are due. Scroll ahead in the calendar to see more [...]
Hi,
I do not seem to find details about (suggested) duration of projects. It would help to make a budget if some suggestions were made with regards to time span - what do you expect?
cheers,
m
If you get funding approved this round, could you apply in the next round, too? Would this disadvantage your second application somehow?
M,
Our hope is that this initial microgrant will be enough to get your project up and running and that its content will be sustained by your targeted participants from there on out. With that said, if you will be seeking other sources of funding to keep your outreach efforts going, feel free to specify your own expected time span for the Rising Voices grant on your application.
Nina,
In order to support as many projects around the globe as possible, we’ll only be able to offer one microgrant to each project. However, if you need more than the maximum $5,000, I’d be happy to point you to other possible sources of funding.
Hi David,
Thanks for this post. Would you please clarify the following?
1.)How many proposals will you accept from each individual? For example if an individual in involved in more than one project that may qualify would they be able to submit separate proposals for each one?
2.)Are we allowed to submit individual proposals for a project if the organisation we work for is submitting a proposal for another completely separate project?
3.)May we submit proposals that would only be part funded by the Rising Project grant or will you only accept projects that can be funded entirely by your grant?
Thank you for all your help.
I learned about from the Berkman Center Bulletin. I think is a wonderful way of initiating projects on communities with a desire to engage in citizen journalism but without the resources to pull their first efforts. Congratulations David and you all people on GVO
Hi Mentalacrobatics,
1.) There is no limit to the amount of proposals that one individual can submit though it is unlikely that we will fund two or more projects led by the same person. In other words, feel free to submit two proposals, but don’t expect both to get funding - at least not in the short term.
2.) Yes, definitely.
3.) Diversifying your funding is more than acceptable, it’s encouraged. Several other applicants are counting on contributions from other groups, which is great.
Looking forward to your proposals.
Hi David,
Are there any restrictions to this grant? Could a religious group be included in a program? Thank you.
Hi Kathleen,
I believe the only restriction is that applicants can not be members of a terrorist organization as defined by the State Department. Religious groups are encouraged to apply.
Hi David.
My name is Luihamu sometimes people call me Lui,iam from Tanzania and my proposal is on the way.
Dear David,
Am I allowed to ask for funds a project which is being supported already by other donors in America.
[...] pia kuwakumbusha kuwa tarehe ya mwisho ya kuomba fedha za miradi ya uandishi wa rais, Rising Voices, toka Global Voices Online ni tarehe 15 mwezi huu. Nilisema kuwa wanaoomba kama watapenda [...]
june 15 is the deadline but according to what time zone? if that means that the projects should be submitted during the 11:59 pm in June 15,but according what time zone?
I’m living in Europe.
Thanks
ana
What would it take for individuals professional and exeperienced journalist to seek for fund to train their fellows who are up-country and not eligible for computers, internet and blogs especiallly in Tanzania
Hi Ana,
That’s a good question. Le’ts call -700 GMT on June 15 the deadline. That will be the morning of the 16th for much of the world.
Mike,
A project which pairs mentoring journalists with rural colleagues that have yet to take advantage of blogging sounds like an excellent proposal. Please download and fill out the application and send it to the email address listed above.
[...] Let people know who might be interested in applying:Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for the first round of microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own. For full details see here. [...]
[...] David Sasaki of Global Voices Online regularly carried water for disinformation on this subject, without regard to its credibility or source. See “Fair & Balanced”: Harvard Law Bloggers Give Equal Weight to Disinformation. [...]
Thank you for your work.I hope that all participants will have the same chances, that it will be fair without any discrimination.
Give grants to all people other than editors of newspapers with bid names.
[...] al fondo del tnel cuando hace unos das encontr que David Sasaki de Global Voices Online abri una primera convocatoria de micro-fondos para quienes tuvieran propuestas encaminadas a realizar talleres en comunidades que carecen de [...]
pLEASE I SUMITED MY PROSAL TODAY BE THE LAST DAYAND I WANT TO BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD WORLD REALLY NEED TO THINK OF AFRICA.WE ARE REALLY SOME THING ELSE.PLEASE I WANT TO USE THE WEB AS A PIONT OF CONTACT BETWEEN AFRICA CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.WE SHOULD BE TOLD GRANTS OPPOUNITIES SO THAT WE WRITE AND WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED, THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SHOULD NOT BE THE STANDARD OF AFRICA PROPOSAL CONSIDERATION.
PLESAE CONSIDER YHIS.
Dear, that is global voice is right. all world journalist voice is print you.
I just came across this website today while surfing the net, I know that I am late but could you please give me this chance I am presently involved in something like this with some friends in Nigeria and this award would have gone a long way in helping our course and developing the deprived young guys out there.
Hi Adeboye,
Unfortunately we’re not able to accept any more applications for this first round of funding, but the good news is that a second round of microgrants is scheduled for sometime around early September.
[...] for the dreamblogue project David and I applied for a grant from Global Voices Online via their new Rising Voices initiative. Rising Voices is the outreach arm of Global [...]
Hi.
I would really love to get involved in this project. I’m working with a small journalism school in Majunga, Madagascar. Could someone please e-mail me some additional information or further thoughts on the overall vision of the project? I’d really like to discuss it with my kids and bounce some of your ideas off of them.
Thanks so much.
Dear David,
Thanks for doing this. Sorry that I am responding too late. And we will be interested in participating the September 2nd round. Anyway to include my email in your alert system?
Thanks,
Matthew Hu
Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center
http://www.bjchp.org
[...] Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, awarded Kalam a microgrant to begin Neighborhood Diaries in two urban slums of the city. Now with the support of this grant (a big thank you to Aparna Ray and David Sasaki), Neigborhood Diaires will begin shop in October 2007, mobilizing youth residents in two neighborhooods (or what seem like urban slums to the outsider) as reserachers, writers, photographers and bloggers in and of their own neighborhood. [...]
Congratulations to all the new grantees and you can bet I will spread the word to others who could benefit from such grants. Thanks!
I wish to commend you on this worthy endavour which I sincerely believe will go a long way in giving voices to the unheard and unreached in local communities worldwide. Especially communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
I just got the information about your microgrant and look forward to applying during the fall round.
Regards,
Prince Devison
[...] na mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali kutuma maombi ya fedha za mradi wa Global Voices Online wa Rising Voices, majina ya waliofanikiwa kupata fedha hizo yametangazwa. Mradi huu ni kwa ajili ya kuhamasisha raia [...]
I just stumbled on this wonderful opprtuinity.Though it is late, can one submit proposal against fall round now? or it has to be when advertised?
thanks
Nnadi Kevin
Hi Nnandi Kevin,
We’ll be announcing the exact date that we’ll start accepting applications for the September round in the next few months. Meanwhile, you can read more about Rising Voices on our wiki.
[...] Scandinavian connection, Serina, tagged me and precedent dictates I respond! Besides she is a Rising Voices buddy so how could I not eh? There can not be much left unknown about me that is of interest to the [...]
[...] was less than a month ago that we announced the first round of Rising Voices outreach projects but already those first five projects have made incredible progress. Let’s [...]
[...] Rising Voices project. Sponsored by the Knight Foundation as part of their Knight News Challenge, Rising Voices is going to give at least a dozen projects around the world the chance to reach out to new authors [...]
[...] a Hugo Miranda, Eduardo Avila ganamos el microfinanciamiento de Global Voices (Voces Globales). La idea es aprovechar lo que se tiene, cafes internet (que se encuentran en gran [...]
i have just come acrossthe RFP from GV,update me when the next grant cycle will be so that i submit my proposal.
Thanks.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I’ve sent you an invite to the Rising Voices mailing list. If anyone else would like to be notified of the late September round of funding, please request an invite to the mailing list here.
[...] this podcast interview, from Thailand, my friend and colleague David Sasaki, Global Voices’ outreach director, talks with four or Thailand’s most popular bloggers about recently passed computer [...]
[...] interview, from Thailand, done by my friend and colleague David Sasaki, Global Voices’ outreach director. Share [...]
Please we are still waiting for your help to do send us your proposal for the next round of GV.
THANKS AND TAKE CARE
[...] believe it is also very much in the spirit of the Global Voices outreach program Rising Voices, which “aims to help bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the [...]
Dear David Sasaki,
Iam a lectuer in the mentioned unirvesity .Is it possible to submit in a funding propopsal on outreach programs on Gender based violence and its link to HIV transmission in secondary schools and communities in Ugandan environment.
Thank you ,
Tuyizere Alice ,
[...] In this podcast interview, from Thailand, my friend and colleague David Sasaki, Global Voices’ outreach director, talks with four of Thailand’s most popular bloggers about recently passed computer [...]
Hello David,
its great for me to join the corvesation.
Am managing a young soccer club and we have developed alot of programmes that will help to sesntize other rural young ones to ensure that we have good citezenship.
Bless you.
[...] was less than a month ago that we announced the first round of Rising Voices outreach projects but already those first five projects have made incredible progress. Let’s [...]
[...] In mid-May I transitioned from acting Co-Managing Editor to Director of Outreach. On May 31 we announced our first round of funding. By June 15 we received over 140 project proposals from individuals and organizations based in over [...]
GUSCO- Gulu Support the Children Organization, its a local indigenous NGO that promotes the well-being of war affected children in northern uganda throught psychosocial support,peace building,advocacy and capacity building of communities.
well, I just saw what you were demanding,but unfortunate we are late hence I want to conform if there is still possibility for the next phase of your microsot grant,
Thank you in advance
Ojok Charles Dickens
Gusco-Staff
Hi There,
We are aiming to organize a grant competition about once every five months. You just missed the latest round, but keep your eyes on the Rising Voices website for more information.
Hi there,
We are GUSCO staff are given task to seek your capacity to help us lobby for funds to support our planned activity in reintergration,resetllement,follow-up and getting income generating funds. I just learnt about your roles and responsibility last year and it happened that I visited your website. Ibeleive our works in advocating for the right of disadvantage children like here in northern uganda.
than waiting for your concen.
Thank