News — 07 December, 2020

Facebook Community Impact Microgrants: Up to $5K available to OSM communities in East Africa and Asia

Applications open! Up to $5000 is available for OpenStreetMap (OSM) community projects that directly support, contribute, or respond to local humanitarian/development challenges.

The Facebook Community Impact Microgrants are kindly supported by Facebook. In this round, six grants of $5000 will be available, three in the East Africa region and three in the Asia region, for projects that focus on a community mapping project that responds to a local challenge.

To see if your community is eligible, see the program’s eligibility criteria.

Successful applicants will address these five project principles:

1. Community-defined project goals: Successful applications will clearly define project goals. These goals will be community-led, and will align with the community’s long term vision. The applicant will clearly explain how the activities listed in the project plan reflect the project goals. Applications that include consideration for the continuation of activities after the project ends (in an effort to achieve long-term community goals) will be prioritized.

2. Partnerships - who is your data user? Successful applications will demonstrate one or more partnerships with a local data user. Priority will be given to applications for which the data has been requested by a partnering organization or where the partner organization has expressed interest in collecting the data for a specific use or intervention. Example partners include local non-government organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), local governments, companies, universities, schools, and other academic institutions.

3. Inclusivity - how will you involve women, girls, and marginalized groups in your activities? The selection panel will be looking for projects that include a developed strategy to include women, girls, and marginalized groups in mapping activities.

4. Expansion - what’s your vision for community growth? Priority will be given to OSM communities that define a vision for significant community expansion. This includes a practical plan for how new mappers will be approached, how they will be involved in community activities, and a long term community member retention strategy.

5. Collaboration - how will you connect with other OSM communities in your region? Successful applications will show a plan for collaboration with other OSM communities in the region. Applicants could collaborate with local Youth Mappers chapters, OSMF chapters, or OSM communities in neighboring countries. For support in sourcing collaborators, email microgrants@hotosm.org.

The purpose of the funding is to support the global open mapping community with the resources they need to grow activities related to local humanitarian and/or development challenges, broaden how open mapping and open data are used, and support community expansion and inclusive mapping activities.

To apply, you must upload your application to the HOT Wiki page. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. Successful applicants will answer the questions in the application form (with careful consideration of the five project principles) and upload a supporting budget and project plan. Project applications can be shared, commented up, and endorsed by other community members - all of which will be taken into consideration during the project selection. For more information about the application process and the full application form, visit the HOT Wiki page. A downloadable version of the application form can be found here.

Applications will close on Sunday 31 January 2021.

Please note! Mentoring will be available for application development to OSM communities who ask for it. This will include support in project ideation and project planning, budget creation, and advice on stakeholder engagement. To request a mentor, email microgrants@hotosm.org. If you would like to request a mentor, please do so no later than Friday, 01 January.