WEBINAR 101

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

What is a webinar?

A webinar is an online or web-based seminar that is conducted over the internet. Like a seminar, a webinar also has a speaker or a group of speakers giving presentations and participants attending it. However, speakers and participants are connected through the medium of internet. They are able to interact with each other in real-time and can ask questions and seek answers like any other seminar.

What kind of webinars do you organize?

We organize different types of webinars on various topics including fundraising and on other areas of NGO capacity development. For a list of upcoming webinars, you can visit this link.

Who can participate in your webinars?

NGO managers, development professionals, activists, researchers, consultants and others from developed and developing countries can participate in our webinars.

What are the requirements for attending a webinar?

Participants are required to have a computer with a headphone and a high-speed internet connection. For detailed requirements and other technical issues, visit this link.

What is the duration of the webinars?

Our webinars typically run for 90 minutes unless otherwise specified. The first 60 minutes are for a presentation where you will see the slides and hear the trainer, followed by a 30 minute Question & Answer (Q&A) session during which your questions will be answered by the trainer in real time.

What are the timings of the webinars?

Our webinars are held at different times to suit different types of audiences from all parts of the world. We publish the timings of these webinars in GMT. It is the responsibility of the participants to check and confirm their corresponding local timings in their areas. We offer links to local timings for important countries and cities for each webinar. You can also visit the timeanddate.com website to convert the GMT timings to your local timings. Make sure that you note down these timings to participate in the webinars.

What is the cost for participating in the webinar?

Unless otherwise specified, we charge $70 per webinar for participants from developed countries and $50 per webinar for participants from developing countries. These rates are subject to change without prior notice.

How do you classify developed and developing countries?

Developed and developing countries are classified according to the World Economic Outlook Database 2010. Refer this link for more information.

Do you offer any scholarships or discounts for participating in the webinars or can anyone attend it free of cost?

No. We are already providing discounts for participants from developing countries. Therefore, we do not offering any further scholarships or discounts.

How can I register for the webinar?

We offer a smooth and instant registration process to register your participation for our webinars. Just choose your payment method (PayPal or 2CheckOut.com) on your Cart and proceed forward to make the payment. As soon as you make the payment, you will receive an email from us with a link to register your participation. Click on that link and fill the registration form available on that link. As soon as your complete your registration, you will receive a webinar invitation email (in addition to your log in info). This invitation email has the link for you to join the webinar at the given time.

I made the payment through PayPal or 2CheckOut.com, but I did not receive any email with instructions on how to register.

Many times important emails can land up in your email spam folders. We advise you to check your email spam folders for the registration information and webinar invitation emails and if you find them there, please mark them to your white list. If you are still not able to find the registration information and webinar invitation emails, you can contact us atwebinar@fundsforngos.org immediately and we will resolve it.

I made the payment and also registered at your website with my username/password but I did not receive any registration information or webinar invitation in my email. What should I do?

Many times important emails can land up in your email spam folders. We advise you to check your email spam folders for the registration information and webinar invitation emails and if you find them there, please mark them to your white list. If you are still not able to find the registration information and webinar invitation emails, you can contact us atwebinar@fundsforngos.org immediately and we will resolve it.

I cannot pay through PayPal, 2Checkout.com (2CO) or any other online payment system? What other option will I have?

We understand that participants from certain countries are unable to use PayPal, 2CheckOut.com or any other online payment system to pay the webinar fees. Such participants can opt for international bank transfer to submit the payment. Each international bank transfer will cost you $15 extra to cover the bank charges. To use this type of payment method, you can contact us at webinar@fundsforngos.org.

What happens after I transfer the webinar fee through international bank transfer? How will I get registered?

After you transfer the webinar fee through international bank transfer, you can send us an email at webinar@fundsforngos.org with the complete bank transfer details and a scanned copy of the bank receipt. As soon as we receive these details, we will enable your registration and you will receive the registration information and the webinar invitation email. Please note that you should arrange to make the bank transfer within 2 days after receiving the bank details from us as we cannot hold your seat for long. We always have limited seats available and if we do not receive your bank transfer within 2 days, we may not be able to book your seat even if you transfer the webinar fee.

I paid for a webinar. Can my colleagues join in?

No. For every payment made, only one participant per computer is allowed.

I made the payment and registered for a webinar. But now I cannot attend it because of some other unexpected engagement. Can somebody else participate in the webinar on behalf of me?

Yes. We accept substitution if you are unable to attend the webinar you registered for. Please email us at webinar@fundsforngos.org about this change so that we can register the person participating on your behalf.

What if I miss the live webinar? Can I watch its recording later?

If you miss the webinar you registered and paid for, then you can always watch its video recording by logging in with your username/password at webinars.fundsforngos.org. The video recording will be available online for all registered participants for a period of 3 months after the live webinar is over.

Can I download the webinar video recording?

No. You can only watch the webinar video recording online.

Will I get access to webinar slideshow and resource material?

Yes. All registered participants will be able to download webinar slideshow and related resource material. These will be made available on our website within 24 hours after the live webinar is over. You need to access them by logging in at webinars.fundsforngos.org with your username/password. These will be made available for a period of 3 months from the time of making the payment for registration.

Do you offer refund if I am unable to participate in the webinar?

No. We do not offer any refunds. You can read our Refund Policy at this link. But registered participants unable to attend the webinar can always view the video recording of the webinar after the live webinar is over.

I was not able to register and participate in your previous webinars. How can I view their video recordings and access the resource material?

Very simple. Just visit this link to purchase the video recordings and related resource material for our webinars. After purchasing them, you will be able to instantly access them.

Whom do I contact for more information?

Email us at webinar@fundsforngos.org.

How to summarize a Full Proposal into a Short Concept Note

March 21, 2013 By fundsforngos

The submission of concept notes is increasingly becoming the first step in the application for funding to the main agencies and private donors. This is how your potential donor will make the first selection among a largegroup of project proposals to assess their potential. Accordingly, concept notes could be solicited directly by the donor, but they could also become the way in which an NGO approaches a potential sponsor to test their interest in the NGO’s ongoing activities. Thus, concept notes must be clear, specific, and attractive to the reader.

Concept notes are a shorter version of a project proposal and their length typically spans from 3 to 5 pages (if the sponsor you are approaching does not give a clear indication, keep it to 3 pages; the shorter the better). The main difficulty with writing concept notes is producing a summary that simultaneously catches the attention of the reader and elaborates the main issues at stake, all the while keeping the amount of information given at minimum. Do not overwhelm the reader. The concept notes must capture the audience’s attention and make your potential sponsor curious about your project, and willing to get to know you and your ideas better.

Start with an eye-catching title.

First paragraph: background of the project. Explain why this project is important, for whom, and what has already been done in the selected field of intervention.

Second paragraph: objectives and beneficiaries. Limit your objectives to a maximum of three. Remember that your objectives must be connected to the background of the project. Once you have singled out the problems you are targeting, be specific about how your project will address these problems and what the desired results will be. It is important to be specific and clear about each of your objectives and explain who will benefit from the development of the project. Specify who your target group is, why it is important to work with this target group, and how the participants in the project will benefit from your activities. Remember that on the one hand, the target group will receive immediate benefits from the completion of the projects (such as attending workshops, training etc) but also the community will benefit from the various projects implemented by your NGO in the long run. Accordingly, write a sentence explaining how this project will benefit your community by looking at the big picture (you can address the social, political or economic situation of your community and link this project with the main goals of your NGO).

Third paragraph: outputs. For each of your objectives there must be an output. It is of crucial importance that the donor understands how your objectives are to be assessed in order to monitor the development of the project and its results; therefore outputs must be concrete and tangible.

Fourth paragraph: activities and duration. The activities are the ways in which your objectives will produce an output. Accordingly, activities must be concrete and they should give an idea of how you aim to reach a givengoal. Importantly, each activity must have a beginning and end point, so make sure they all have a set duration, which will depend on the length of the overall project.

Fifth paragraph: monitoring and evaluation. How will the donor assess the results of your project? Elaborate on the methods necessary in order to enable your sponsor to monitor the development of the project and to evaluate its partial and final results in a practical way (how do you measure the fulfilment of set objectives?)

Include a budget only if specifically required.

FILM AND MOVIES GRANTS

FundsforNGOs Guide: Fundraising for Film and Media projects

November 19, 2013 By Robin Toal Leave a Comment

The FundsforNGOs team have decades of experience of supporting organisation’s and individuals to raisefunds for all kinds of projects from orphanages in Kenya through to arts projects in New York. We have compiled our years of experience to produce a guide for film makers, both aspiring and established, that will help them to access information, resources and funding that will enable them to create the film they have always dreamed of making.

We have broken the guide into four sections: 1) Traditional Funders 2) Scholarships 3) New Opportunities  4) New challenges. The guide will cover all areas of modern funding sources as well as information and advice on how to succeed in an increasingly competitive environment.

Traditional Funders:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences / Film Festival Grants
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  Film Festival Grant program has awarded more than $3 million to film festivals since 1999. Grants totaling $450,000 were granted to 24 U.S. film festivals in 2009. While the grants are awarded for a variety of programs, film festivals are encouraged to submit proposals that make festival events more accessible to the general public, provide greater access to minority and less visible filmmakers, and help strengthen the connection between the filmmaker and the public. For more information click here

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences / Institutional Grants Program
The Institutional Grants Program assists in fostering educational activities between the public and the film industry while encouraging the appreciation of motion pictures as both an art form and a vocation. In 2008 the program distributed $500,000 to 58 institutions. For more information click here

Creative Capital Foundation
Creative Capital is a new, national organization supporting visual artists who are pursuing innovative approaches to form and/or content in the visual, performing, and media arts. Creative Capital will work closely with its funded artists to provide audience development, marketing and other forms of assistance tailored toindividual projects. Artists will, in return, share a portion of their proceeds with Creative Capital, enabling the fund to support more artists in the future. Creative Capital funds artist projects in four disciplines: visual arts (includes installation art, painting, fiber art, mixed media works, public art, etc.), film/video arts, performing arts (includes music, dance, theater, puppetry, performance art, etc.), and emerging art fields (includes all forms of digital work, and experimental literature). Projects that transcend traditional discipline boundaries are highly encouraged. Creative Capital operates on a two-year grant cycle, funding alternative disciplines each year. The first year of each cycle, the Foundation issue grants in visual and film/video arts; the second year, performing and emerging arts. For more information click here 

Dean Film and Video Grants (Roy W.)
The Roy W. Dean Grants support film and video projects that are unique and benefit society. The grants primarily provide goods and services donated by companies in the film and video industry. These grants are available for shorts and low budget independents as well as documentary filmmakers. For more information click here.

Echo Lake Productions: Production Company and Film Fund for Independents

Founded in 1997, Echo Lake Productions develops, produces and finances commercially viable film and television projects with strong thematic content. The company also provides gap and equity investments through its own dedicated source of financing. For more information click here.

Financial Aid, Scholarships, Fellowships and Postdoctoral Awards in Media Communications
Covers financial support for Media professional for grants in Advertising, Communications, Film-making, Journalism, Marketing, Motion Pictures, Print, Radio, Television, Writing. A compilation of resources by Francisco Alberto Tomei Torres, Ph.D. Covers Advertising, Communications, Film-making, Journalism, Marketing, Motion Pictures, Print, Radio, Television, Writing. For more information click here

Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund
Administered by the Tribeca Film Institute with funding from Gucci, the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund provides finishing funds to feature-length documentaries that highlight and humanize issues of social importance from around the world. The fund is seeking feature-length documentaries in production or post-production with the intended premiere exhibition in late 2011 or 2012. Films should be commercially viable and resonate with a mainstream U.S. audience.

The fund seeks to support films that highlight and humanize issues of social importance from around the world through complete, thoughtful, and dynamic storytelling; films that focus on issues that may not be extensively covered by the mainstream media or well understood by the general public; and films that focus on people who are ignored, ostracized, or otherwise marginalized or people fighting for political or social justice. The fund does not support Short films or student projects; films that choose advocacy over story and craft; or films completed before January 1, 2011. Grant amounts range from $10,000 to $25,000. For more information clickhere

Independent Television Service (ITVS)

Each year ITVS funds, distributes and promotes new programs produced by independent producers primarily for public television and beyond. ITVS is looking for proposals which increase diversity on public television and present a range of subjects, viewpoints and forms that complement and challenge existing public television offerings. All production funding requests must be submitted in accordance with ITVS guidelines. For more information click here.

Latino Public Broadcasting / Funding for Independent Producers
An open invitation to independent producers to submit proposals for a public television program or series on any subject that relates to or is representative of Latino Americans. LPB funding will average between $5,000 and $100,000 for programs of most genres, including drama, comedy, animation, documentary, or mixed genre. LPB will consider funding projects at any production stage. LPB Funding for each stage ranges as follows:
(1) Research and Development $5,000 – $20,000; (2) Production $25,000 – $100,000; (3) Post-Production $25,000 – $100,000; (4) Outreach $10,000-$25,000. For more information click here.

NYFA Source : A Directory for Artists

A database of some 6,000 grant, award, publication, and other opportunities for artists in all disciplines nationwide. These listings are supplemented by weekly jobs and opportunity listings that are part of NYFA Current. New postings appear every Sunday. NYFA’s grants and other programs for New York State residents are also described on the site. For more information click here

Sundance Documentary Fund
A program of the Sundance Institute, the Sundance Documentary Fund awards a total of between $1 and $2 million a year in support of U.S. and international contemporary independent documentary film. In funding such work, the fund seeks to encourage the diverse exchange of ideas that is crucial to fostering an open society and public dialogue about contemporary issues. The documentary fund provides grants to filmmakers worldwide for projects that display artful and innovative storytelling, global relevance, engagement with contemporary social issues, and the potential for social engagement.

The fund accepts submissions twice a year for development grants of up to $20,000, production/post-production grants of up to $50,000, and audience engagement grants of up to $20,000. Audience engagement grants are only available to current Sundance grantees for the support of strategic audience and communityengagement campaigns. The fund provides grants to about forty-five to fifty-five projects a year. For more information click here.

Women in Film Foundation
WIF’s purpose is to empower, promote, nurture, and mentor women in the industry through a network of valuable contacts, events, and programs including the Women In Film Mentor Program, the award-winning Public Service Announcement Production Program, and the Internship Program in association with the Fulfillment Fund. Additionally, we provide film finishing funds, scholarships, grants, advocacy, community outreach programs, monthly networking breakfasts, seminars, workshops, and a screening series with filmmakers. For more information click here.

Fellowships: Databazaar Scholarship Fund

A funding opportunity for undergraduate students in the fields of visual communication, broadcast journalism, filmmaking and photography. 2 annual grants of $2,500 each are available to support excellence in the visual fields and promote understanding between the USA and South Asia. For more information click here

International Documentary Association / Fiscal Sponsorship Program
Fiscal sponsorship is a legal and financial arrangement which allows a 501(c )(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, such as the International Documentary Association (IDA) to provide it’s nonprofit status and limited financial oversight to a project by an individual or organization that does not have nonprofit status. IDA can provide this service to a variety of projects if they meet the fiscal sponsorship admissions criteria and their project is in line with our mission statement.  For more information click here.

Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) / Media Scholarship
Offering one $1000 scholarship for currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers as filmmakers and in television production (not broadcast journalism). Formed in 1992, MANAA is the only organization solely dedicated to monitoring the media and advocating balanced, sensitive, and positive depiction and coverage of the Asian American community. For more information click here 

Worldstudio Foundation Scholarships
Worldstudio Foundation scholarships allow young people from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds not only to realize their artistic dreams, but also to give back to their communities. Areas of study include: architecture, cartooning, crafts, environmental graphics, fashion design, film/theater design (costume, set, lighting), film/video, fine arts, furniture design, graphic design, illustration, industrial/product design, interior design, landscape architecture, new media, photography, surface/Textile design, and urban planning. Also listed under Grants for Individuals — Arts, Film, Landscape Architecture, Photography, Minorities. For more information click here.

Online Funding Resources

Artist Services / Sundance Film Institute

Supports U.S. and international documentary films and videos focused on current and significant issues and movements in contemporary human rights, freedom of expression, social justice, and civil liberties. For more information click here. 

Film Financing | The Independent

Articles with guidance on financing and fundraising for independent filmmakers, including funder FAQs and links to state-by-state resources. For more information click here.

Books

There are a number of wonderfully written books on the subject of fundraising for film and media projects. Buy them online or request that your local library can stock them.

Crowdfunding for filmmakers: the way to a successful film campaign.

Crowdfunding for Filmmakers offers practical information, tips, and tactics for launching a successful film campaign by detailing traditional models of fundraising, utilizing today’s technological and social innovations, and augmenting each step with an added personal touch. The book examines various ways to meet and exceed one s crowdfunding goal through chapters on team building, audience outreach, and crowdfunder etiquette, along with a section containing case studies from successful film campaigns. You can purchase the book from Amazon here.

The Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: 2013 Edition. The authoritative guide to producing, directing, shooting, editing, and distributing your video or film

Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of video and film production, and used in courses around the world, The Filmmaker’s Handbook is now updated with the latest advances in HD and new digital formats. For students and teachers, professionals and novices, this indispensable handbook covers all aspects of movie making. The book includes techniques for making dramatic features, documentaries, corporate, broadcast, and experimental videos and films; Shooting with DSLRs, video, film, and digital cinema cameras;  Digital editing with the latest video editing systems;  In-depth coverage of lenses, lighting, sound recording, and mixing; The business aspects of funding and producing your project;  Getting your movie shown in theaters, on TV, and on the Web. You can purchase the book from Amazon here.

The Art of Film Funding: Alternative Financing Concepts

This book is your reference guide for creating the perfect pitch, inspiring your winning application, finding and connecting with funding organizations, making a successful “ask,” and landing the money to make your film.

Written by Carole Dean, a woman who took a $20 bill and turned it into a $50 million a year industry when she created the “short end” film industry in Hollywood which she ran for 33 years. Carole produced over 100 television programs, including the popular cable programs, HealthStyles and Filmmakers. You can’t get more insider info and practical advice on how to fund your film project than this book, You can purchase the book from Amazon here. 

New Opportunities

Technology has made film making more accessible than ever before. Today, even in developing countries you can purchase an inexpensive digital video recorder relatively cheaply. Attach your camera to a computer and using software that ranges from free to prohibitively expensive you can create your own edited films faster than ever before. These changes have put film making into the hands of community groups and grassrootsorganisation’s for the first time and heralds a new paradigm in movie making from documentaries to TV.

The internet has simultaneously opened up new funding, distribution and promotional opportunities for film makers without access to massive advertising budgets. Previously, funding for films came from a very narrowgroup of investors and organisation’s with fierce competitition for financial support.

In 2013, we are we in the midst of a grassroots led funding revolution across all arts funding with sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo providing opportunities for film makers to work directly with their audience to raise funds. Essentially, these tools have helped to shift funding opportunities from the realm of a few to the crowd of potentially millions of people. Access to these new forms of funding have created a revival in independent film making with seasoned professionals through to real amateurs having the chance to have their dream become a reality.

Just take a look at some of the films that have been funded purely through contributions on Kickstarter here.

One of the biggest problems that many aspiring film makers would face after completing their film’s are the challenges that come with trying to secure distribution agreements. You can make the best film ever made but nobody will know unless you can secure distribution for your film to be in a convenient, accessible and affordable locations. Distribution contracts, like film funding contracts, have long been based on the film’s potential to create a return on investment. Whilst reasonable, this has also meant that only the most commercially viable films end up being made and distributed whilst more challenging films, documentaries and films about obscure topics were typically rejected.

The internet has changed all of that. We have moved from a tightly controlled distribution system that is managed by a select few people to the creation of a truly perfect market. By distributing your film online rather than through a traditional vendor you can remove substantial distribution fees, retain control over your film’srights, charge whatever price you like to watch the film and reach a market of over one billion people online.

Popular sites that film makers around the world are using to host their films online include YouTube and Vimeo.

Promotional budget for Hollywood blockbusters remain huge, often running into tens of millions of dollars for advertising on TV, print, billboards, online and at cinemas. These options are well out of the range of most film makers, which until the past decade was a significant problem that meant many great films were sadly forgotten. But with the rise of the internet and in particular social media, promotion and advertising have never been more affordable or more effective.

No longer are film makers beholden to investors, distributors and promoters, because truly the tools to reach an audience effectively have never been greater. The costs of creating films have dropped sharply and rapidly meaning that serious film making is no longer in the hands of a select few but all of of us.

New Challenges

With new opportunities come new challenges. Advances in technology have made the world far more accessible than before but this presents its own problems for film makers. Previously, making films was restricted to just a small minority of people due to the expense of equipment, time needed to learn the craft and expensive and arduous editing processes. Now most anyone can make a film, and quickly too. Before you know it you can be online and promoting your new show across social media, but with thousands of people across the world all now able to make, promote and distribute films extremely cheaply, there is now morecompetition than ever before.

Another aspect of this renewed competition is that traditional funders of films from investors, film boards and foundation’s have all experienced a significant rise in the number of formal funding applications they receive. Some have even decided to tighten their eligibility criteria to just experienced film makers only in an attempt to reduce the number of applications they receive.

Another new challenge that this new dawn in technology has created is that film makers are increasingly required to work in other areas to support their film. Previously, if a film maker could secure funding, promotion and distribution rights, which in itself is a difficult task, then they could sit back and concentrate on making the very best film they could make.

Today, film makers have to effectively run a fully fledged business built around their film including from budgets and human resources to negotiating rights and media liaison. Establishing the right balance between creating a film and managing your business is the new challenge of film makers around the world today. The new reality is that most film makers now spend more time on fundraising than film making itself. A common industry estimate for independent film makers suggest that 80% of their time will be spent on business activities, leaving just twenty percent of their time to concentrate on making a great film.

Close

The world of media production has been revolutionised over the past twenty years and in the past five years film funding has followed the same path. The demands on film makers are greater than ever but at the same time the opportunities have never been so abundant. Good luck with your endeavors from everyone at the FundsforNGOs team.

TOP 10 EUROPEAN FOUNDATIONS

Top Ten Wealthiest European Foundations

September 20, 2013 By Robin Toal

Following up on our previous coverage of ten of the best charitable foundations based in the US, we present to you our guide to the top ten European Foundations.

The entries are ranked based on the size of the Foundation’s total endowment, or invested donations, that are available for charitable purposes.

1. The Stichting INGKA Foundation is a Dutch Foundation founded in 1982 by Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish billionaire, who is the founder of IKEA. INGKA is one of the largest charitable foundations in the world and the second-largest nonprofit organization in the world…[more]

2. The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. It has an endowment of around £14.5 billion. Now in its 77th year, the aim of the Trust is to “achieve extraordinary improvements in health by supporting…[more]

3. The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England with an endowment reported to be worth at least $8.1 billion. The Commissioners are tasked with managing an investment portfolio to support…[more]

4. The Robert Bosch Stiftung is reported to be the largest German Foundation, managing the philanthropic bequest of company founder Robert Bosch for more than 40 years. The Foundation is divided into four areas to support…[more]

5. The Garfield Weston Foundation was established in 1958 by Willard Garfield Weston, a Canadian businessman who moved to the UK with his family in 1932. Annual donations to the Foundation have grown from…[more]

6. The Knut and Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse is the sixth Foundation and our list with an endowment reported to be worth over $5.3 billion in 2012. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote scientific research, teaching and education beneficial…[more]

7. Realdania is a philantropic association supporting projects in the built environment within three focus areas: Cities, buildings and built heritage.Their mission is to improve quality of life for the common good through the built environment…[more]

8. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private foundation whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education, and science. It reported an endowment of over $3.5 billion in 2012…[more]

9. The Sigrid Rausing Trust is a UK grant making foundation, founded in 1995 by Sigrid Rausing to supporthuman rights globally. Since then, the Trust has given away approximately £191.9 million to human rightsorganisations all over the world…[more]

10. Zennström Philanthropies was founded in 2007 by Niklas and Catherine Zennström. Its mission is to support and engage with organisations that fight for human rights, work to stop climate change and encourage social entrepreneurship…[more]

Recent Posts

• EEA Financial Mechanism NGO Program ‘Democracy and Human Rights’
• Investment and Development Agency of Latvia Norway Grants ‘Green Industry Innovation’
• UN Academic Impact Student Essay Contest 2014
• EEA/Norwegian Financial Mechanism for Hungarian NGOs to Support Action Projects
• Norwegian Financial Mechanism ‘Green Industry Innovation Program Estonia’

MICROSOFT YOUTH MEDIA GRANTS

Microsoft Software Grants: Empowering Youth to Change Their World

September 8, 2013 By Robin Toal

Microsoft believes that the world stands at a crossroads. While there are more young people on the planet than ever before, youth unemployment is double that of the adult population. Countries are struggling to develop modern workforces due to the growing gap between the skills of unemployed workers and the skills needed to perform the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Today’s young people face an opportunity divide – a gap between those who have the access, skills and opportunities to be successful and those who do not. Closing this opportunity divide is one of the most important actions we can all take to secure the future of our youth and the future of our global economy.

Microsoft YouthSpark is a companywide initiative designed to create opportunities for hundreds of millions of youth around the world. Through partnerships with governments, nonprofits and businesses, Microsoft aim to empower youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater education,employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Microsoft want to empower youth to change their world.

The majority of Microsoft’s grants to nonprofits organizations are in the form of software. Microsoft provides limited cash grants to eligible organizations whose missions and activities align to their core programs, including YouthSpark. Application for cash grants are by invitation only. Unsolicited requests for cash grants are not accepted.

Software Donations

Microsoft recognizes the great work that nonprofit organizations do to support communities and individuals in need. Microsoft donates software to help suitable organisations to achieve their missions.

Many nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive Microsoft software donations. Nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations must hold recognized, charitable status as defined in their countries in order to be eligible for a software donation. Eligible organizations will operate on a not-for-profit basis and have a mission to benefit the local community that could include, but is not limited to:

• Providing relief to the poor
• Advancing education
• Improving social welfare
• Preserving culture
• Preserving or restoring the environment
• Promoting human rights
• Establishment of civil society

Organizations that engage in discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training or services, promotion, termination, and/or retirement based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status, other than as allowed by law, are not eligible for software donations.

What’s available: Software Donations & Resources

As a nonprofit organisation, you work every day to meet community needs. Microsoft has technology solutionsto help you meet those needs more efficiently and with greater impact. Whether you’re a small organization serving a single community or a global nonprofit serving millions, Microsoft can help through software donations, training and resources.

The right software is just one part of improving your organization’s efficiency and effectiveness. Microsoft also supplies support, training, and tools can help you evaluate your technology needs and get the most out of your software.

Microsoft software donations include several valuable benefits to help you get the greatest value from your software. After your organization is awarded a grant from the Microsoft Software Donation Program, you are entitled to access benefits for a period of two years from the date of your donation. These Software Assurance benefits apply to donations received directly from Microsoft or via our nonprofit software donation partner, TechSoup Global.

To apply for a software grant for your organisations click here.

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