2022 Community Microgrant Announcement

September 19, 2022

After a two-year hiatus, BWB is excited to announce the launch of our 12th annual Community Microgrant Program, and you are invited to apply! To date, BWB has provided over $250K in grants for over 120 projects that have made a positive impact around the world, by leveraging a relatively small amount of money against the mighty power of the community’s capacity to make a difference.

GRANT DETAILS
Applications Open: September 19, 2022
Applications Close: October 20, 2022 at 11:59pm PDT

Grant Awards: $100-$1,500

Link to Online Application: https://forms.gle/V57NvKaGJueWitcw5
(If you have any issues with the online form- please email the address below and we’ll send you a simple word document application)

We aspire to be in touch with all of our applicants by mid-November and to send funds to grant recipients before the end of the 2022 calendar year.

BWB GRANT PROGRAM VISION
Through BWB’s grant program, we are committed to jump-starting creative, civic projects that both grow and positively impact the community. We know that real change starts at the grassroots level and healthy communities emerge from citizens participating in actively creating the kinds of communities they want to live in. BWB prides itself on accomplishing a lot with very little money by engaging the power of community and innovative problem solving to make a difference.

GRANT GUIDELINES
BWB didn’t evolve and emerge by creating a lot of restrictive rules. BWB is about giving ourselves permission to evoke the wildest parts of our imaginations to tackle issues we care about. Really, the sky is the limit. You are encouraged to collaborate with members of your community and dream big! What do you care about? How can your community creatively address a particular issue to make a positive impact? What elements can you invite in that will make it engaging and fun?

We suggest you submit a formatted budget. Here is a link to some budget templates– any of which would be appropriate. You can copy any of the budget templates into your own spreadsheet or google form to use.

Suggestions for a quality grant proposal:

– Look at the BWB Grant Impact & Criteria Document to see how we think about grants.
– Reach out to your local Burning Man Regional Contact and ask if they might be an advisor.
– Watch our video “How to write Quality Grants: Burning Man 101” (Starts rough but gets going at (9:00 in)
– Listen to our podcast  “Targeted Grant Writing: with Meta-Regional Jacqui Latendresse

WHAT WE DON’T FUND: Paying salaries or stipends or art projects that lack a community, civic engagement component.  Fundraising Events.  Capital Campaigns.

If you are looking for inspiration to create your own project, check out the 2018 award winners, 2017 award winners & 2016 award winners to get an idea of the types of projects we fund.

QUESTIONS WE ASK OURSELVES WHEN REVIEWING SUBMISSIONS:
In an attempt to help you consider whether or not your project is suitable for our grant program, we’ve provided a list of questions our judges ask when reviewing submissions.  These questions are not hard lines but touch points and things to consider.

Feasibility

  • Does the project’s mission/goals fit with BWB’s? Is it civic/community service minded (vs. art for art’s sake)?
  • How well does this project leverage volunteer resources and community resources against a relatively small injection of money?
  • Does the project seem reasonable/feasible given the budget, timeframe, and volunteers who are available to complete the project?
  • What experience does the project leader have in organizing projects? How much support will they require from BWB to make the project successful?
  • Is this project likely to get funded by a different donor? Is our grant important for this project’s existence?
  • What other funds need to be raised for this project to be successful?
  • Will this particular grant money make a significant impact on the project?
  • Will there be any income from this project? If so, how will the profit be used in the service of the community?

Community Engagement and Impact

  • Is the project interactive and participatory? Does it engage the broader community beyond the grant recipients? Does the project bring together a variety of stakeholders or communities?
  • How many people will this project touch and in what way?
  • How will this project affect the community over time? What is the life of the project after the grant has been given and the initial project is completed?
  • Is the community inviting this project and is there a demonstrated need for this project?
  • How will the impacts be measured? What is the quality of the impact vs the quantity?
  • How does this project promote community leadership?
  • Is the execution of the project engaging and fun for volunteers?

Innovation

  • How does the project engage creative ideas or processes?

Questions? bwbgrants@burningman.org

Privacy Statement:
Your privacy and trust are important to us. Burners Without Borders strives to follow the best practices for data and protection and privacy. We do not share the information you share with us beyond our internal systems, which may include your local regional contact in order to further connect you to the Burning Man Network.

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