Community Micro-Grant Program 2017

April 3, 2017

BWB is excited to announce the launch of our 9th annual community grant program, and you are invited to apply! To date, BWB has provided over $100K in grants for over 90 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 Due: June 1, 2017 at 5pm PDT

Grant Awards: $100-$1,500

Link to Online Application: http://bit.ly/2neYw4p
(If you have any issues with the online form- please email the address below and we’ll send you a simple word document application)

BWB GRANT PROGRAM VISION
Through BWB’s grant program, we are committed to jump-starting creative, civic projects that both grow community and make a positive impact. 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 hasn’t got to where we are at today 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?

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 2016 award winners to get an idea of the types of project 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 revewing submissions.  These questions are not hard-lines, but rather 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 from 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 to the project?
  • Will there be any income from this project? If so, how will the profit be used in 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? bwb@burnerswithoutborders.org

Cover Photo Credit: Sharon Avraham

        

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