Stanford PACS initiative invites proposals from the U.S. and abroad to foster the safe, ethical, and effective use of digital resources in civil society.
Press Release – Stanford, CA – Digital Impact, an initiative of the Digital Civil Society Lab at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS), announced the opening of its 2018 grants cycle to advance the use of digital resources for global social good.
Launched in 2016 with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Digital Impact Grants program funds research and innovation to strengthen the safe, ethical, and effective use of digital data and infrastructure in civil society.
Digital Impact awards grants for two types of projects: scholarly research and sector advancement. Funds are intended to support innovations and research that have broad application for improving knowledge, practices, and outcomes across the social sector. All work supported by Digital Impact Grants is to be publicly shared and openly accessible.
Key thematic areas of interest for the 2018 cycle include: 1) institutional and process innovation; 2) new diverse, robust policy alliances; 3) advancing digital norms for civil society; 4) networking networks; 5) collective civil society approaches to corporate allies; and 6) funding strategies for alternative infrastructures.
“The work of civil society is increasingly rooted in a complex and evolving digital ecosystem full of dependencies, opportunities, and risks,” said Lucy Bernholz, Senior Research Scholar at Stanford PACS and Director of its Digital Civil Society Lab. “Our grants program funds projects to help establish and share new and emerging knowledge, practices, systems, and networks for civil society to thrive in the digital age.”
Digital Impact will select 5 to 10 grantees to receive funding from a pool of $200,000. The deadline for proposals is June 25, 2018 at 5 PM PT, and winners will be notified in August 2018. Funds will support new or ongoing advancements and research to be conducted over the course of the grant period from late fall 2018 to late fall 2019.
Digital Impact will host two webinars to discuss the grants program in detail and respond to questions from prospective applicants (click below to RSVP):
- Q&A Webinar #1: Thursday, May 10 at 10am PT / 1pm ET
- Q&A Webinar #2: Tuesday, May 29 at 11am PT / 2pm ET
The 2018 cycle marks the third year of the Digital Impact Grants program. The 2016 and 2017 cohorts of Digital Impact grantees received a total of $475,000 for initiatives to support the safe, responsible use of digital resources in the social sector.
To learn more about this grant opportunity, view the full Request for Proposal.
For more information about Digital Impact, visit digitalimpact.org.
