Responsible Technology Youth Empowerment Fund

The Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund invites youth and intergenerationally led organizations to submit proposals for initiatives that are shaping the future of the responsible technology movement. Young people are a powerful force in the pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable technology ecosystem. However, cultural, social, and infrastructural barriers often prevent youth-led organizations and intergenerational partnerships from accessing funding and realizing their full power and potential in shaping responsible technology.

Examples of areas in which the Fund’s core funders have particular expertise and interest include:

• The intersection of technology and mental health
• Harnessing connective opportunities technology provides to support belonging and well-being
• Building a better world online — that is safe, fair and compassionate
• Supporting learning, discovery and action focused on the  ethical collection, protection and use of data
• Preventing online abuse and promoting the safety, protection, wellbeing and development of children
• Bridging the frontiers of artificial intelligence, data science, and social impact
• Empowering youth change-makers who are optimizing our digital world

The Fund is investing in young people because it believes in the unbounded aspiration, allergy to convention, and fidelity to equity that define their leadership in the Responsibility Technology Movement. To that end, we’ve selected application questions that will explore each of these three areas:

• Possibility—Help us see the change you’re going to make in the world, understand why it matters, and how you and your team plan to make it happen.
• Creativity—Show us how your initiative challenges the status quo and grows the responsible technology movement.
• Equity—Tell us how you are disrupting traditional sources and distributions of power.

Amount: Levels of funding are as follows:
Phase One: $25,000 – $50,000 (e.g. early stage of initiative or organization; little to no existing programming at the youth and tech intersection)
Phase Two: $50,000 – $100,000 (e.g. pilot stage initiative or organization; moderate traction with at least a year of programming)
Phase Three: $100,000 – $200,000 (e.g. scale stage organization or initiative; significant traction, track record of meaningful impact, partnerships and networks; at least a year of programming)

** Note that the blurbs in the above parentheses are directional but there can be exceptions e.g. organization existing for 6-months with tremendous amount of traction and resources could potentially apply for scale stage.

Eligibility: You should apply if you are:

• A youth (up to age 25) or intergenerationally led organization or initiative — with a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) public charity status or affiliation.
• Working within the responsible technology movement.
• Working on issues including but not limited to: mental health, digital wellbeing, mis- and disinformation, cybersecurity, digital divide, privacy, digital literacy, data equity, platform accountability, open source technology, algorithmic bias, and more.

Link: https://www.rtyouthpower.org/rfp-info

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