Technology Micro-Grants Available

9/17/2020 – The micro-grant program has been closed for now.

stick figure sitting at a desk drawn by a green pencil with a laptop in front of them. The words Microgrants and the SJPJC Logo

Due to these unprecedented circumstances, many are left without adequate means of organizing and activating remotely. Grassroots groups are hit particularly hard as face-to-face organizing is no longer an option. As part of our mission to serve the community and facilitate progressive activism in the South Bay, San José Peace and Justice Center is offering Technology Micro-Grants to help community groups organize and activate remotely during these times of physical distancing.

Groups are invited to apply for a one-time micro-grant of up to $200 to defray the cost of hardware or software for community groups use. This one-time grant can also cover training courses to help with shifting to remote activism and organizing activities.

We have approximately 10 micro-grants to award. Please submit your application by Monday, May 25, 2020 at 5 pm to be considered for this grant. Announcements will be made on Friday, May 29th via email and a news release.

To donate to this fund, please go to our Donation Form and specify “Micro-Grant” in the Comment section.

Why are we doing this?

While some community groups have successfully shifted into remote working spaces, other groups have faced more difficulty. Grassroots groups are the heart of progressive activism in the South Bay and the shelter-in-place order has been massively disruptive to community organizing. Our goal is to address the financial inequity that comes with adapting to a new reality, and to provide essential resources for groups that have a need.

What will we fund:

The following types of activities that are eligible include:

  • Purchase or upgrade programs to facilitate online meetings, actions, or events;
  • Purchase or upgrade technology to help your group be more active online;
  • Assist in paying for higher speed internet;or
  • Cover training classes to help shift to remote activism and organizing activities.

The following types of activity that are not eligible include:

  • Technology and programs used to participate in a campaign, directly or indirectly, on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate;
  • Individuals cannot be funded with a grant unless they are seeking it through an established community group;
  • Travel of any kind; and
  • Payroll or any non-tech related operational costs

What we support:

These micro-grants are open to community groups in Santa Clara County and our extended network. Your organization must be grassroots with no more than 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) paid staff members.

The maximum amount of money that can be awarded is $200. This is a one-time award with no renewal. We trust you spend the funds on the needs you state in your application. We ask that you sustainably source your purchases (e.g., please do not use Amazon, etc.).

If provided funding, your group will be required to document and share how you used the funds. This can be through photos, a short paragraph of explanation, a video, and so on. These materials will be used to report on the success and lessons of the micro-grant program.

Application Process

Your application will be reviewed upon receipt with the approval process happening at least monthly until all funds are used. Each application will be reviewed based on completeness of answers and other guidelines. We are working to compile this guidelines document on how to rate applications we receive and it will be released prior to our review of applications.

We hope to provide the microgrants on a rolling basis as long as we have the donations to cover the fund. Groups are asked to apply no more than once per year for a micro-grant.

Click here to access the application. If your group needs an offline application, please send an email to Michele@sanjosepeace.org and an application form will be generated that can be returned in a PDF format.

The funds from the grant will be awarded as a check, so a mailing address is essential. We ask that you submit the short evaluation on your micro-grant award no later than 3 months after your award date. This evaluation can include photos, short paragraph description, event flyers, and so on to show how your group benefited from the purchase from the grant.

As with all things, thank you for being a part of our community.

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