MobileActive.org

Below are some awards and funding opportunities that we have come across that might be of interest to the MobileActive community. None of the opportunities listed are adinistered by MobileActive; we are just the messenger!

Women in Science Competition
Recognising women scientists in sub-Saharan Africa who are "engaged in innovative and pioneering research and communicating the outputs - knowledge, technologies, approaches - for enhancing agricultural  performance in sub-Saharan Africa." This competition is also designed for women scientists who are repackaging and communicating existing knowledge to improve the agricultural productivity and livelihoods of rural communities, or who are advocating for policy change to optimise the benefits of scientific and technological developments. Deadline: August 15 2008, more information here.

UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs in Education
Inviting organisations affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to enter a competition on the theme "Digital Opportunities for All: Preparing  
Students for 21st-Century Skills". This prize rewards activities that demonstrate best practice as well as creative use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance learning, teaching, and overall educational performance. Funded by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the US$50,000 prize is divided between two winners. Deadline: August 31 2008, more information here.

Excellence in New Communications Awards
Recognising innovative organisations and individuals who are  pioneering the use of new media and communications and social media (i.e., blogs, wikis, podcasts, collaborative tools and other forms  
of participatory communications) in the areas of marketing, public relations and internal communications, advertising, media, politics, entertainment, academics, and community and cultural development. Awards will be granted in 6 divisions and in 7 categories. In addition, the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) Fellows select the following: Visionary of the Year; Innovator of the Year; and Brand of the Year. Deadline: September 8 2008, more information here.

Banking on Social Change: Seeking Financial Solutions for All
Recognising financial service projects that use innovation, including ICT innovation - such as mobile banking and internet financial solutions - and skills to achieve economic and social change. The competition is designed to reach entrepreneurs and challenge them to use their skills and commitment to providing financial services for all. The objective is to channel the collective energy of entrepreneurial ideas and skills as a means for creating economic and social change worldwide.
Deadline: October 1 2008, more information here.

Mama Cash Grants
Supporting "innovative" projects from women's groups and women's  
organisations all over the world. Criteria include: projects aimed at groups of women who are relegated to a marginal position; projects that are avant-garde; and projects that contain a risky and "ground-breaking" element. Applications from The Netherlands and Europe as well as the Global South (Asia and the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean) and the former Soviet  
Union, can be submitted throughout the entire year. Rolling deadline. The average grant ranges from 500 euros to 20,000 euros per year. Click here for more information on the application process for Mama Cash grants.

MacArthur Foundation Grant for Population and Reproductive Health
Inviting organisations working on reproductive health (RH), these grants focus on 3 countries: India, Mexico, and Nigeria. Two themes form the core of this grantmaking: a. Reducing maternal mortality and morbidity; and b. Advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people. Typically, the Foundation provides multi-year support. Proposals must fit clearly within the geographic and thematic priorities of the population and RH area to be considered. Rolling deadline. Click here for information on the contents of a letter of inquiry. Click here for a full set of guidelines for this type of grant.

MacArthur Foundation Grants for Human Rights and International Justice
Intending to expand and strengthen the network of human rights organisations in Nigeria, Mexico, and Russia. The MacArthur Foundation also provides grants to United States-based organisations  
that work internationally on human rights. Grants are awarded only to organisations that define clear objectives for their work and measures of progress toward those objectives. The foundation provides multi-year support. Proposals must fit clearly within the geographic and thematic priorities of the Human Rights and International Justice programme. Rolling deadline.  Click here for information on the contents of a letter of inquiry. Click here for a full set of guidelines for this type of grant.

Open Society Fellowship
Supporting idea entrepreneurs from around the world. This fellowship enables professionals, including journalists, activists, scholars, and practitioners, to work on projects that may include books, articles, outreach for documentary films, online media, and efforts to seed new campaigns and organisations. The fellowship focuses on four areas: National Security and the Open Society; Citizenship, Membership, and Marginalisation; Strategies and Tools for Advocacy and Citizen Engagement; and Understanding Authoritarianism. Fellowships are awarded for 1 year.
Rolling deadline. More here.

African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) Small Grants Programme (SGP)
Supporting small, community/rural based grassroots women's groups, which would otherwise not be able to access AWDF's main funding programme. The SGP also supports emerging or emergency issues -  i.e., community disasters, activities that require a rapid response, etc. Beneficiaries should be running projects that fall within  AWDF's 5 thematic areas: Women's Human Rights, Political Participation, Peace Building, Health, Reproductive Rights, and HIV/AIDS, Economic Empowerment.
Rolling deadline.

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA)
Inviting applications for US$5 million in grants, distributed annually in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Support is offered for projects  
that are both national and regional. The programmes broadly focus on education, media, ICT, human rights, and democracy. Rolling deadline. OSISA website