Accelerating Makers Roundup, December 4, 2023
As we wrap up the year, December invites us to reflect. Let's take a moment to look back on what we've been up to this past year. What projects did we dive into? Where did our focus and hard work take us? Who have we met and what conversations stuck? December is a good time to sift through the days and see where we've put in the effort and how things turned out.
For us at TechSoup , we launched Accelerating Makers, and we’re so grateful for your engagement in this learning series about the decentralized web! We attended events around the world to connect with builders and integrators of public good technology including DWeb Camp 2023, The Responsible Tech Summit in NYC, LabWeek23, and most recently Aspiration’s Nonprofit DevSummit in Oakland, California. We published original research: our collection of use cases of decentralized technologies for civil society and a summary of maker interviews.
We hosted and facilitated 19 of our own virtual events, inviting experts and leaders in decentralized technologies to share their projects and experiences with our nonprofit community.
We’ve also launched a community on Quad for deeper engagement and connection. Please join us there and enjoy the rest of this roundup.
We are still expanding this program to better meet the wide-ranging needs of our community members. We’d love to hear from you as we develop the next phase of the series.?
Specifically, we want to know
Gratefully yours,
Billy Bicket , on behalf of the Public Good App House team
Maker Events
Secrets to Collaborating with Makers to Co-create Tech for Civil Society
Civil society leaders connect and work with Makers to create purpose-built tools for public good.
??? Wednesday, December 13, 12 – 1 p.m. EST
?? Register now
Public Good Tech Ecosystem Events
All Tech Is Human Holiday Party! Co-Creating a Better Tech Future in 2024: If you are involved in the Responsible Tech ecosystem, this is a gathering you won't want to miss.
Founded in 2018, All Tech Is Human is making NYC the global home for the Responsible Tech movement. On December 14, we'll be celebrating the achievements of the community, providing ample time for conversation with others who deeply care about building a better tech future and learning about where we are headed in 2024. Oh, and we'll have a few gifts and surprises.
??? December 14
?? Register now
Nonprofit Technology Conference: NTEN’s conference, often referred to as the NTC, is the annual gathering of people who want to make the world a better place through the skillful and equitable use of technology. At the NTC, you'll learn essential nonprofit technology best practices while connecting with a community that shares your commitment to social change. In-person in Portland, Oregon, or virtual.
??? March 13 – 15, 2024
?? Register now (prices go up December 15)
Code for America Summit: Bringing together changemakers from across the country to convene, collaborate, and learn as they break through some of government’s biggest challenges by removing barriers and finding real solutions that can make our systems work well for everyone.
??? May 28 – 30, 2024
?? Register now
Funding and Grant Opportunities
??Innovate UK: Launchpad
Launchpads are a recently launched program to support a range of specific innovation clusters, addressing some of the key challenges facing SMEs in the cluster, which may be access to innovation finance and collaboration. Launchpads provide up to ￡100k, business support, and networking opportunities. Apply before December 6. Organizations must be based in the UK and able to demonstrate a strong potential for growth and innovation
??Just Tech Fellowship
This is a two-year, full-time, remote fellowship supporting a diverse community of researchers and practitioners investigating the intersection of technology and social justice. Completed applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The last day to submit application materials is January 31, 2024.
??The FREE STEM Fund
The FREE STEM Fund aims to narrow the gender gap in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. It provides direct grants to registered and unregistered initiatives, groups, collectives, and organizations focused on the rights of girls, women, transgender, and nonbinary people.
??The Pizzigati Prize
The Pizzigati Prize celebrates software developers who create, for free public distribution, open-source apps and tools that nonprofit and advocacy groups can put to good use. Apply by January 24, 2024.
领英推荐
??Web3 Foundation Grants
These grants fund software development and research efforts that drive the advancement and adoption of decentralized software protocols. Both technical development and community development grants are available. In the short term, they are most interested in teams building with Substrate or Polkadot, though they encourage all builders to apply!
?? 2023 EmpowHer Grant?
Boundless Futures Foundation's mission is to provide financial and leadership resources for aspiring female entrepreneurs building businesses to solve today’s biggest social issues so they can have a boundless impact on society. Apply by December 31.
??TxP Progress Prize
A new ￡5,000 blog prize, in partnership with Civic Future and New Statesman Spotlight, encouraging responses to the question: Britain is stuck. How can we get it moving again? Apply by January 7, 2024. Learn more and apply.?
Community Spotlight
Introducing Andrea Sampson
Andrea Sampson is a former strategist and consultant and has spent over 25 years working in marketing and advertising, presenting and developing strategies for Fortune 100 companies. With a natural talent for developing compelling stories and persuasive content, Andrea is sought after to assist teams and executives to develop their presentations or pitches. Four years ago, Andrea’s passion for ideas led her to TEDxToronto where she volunteered initially as a Speaker Coach, then as the Director of Programming in 2015 and the Conference Co-Chair in 2016. This voluntary role was instrumental in the creation of Talk Boutique, a speaker management, development and representation company. Andrea was the Co-Director of the 2017 Singularity University Canada Summit.
On October 18, Andrea Sampson presented Art of the Impact Pitch: How to Craft Your Narrative for Funders and Nonprofits. In her presentation, Andrea delivers practical guidance for capturing your audience’s attention in your pitch. Whether you are a nonprofit or a Maker looking for support, telling your story is a crucial skill that can help you stand out and make funders feel excited to go on the journey with you. Andrea offers insights about self-perception and advocates that everyone should see themselves as a thought leader. Thought leadership, to Andrea, means recognizing the value of your own unique perspective and actively sharing your ideas and insights with others in your field.?
Read the recap of this event (and all past Accelerating Makers events) on the Accelerating Makers site! Or, as always, you can watch the playback on our YouTube channel. Let us know what you thought of this excellent presentation!
News and Other Cool Links
??Feel Good Fundraising Method by Considered Capital
Thousands of impact-focused entrepreneurs have utilized the programs and resources by Considered Capital to get the funding that fits their wonderfully wonky-shaped business. Feel Good Fundraising Method will give you immediate access to all the resources you need to educate yourself on alternative funding and understand whether it's a good route for you.
??Apply to the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP)
Are you a human rights defender keen to use the UN to push for change at home? If so, apply for the 2024 edition of ISHR’s flagship training, the Human Rights Defender Advocacy Programme (HRDAP)! Be sure to check out the important dates and information before applying.
??The Bloom Social Impact Newsletter
This newsletter and online community provides well-curated social impact jobs, uplifting stories, and global resources for folks already involved or looking to get involved in social impact work all around the world.
??Let’s Talk about Public Code Podcast
Great interviews with people working with public code codebases, open-source software, and the policy and guidance needed for reuse. Check it out!
??What Happened to the New Internet? By Bryan Lehrer
A thought-provoking piece about trying to fix the problems with the internet, the so far empty promises of crypto, and the role of research organizations in pursuit of a more just digital future.
??Book Reviews: Wealth Supremacy and End Times
Two great books on our reading list brought into conversation with each other.
??Developer Gig Alert!
Our friends at OpenArchive are hiring a Lead Mobile Developer to contribute code and manage their overall technical effort, including overseeing the implementation and delivery of their super cool Save app.
??New Offering Alert!
TechSoup has a new nonprofit offer with GitLab, an AI-powered DevSecOps (development, security, and operations) platform that allows organizations to prioritize, manage, and automate their software development tasks.
Support for Nonprofit Developers
If your project is a registered nonprofit, you’re eligible for TechSoup’s discount and donation program. These are among the 100+ products:
Thanks for reading! We hope you have a great day. If you have something that should be in our next newsletter, let us know at [email protected]