The IRL Fund aims to support movement-building initiatives undertaken by a variety of groups and organizations on the African continent. It is accessible to anybody working to advance digital and human rights both online and off. We accept applications from people who want to collaborate with other movement sectors (e.g. community justice, racial justice, climate justice, human rights, economic justice, or other social justice movements). – Mozilla In Real Life (IRL) Fund for Africa Innovation Mradi
The range of grants on offer is $15,000 to $50,000 USD.
What is The Africa Innovation Mradi?
Utilizing Mozilla’s position as guardians of the open web, Africa Innovation Mradi fosters innovation based on the particular requirements of users on the African continent. The program creates partnerships and communities that explore and create new technologies and goods based on open innovation.
In Real Life (IRL) Fund: What is it?
The IRL Fund supports African groups’ activities, programs, and strategies that advance a robust internet. In particular, we’re looking for concepts that advance human rights online and in real life. This is a brand-new, experimental grant-making approach designed to create a network of collaborators engaged in projects that tackle actual problems on the African continent.
What we are seeking for Mozilla: In Real Life (IRL) Fund for Africa Innovation Mradi?
The IRL Fund supports movement-building initiatives that advance the creation, application, and control of technologies because to the influence that each has on concerns of social justice, both online and off.
The IRL Fund will enable us to:
Establish connections amongst those working on the influence of technology on social justice concerns, including technologists, entrepreneurs, civil society, and policymakers. in addition to collaborating across disciplines to generate solutions that are motivated by ideals.
Accelerate the efforts of “front runners” in the internet health movement who can speak for and reflect the wants and aspirations of the average internet user, especially those who are already linked to, interacting with, and informed by lived experience.
Create places for discussing and/or defining the most promising “home-grown” initiatives, projects, and strategies, and direct resources toward those that partners have prioritized. This will support the goals stated by partners and those that emerge from convening procedures.
In order to share lessons learned, motivate others, create momentum, and draw in new actors and possible funders, display and document innovations already taking place across sectors.
In order to improve African organizations’ visibility and presence in digital rights organizations, technological communities, regional and continental regulator gatherings, and internet governance forums, support strategic engagement and networking.
Partner with those who can reach and speak for marginalized communities by establishing connections with those who have been mostly excluded from discussions about digital rights, such as the unemployed, those without a formal education, women, LGBTQI+ communities, and those with impairments.
Enhance projects that concentrate on how technology affects the work of civil society organizations, with a focus on those that are aware of how internet health and AI relate to their work and/or have the potential to raise awareness among the general population.
In order to strengthen institutional and leadership capacity, as well as digital resilience, for those who are set to have increased effect with the correct support, support the capacity building of institutions that are aligned with or contributing to internet health priorities on the continent.
Grant formats
The money made available through this appeal will assist non-profit groups working in and based in Africa. We invite applications that investigate novel concepts that innovate around the lived experiences of Africans. The goal of this request is to promote and support efforts that explore the convergence of social justice and technology.
Please make sure you meet the qualifying requirements shown below for the amount you are requesting before submitting your application. In the LOI, applicants will also be given the option of choosing “Project Support” or “General Operating Support” as the Award Type. To understand more about those award types, kindly check the FAQs.
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Together, Pamoja costs $50,000 USD
We think that oppression is related to one another. As a result, we also think that collaboration is one of the foundations for strategic change that has an impact. We promote collaborative work across organizations and/or across geographies in an effort to invest in the purposeful organic connections between and across our various movements and geographic areas.
This grant is worth $50,000 USD over the course of a year.
Eligibility requirements for Together, Pamoja costs $50,000 USD
- Collaboration between two or more organizations or networks based in Kenya or South Africa, at least one of which has been operating for three or more years and is legally registered there; alternatively, Pan African networks/art or media based collectives whose proposed work includes a focus in Kenya and South Africa.
- All applicants should have a strategy in place that seeks to integrate digital resilience or technology related innovation/advocacy.
- The organization applying on behalf of the network or collective should be legally registered in at least one country of focus and have been in operation for three or more years.
Strengthen Nguvu for $25k USD
Our capacity to carry out meaningful work is frequently constrained by competing priorities in a situation with limited resources.
This award track aims to strengthen organizations’ and collectives’ capacity for innovation, creation, and sustained effort. Organizations are urged to mention chances for intersectional collaboration with other actors and/or across movements in their applications for this prize.
This grant is worth $25,000 USD over the course of a year.
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Eligibility requirements
- Open to collaboration between a single organization or two or more organizations operating in Kenya and South Africa;
- This honor may be given for project-based cooperation between businesses and nonprofits. The applicant would be a non-profit organization; Pan-African networks or collectives with a focus on the arts or media; organizations working in Kenya and South Africa; applying entities that have been operating for more than two years; and all applicants that have a strategy in place that aims to incorporate digital resilience or technology-related innovation/advocacy.
$15k USD Nia (Path)
Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have an evident impact on how we live and work. This prize track is available to work that takes place on the African continent and aims to shed light on, confront, or correct societal injustices that are exacerbated by, or even created by, digital environments. Applications that attempt to adopt a novel or experimental strategy to locating answers or contextual movement responses to the challenges they are addressing are of particular interest to us.
This grant is worth $15,000 USD and has a maximum grant term of 12 months. We invite you to propose a schedule that works best for your project.
Eligibility requirements
Open to any organization that is legally registered in the country of employment and that is an individual, a partnership between two or more organizations, or a network. has a fiscal host that is lawfully registered if not legally registered.
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How to apply?
Do you feel this call is relevant to your work?
A two-stage application procedure is used for the IRL Fund. You will be required to submit a letter of intent (or “LOI”) as part of the first expression of interest process. Applications that satisfy the requirements for eligibility and awards will be examined by a committee of outside experts. If your idea note is chosen to move on to the next round and you match the eligibility requirements, you will only be invited to submit a full application.
We advise you to: before submitting a letter of intent
Fill out this straightforward eligibility test
Examine the application guide, a free document that provides a thorough breakdown of all the application’s questions.
TO apply for Mozilla: In Real Life (IRL) Fund for Africa Innovation Mradi: call for Proposals Click here and submit your application.
