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If you have a great idea for a project that will grow and engage the Internet Computer community, now is the time to apply!
On November 17, the DFINITY Foundation announced the Community Awards Program to support creators, builders, and visionaries who are engaging with the Internet Computer ecosystem. This dedicated grant program is an addition to the CHF 200 million flagship Developer Grants Program, but focuses more specifically on Internet Computer community growth and development.
Since launch, the team has been hard at work reviewing hundreds of applications from artists, educators, community organizers, content creators, and developer evangelists. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis at dfinity.org/community.
If you have a great idea about a project that will grow and engage the Internet Computer community, now is the time to apply! We’re here to help you craft the perfect grant application. Below are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind.
A few things to avoid:
- Don’t apply for more than one grant.
- Don’t view grants as funding for a one-off piece of content. Community Grants are intended to support projects that grow into self-sustaining communities.
- Don’t envision Community Grants funding as payment for hourly work.
- Don’t view grant funding as a means to launch a personal brand unrelated to the Internet Computer. While many creators produce content about Web3 at large, these grants are intended to specifically support the Internet Computer ecosystem.
- Don’t apply for a grant with the intention to hire others — funds are not intended for payroll.
- Though many community members have been already involved in the Internet Computer ecosystem for some time, don’t view grant funding as a source to retroactively apply to previous work — Community Grants are intended to support new projects.
A few things we encourage:
- Do: Assign a team lead who will be responsible for budgeting, interfacing with DFINITY, and milestone tracking.
- Do: Check out the Developer Grants Program to assess which program is most aligned with your project. The Developer Grants Program’s focus areas are developer tooling, infrastructure, integrations, dapps and open internet services, and canister development kits (CDKs). The Community Grant Awards Program focus areas are education, community organizing, content creation, developer evangelism, and creative art.
- Do: Think long term. Tell us how your project will become self-sustaining beyond the grant award deployments.
- Do: Specify a price point. Community Grant Award funding tiers vary by vertical, but common grant amounts are :
** $5,000
** $25,000
** $50,000
** $100,000 - Do: Get specific about how you will use the grant funding to support your project. How exactly will you use the funds?
- Do: Map out your milestones. We prioritize grants supporting projects with a duration of 3–6 months or longer!
- Do: Focus on communicating specific deliverables that are deemed valuable to the greater ICP ecosystem.
- Do: Provide information about you and your team and why you’re qualified for this project. What experience do you have and what makes you best suited for the job?
- We love to see projects that have actually started working toward their milestones and plans versus ideas without any ongoing track record or traction. Tell us what you’ve done so far and why you need a grant to achieve the next stages and milestones.
Milestone Mapping: How will you break out the project into three parts?
Organizing your project into three milestones allows you and the DFINITY team to set measurable benchmarks and funding disbursement dates for your Community Grant project.
Milestones should include budget breakdowns for upcoming expenditures related to approved community-related activities, such as:
- Activities that you will do to build community
- Milestones that include budgets for upcoming community-related expenses
- Specific numbers of posts and the type of content covered
- Milestones around partnerships with other projects or organizations
- Milestones around growth metrics for social channels
We are already blown away by the quality and number of applications we’ve received in the first few months since launching the Community Awards Program. It is truly inspiring to see the initiatives of artists, creators, and organizers who are leveraging the Internet Computer to build community, express themselves, and tell stories about Web3 and the rise of the Internet Computer.
As a reminder, here are the categories under which you can apply for a Community Grant Award:
Developer Evangelism
We would like to support individuals and teams developing or curating communities of developers online or offline through running meetups, workshops, and participating in hackathons on behalf of the DFINITY foundation as an ambassador/mentor to budding IC developers.
Digital Community Organizations
We would like to support organizations building IC communities utilizing online platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, and Telegram. Organizations that produce content on multiple platforms in addition to updating a standalone website also fall under this category.
Creative & Artist Grants
We would like to support independent artists or freelancers creating projects in public and digital spaces. We would like to see your professional portfolio and get an idea of your network reach, as well as understand the longevity of your project. We would love to see projects exist in physical spaces like merch, SWAG, murals, street art, and public art installations.
Localization of Content, Media, & Assets
We would like to support teams and individuals producing and/or translating Internet Computer content specific to geos outside the US. This includes community organizers who run DFINITY-related social channels specific to geos that are not accessible to our US team due to country-based limitations or language barriers.
Editorial & Media
We would like to support organizers and individuals producing written or video content about the Internet Computer. This category also encompasses entrepreneurs and developers working on concepts like decentralized blogging platforms, information channels, and crypto journalism.
Hackathon Organizing
We would like to support experienced individuals or teams with the funds needed to begin hosting Internet Computer hackathons both virtually and regionally in-person.
Education
We would like to support individuals interested in creating educational content related to the Internet Computer and associated concepts such as Motoko, Wasm, the SNS, etc.
University Relations
We would like to support individuals or groups of students who are currently at universities in sharing Internet Computer-related messaging and opportunities.
Exchange Collaborations
We would like to work with teams who aim to support activities with existing exchanges, as well as launch partnerships with new exchange partners.
Incubators, Accelerators, & Physical Spaces
We would like to support teams who aim to build out incubators and accelerators related to company-building and fundraising for Internet Computer projects. This includes pre-existing incubators and accelerators interested in the IC ecosystem. This could expand to the organization of demo days and pitch-offs.
We’re looking forward to reading your applications and hearing your big ideas around building Internet Computer communities.
Apply for your Community Grant today at dfinity.org/community.
Tips for Writing the Best Community Awards Program Grant Application was originally published in The Internet Computer Review on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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