Adam Thompson – InfoActivist

Today July 16 I’m speaking at the Digital Bridge Institute at the ICTs and NGO Symposium.  I’ve been asked to discuss funding for ICT initiatives.  These are my speaking notes and links to other resources:

Funding ICT Initiatives

• General Tips and Strategy
• Specific Resources, Directories and Funding Networks
• Prizes / Fellowships
• Other Funding Ideas
• Further Reading

Tips and Strategies

1. Focus on what the technology will help you achieve, not the technology itself.
2. Monitor and evaluate the success of an ICT initiative just as you would any other part of a project.
3. Include how you plan on sustaining the technology once funding runs out.
4. Calculate costs correctly.

Funding Sources

• Foundations – eg Ford, Kellogg, MacArthur, Packard, Rockefeller…
• Prizes
• International Development Agencies – British Embassy, European Commission …
• On-line Directories and Networks
• Equipment Donations
• Donations, Commerce, Services and Partnerships

Online Resources and Networks

• International Human Rights Funders Group http://www.hrfunders.org/funders/index.html
• Women’s Funding Network  http://www.wfnet.org/
• ICT Hub Sources of Funders Report – www.icthub.org.uk/research
• ICT Hub website Funders Section – www.icthub.org.uk/funders

Prizes

• APC Prizes http://www.apc.org/en/prizes
• APC Hafkin Communications Prize
• Gender & ICT Awards
• APC Betinho Communications Prize

Some Other Ideas

• Income Generation with ICT
• Accept Online Donations
• E-Commerce
• Services

• Corporations and Partnerships

• Equipment Donations – Computer Aid International (see citad.org)

Resources

• How to Cost and Fund ICT: A guide to identifying and budgeting for technology at your nonprofit (http://bit.ly/13PrYL)
• Helps you get the money and equipment to finance your ICT work (http://bit.ly/4vdoOx)
• Bridge Foundations (http://bit.ly/KLuB9)
• UNITeS: Researching Grants and Funding Resources Online (http://bit.ly/ARI1a)