Sep 18, 2023

Happy Monday!

The school year is off to a bustling start, and so too is our new, highly anticipated Accelerating Makers community-based learning series centered on decentralized technologies (DWeb).

Our team has been hard at work collecting civil society use cases for decentralized technologies and connecting with makers and integrators of these technologies all around the world.

For our first collection of use cases, we are interested in highlighting jobs to be done in the realm of financial transactions. For example, we are investigating promising decentralized technologies that can support civil society organizations in tasks such as fundraising and transparent money management, participatory grantmaking, cash aid transfers, banking the unbanked, and increasing liquidity in communities.

Before we publish our findings, we want to know what money-related challenges your organization might be facing that you suspect could be resolved through the help of decentralized technologies. Reach out to let us know via email at makerlabs@techsoup.org. We’d love to include your use cases in our research.

In fact, we invite everyone interested in technology for the public good to join the Accelerating Makers community to learn with and from each other.

Now, here goes the five-minute roundup!

Best wishes,

Billy Bicket, on behalf of the Public Good App House team

Maker Events

DWeb for Good: Real-World Examples of Innovation

Discover how innovative civil society organizations are using the decentralized web for impact through real-world case studies in areas of fundraising, governance, humanitarian aid, traceability, and impact tokenization. Learn about fundraising through crypto donation programs and donor stewardship using NFTs, transparent voting systems, reporting impact outcomes using tokens, and more. This presentation will feature Shannon Ewing, a Web3 expert, leader, and consultant who serves on the board of stewards at ETHDenver, the largest Web3 hackathon in the world.

🗓️ Wednesday, September 20, 12 p.m. EDT
🎫 Register now.

After Twitter: Understanding Social Media Protocols

Discover post-Twitter social media's evolution, alternative platforms, and trends. Ex-Twitter dev Evan Henshaw-Plath explores Activity Pub/Mastodon, Nostr, Threads, etc. Learn about decentralization's significance for nonprofits in online communication.

🗓️ Thursday, September 28, 3 p.m. EDT
🎫 Register now.

Public Good Tech Ecosystem Events

Climate Week NYC: The largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together some 400 events and activities across the City of New York — in person, hybrid, and online. Each year, business leaders, political change makers, local decision-makers, and civil society representatives of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world, gather to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change that is already happening.

🗓️ September 18–22
🎫 View schedule and register now.

Code for All Summit: The Code for All Summit is the premier gathering for civic tech enthusiasts worldwide, providing a unique platform to discuss, explore, and evaluate the work, lessons, and impact of civic tech on a global scale. It presents an exceptional opportunity to connect online, foster meaningful connections, and exchange knowledge.

🗓️ September 18–21
🎫 Register now.

MozFest House: Kenya is a regional gathering that will bring together builders, researchers, policymakers, activists, civil society organizations, and philanthropy to connect and explore critical issues related to a healthy internet and trustworthy AI. Join us in Nairobi!

🗓️ September 21–22
🎫 Register now.

Good Tech Fest is a free virtual event building digital resilience in the social sector. It is a partnership between Splunk and AWS for Nonprofits offering a dozen workshops across three main tracks (Cyber Security, Data Science, Building Data Capacity) as well as an exciting plenary session. Whether you are a social impact organization, education institution, or philanthropy, learn how to best leverage data and technology to further your mission, protect your data, use AI ethically, or ensure that you aren’t increasing the vulnerability of those you work with.

🗓️ October 4
🎫 Register now.

European Blockchain Convention is the most influential blockchain event in Europe. This two-day event in Barcelona will host over 5,000 attendees and 300 speakers. Experience an unforgettable event featuring three stages, a buzzing exhibition area, startup competitions, parties, and so much more.

🗓️ October 25–26
🎫 Register now.

2023 Nonprofit Software Development Summit: Aspiration is a global leader in the design and delivery of innovative gatherings for nonprofit and non-governmental audiences. Over the past 15 years, it has convened and co-organized almost 700 highly interactive events in over 50 countries across the globe. This event will take place in Preservation Park, Oakland California.

🗓️ November 15–17
🎫 Register now.

Funding and Grant Opportunities

💰The Application for Fast Forward’s 11th Startup Accelerator Is Open!
Know someone growing a tech nonprofit? The Startup Accelerator is tailor-made for them. Tech nonprofits can apply by September 30 to learn all of the tech nonprofit things, receive guidance from peers and social impact tech leaders, and, of course, raise money — starting with $25K from Fast Forward!

💰Digital Defenders Funding
The Digital Defenders Partnership provides financial support to build digital security capacities. Discover which fund suits your needs. Open calls include the Incident Emergency Fund and the Bessy Ferrera Fund for LGBTQIA+ activists. Learn more and apply now.

💰Local Media for Democracy
This media funding scheme injects €1,200,000 financial support to local, regional, and community media that are struggling to serve the public interest in places where access to information has significantly decreased. Learn more and apply. This grant program is open to legal entities with a registered seat in one of the EU27 countries or teams of journalists (physical persons) with legal residence in the EU27.

💰2023 Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund RFP
The Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund is a multifunder initiative by Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Omidyar Network, Schmidt Futures, and Open Collective, sustaining a platform for researchers and practitioners to better understand how open digital infrastructure is built and deployed. They are creating a body of research and implementation insights that advance their goal to ensure a public commons of technology, sustainably developed and maintained, for the benefit of everyone. Grants range from $50k to $125k for 6-to-12-month projects. Apply by September 30.

💰 Funding the Commons Match Fund
The Funding the Commons Match Fund seeks projects that develop, explore, or celebrate public goods in diverse fields such as art, science, technology, and design. Curated projects will receive support from the Funding the Commons community and access to its network of practitioners, researchers, and creators, all striving for a world where public goods are celebrated and prioritized. Eligibility details: Funding the Commons Match Fund

💰100 Builders Match Fund for Open Source AI and Crypto
The funding pool is for $20k to support "open source projects at the frontier of AI and crypto. Details: 100 Builders Match Fund for Open Source AI and Crypto

💰 UC Hastings Law School: Startup Legal Garage
Free legal advice to give your startup a kick-start! These grants are worth up to $30,000. The program focuses on supporting women, minorities, and veteran founders. Applications are open on a rolling basis.

Community Spotlight

Introducing Gloria Kimbwala

gloria
loria Kimbwala is a renowned tech industry leader, specializing in quadratic funding, regenerative cryptoeconomics, DAOs, and inclusive financial structures. As a Technical Advisor on the Board of Directors for the Black Women Blockchain Council, she's recognized as one of the Top Ten Women in Fintech. Gloria is also a speaker and mentor, sharing her expertise and empowering marginalized voices through hackathons and social justice causes. She's passionate about using technology to amplify diverse voices and promote economic empowerment. When she's not working, you can find Gloria coding with her sons, practicing yoga, or playing the drums.

On Wednesday, September 13, Gloria joined us as a featured speaker for our virtual event, “DWeb and Civil Society: An Introduction for Makers.” We covered essentials of the decentralized web, the workings of blockchains, and the ethical development of DApps. If you missed it, you can watch the playback here!

Connect with Gloria on Twitter or LinkedIn to learn more about her amazing work!

News and Other Cool Links

💥Applications to host a session at this year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference are now open. Proposals for sessions are due September 26 for the conference taking place in March 2024.
🔗Apply here: https://www.nten.org/gather/ntc/program

💥Access Now: Access Now is collecting stories of those who have experienced internet shutdowns. In 2022, Access Now’s Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP), in collaboration with the #KeepItOn coalition, recorded 187 internet shutdowns in 35 countries.
🔗Read the full report and fill out their survey to contribute with your internet shutdown story.

💥The Engine Room research supports civil society to use technology and data in strategic, effective, and responsible ways. They also offer consultancy services and more resources available on their website.
🔗https://www.theengineroom.org/

💥 The Civic Tech Field Guide is the world’s largest collection of projects using tech for the common good.
🔗https://directory.civictech.guide/listing-category/decentralization

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:

That’s all we’ve got for now! If you have something that should be in our next newsletter, let us know at MakerLabs@TechSoup.org

See you soon,

The Public Good App House Team

Accelerating Makers is supported by an award from the Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web.