[gaia] Catalytic intervention grants for a more sustainable community network environment

[Nicolas Pace <[e-mail]>]

FYI: https://www.apc.org/en/35436

Catalytic intervention grants aim to support a more sustainable
community network environment. To create such an environment, we have to
explore ways to overcome the isolation of local community networks,
improve their access to spectrum, actively foster their diversity and
provide solutions for their resilience (e.g. alternative energy) as well
as technological innovation. These grants are part of the project
Connecting the unconnected: Supporting community networks and other
community-based connectivity initiatives.
https://www.apc.org/en/project/connecting-unconnected-supporting-community-networks-and-other-community-based-connectivity

This call opens on 8 April 2019 and closes on 15 May 2019.
Who can apply

The call is open for all initiatives and projects directly working on or
with community networks. The grant volume totals USD 180,000 available
to applicants in the global South and countries listed as Official
Development Assistance (ODA) recipients by the Development Assistance
Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/DAC_List_ODA_Recipients2018to2020_flows_En.pdf.

The maximum amount requested per project can be USD 30,000 (or USD
40,000 for joint submissions). There is additional value if you have
other sources of funding to complement these funds. Taking into account
the costs of certain technologies, we are open to receiving proposals up
to USD 60,000 if the applicants can justify the need for such an
increased budget.

We would like to point out that we especially encourage applications
looking at community networks through an intersectional feminist lens.
We highly encourage applications from community networks that are led by
and/or working for the advancement of women, queer, trans and
gender-diverse people, people living with disabilities, indigenous
peoples as well as climate justice and land rights workers. In other
words, priority will be given to initiatives led by women and other
socially excluded groups such as queer, trans* and sex workers; groups
working on protecting land rights; community networks working on
advancing the role of women in CNs from inception to implementation;
groups using innovative and eco-informed models for sustainability; and
applicants whose work challenges hetero-patriarchy and cis-masculinities.
What is a catalytic intervention

To help you identify strategic interventions to strengthen a diverse and
sustainable community network movement, we have compiled a short list of
the types of projects being sought. Feel free to combine one or several
of those objectives, or propose something different or new.

    Access to spectrum and corresponding regulation: Lots of innovative
network initiatives struggle to get legal access to available spectrum.
The current management of the airwaves and regulations oriented towards
the business models of global telecom companies limit our ability to put
into practice community-based approaches. We therefore embrace
initiatives aiming to create replicable strategies for policy and
regulatory changes as well as the creation of expanded conditions for
networking practices. Some examples of this are liberating licensed
spectrum for mobile community networks and developing approaches to
enhance spectrum sharing or secondary use.

    Incorporation of new and different technologies: While wireless
community networks have become local realities in many places, there is
both a need to connect those local networks with upstream connectivity
as well as to expand the types of technologies at the disposal of
community networks to address current and future challenges. As an
example, fibre optic technology responds to both of these issues and we
welcome innovative ideas to put this technology, and others, within
reach for communities.

    Women, queer, trans and gender-diverse networks: Once again, we
encourage you to (re)think and (re)create networks through an
intersectional feminist lens. Examples for pilot projects are community
networks sensitive to gender, directly designed and run by women or open
for queering as well as initiatives reflecting the different abilities
of all possible users and collaborators and their environmental impact.
Of course, intersections are possible and desired. What can you think of?

    Local and indigenous content production: Community networks are not
only about enhancing the possibilities of connecting to the global
internet; they are also about creating spaces for interpersonal
communication and information sharing and conservation. Against the
background of free and community broadcasting experiences, a broad range
of informative, political and cultural uses of local digital networks
appear and disappear. We are looking for your ideas around local media
production and sharing, storage of information, community archives and
other content-related operations.

    Network resiliency, development and environmentally viable energy
for all: Whether due to power failures, lightning strikes or even
politically motivated shutdowns of digital networks, community networks
face lots of vulnerabilities. Simply keeping our networks running is a
challenge we all face, and so we welcome proposals addressing topics
such as alternative energy, site grounding and protection,
circumvention, and so on. What kind of network resiliency and
development is needed in your region? What is your plan to create it and
how could it be shared by others in practical ways? We especially
encourage proposals coming from informal urban settlements, rural and
isolated areas, and indigenous territories.

    Indigenous-led networks, land rights and climate justice: Indigenous
people carry a tremendous burden defending the water, land and
environment. Many times their territories and ways of life are under
attack. We invite indigenous communities to lead the design of CNs. We
also invite them to innovate CNs in their languages to increase
accessibility and preservation of language and culture, as well as
include local knowledge and resistance to advance the resiliency of
networks that are rendered vulnerable due to environmental and other
human-related threats.

    Unlocking universal service funds: To promote universal
communication services within national territories, many governments
subsidise the deployment of infrastructure. Traditionally those funds
have been used exclusively by large private and public companies – but
things could change. We are looking for pilot projects that pave the way
to unlocking universal service funds in a specific country for
community-based networks and that are willing to share and replicate the
experience across borders.

    Sustainability, regional and cross-regional consolidation of
community networks: A community network cannot survive and thrive
without a sustainability strategy. Costs for maintenance, legal
orientation and innovation can become important financial burdens,
especially as networks grow. We invite you to propose practical ideas
that help foster the collaboration of local networks and consolidate the
sharing of resources and technologies on a regional and cross-regional
level in the global South.

    Networks led by people living with disabilities: In our commitment
to inclusive and community-led networks, we invite communities
constituted partially or as a whole by people living with disabilities
to apply. Thereby we invite people living with disabilities to (re)gain
control over the design and usability, and advance development and
access of community networks. People living with disabilities are often
excluded or discriminated against in relation to their involvement in
community networks, whether it be from the design of community networks,
to the assumptions that community members hold around someone’s ability
to carry on a certain task or about their assumed needs. So, let’s
connect with care and make visible what is often rendered invisible,
unheard or inaccessible. We also invite communities not yet including
people living with disabilities to be inclusive and aware of the needs
of groups of people living with disabilities when leading work on
community networks.

How to apply

Applicants should address one or several of the objectives mentioned
above. They can also propose other kinds of interventions that they
define as catalytic. In both cases, applicants are requested to suggest
a strategic contribution to the community network movement.
Go to this form to apply online for the catalytic intervention grant:
https://inside.apc.org/node/add/subgrant-request?call=jtqVO4Z8ZEUyOVV98l42dg

You can use this document
https://www.apc.org/sites/default/files/Pathfinder_grant_APC_Subgrant_FORM_B.odt
to prepare your application before uploading to this form. Please use
the budget template
https://inside.apc.org/sites/default/files/Budget_template_Catalytic_Interventions_grants.ods
https://inside.apc.org/sites/default/files/Budget_template_Catalytic_Interventions_grants.xls
for your budget. In order to avoid losing your content, it is highly
recommended that you develop your proposal off-line (e.g. using the
above-referenced form), and only once you are done, copy the content
into the online form. Make sure to keep your local copy as backup.

This call opens on 8 April 2019 and closes on 15 May 2019.

We look forward to receiving your proposals! If you have any question
please contact [e-mail]