Responses to some frequently asked questions.

FAQs

2024 fund information

  • Visit the Apply page and complete the RFP submission form. There, you can also find an outline of the questions to help you draft your responses.

  • You should apply if you are:

    • A youth (up to age 30) or intergenerationally led organization or initiative — with a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) public charity status or affiliation.

    • Working within the responsible technology movement (see definition below).

    • Working on issues related to artificial intelligence (AI), mental health and well-being, and climate change.

  • Grants range from $25,000 to $150,000.

    For new grantees, a maximum of $75,000 will be rewarded. For returning grantees, $150,000. The fund aims to support an equal mix of new and returning grantees, dependent on the volume of submissions.

    Every submission will be required to provide a detailed budget proposal for the funds requested and will need to report on the spend at the end of the grant cycle. Please consider what you are able to spend within the one (1) year grant cycle. All funds must be spent by the time of reporting.

  • If your question is not answered within this FAQ page, please consider reviewing our Q&A webinar session recording and presentation.

    If your question is not answered here and you can not join the Q&A, please reach out to us at RTYouthPowerFund@hopelab.org.

  • We define the responsible technology movement as the people and organizations who are:

    • Building, shaping, and stewarding our technology ecosystem in a way that maximizes its positive potential and protects basic human rights

    • Leveraging technology platforms to address social, cultural, political or environmental problems

    • Ensuring equitable access to the benefits of technology

    • Mitigating the harmful impacts of technology on all communities, including youth

  • Youth: We define youth as folks 30 years of age or younger.

    Youth-led: We define youth led as having young people in the majority of executive and board positions.

    Intergenerationally-led: We define intergenerationally led as young people and older people sharing power and decision making.

  • While we encourage all applications of responsible technology to apply, we are particularly interested in applications rooted in topics such as:

    • artificial intelligence (AI)

    • mental health and well-being

    • supportive tools related to our climate crisis

  • Since launch, the fund has raised over $4.5M from 17 funders.

    Please visit the About The Fund page to learn more.

  • No. Interested funders should reach out to RTYouthPowerFund@hopelab.org to inquire about contributing to the fund and joining the pooled fund learning community. The RT Youth Power Fund will accept contributions through May 2024

  • Yes! You can watch the Q&A webinar session recording and review the presentation at any time.

  • Generally, a good reference is one who can corroborate the impact of your organization and/or program – someone who can speak to your work and support your case for receiving a grant. We don't set strict guidelines for references and will only contact the references of those who have made it to the final rounds. 

Stage of applicant

  • Apply! The RT Youth Power Fund aims to support organizations at all stages of development and will issue awards ranging from $25K to $150K.

  • Grant funding is for one-year. Multi-year projects are welcome to apply, but should call out what they hope to achieve in the first year to match the grant funding period.

Fund eligibility

  • In order to be eligible, you need to either be a U.S.-registered 501(c)3 public charity and/or working under the fiscal sponsorship of a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) public charity.

    Your 501(c)(3) status must be active at the time of application to be considered for a grant.

    Please also see the section on resources below.

  • No. Only 501(c)(3) eligible groups can receive funding.

  • Groups based outside the United States can receive funding if they have an affiliation with a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3). This affiliation can come in two forms:

    • Where the U.S. organization is serving as the fiscal sponsor for the international organization;

    • Where there is a partnership agreement in place between the U.S-registered organization and the international nonprofit — in that the U.S. entity is able to receive the grant on behalf of the international organization.

  • As long as you have a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity registration, you can apply whether the focus of your work is national or international. Internationally registered nonprofits are not eligible unless they have an affiliation with a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) as noted above.

  • No. However, if there is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) that is already granting to your nonprofit via ED status, you should check to see if they can receive funds on your behalf and then re-grant to you.

  • Yes, all universities (and their relevant departments and/or programs) are welcome to apply. However, please note that we have the following policy when it comes to allowable university overhead/indirect costs:

    • No allowed overhead (indirect costs) for grants $50k or less

    • 8% allowable overhead (indirect costs) for grants greater than $50k

Selection criteria and process

  • While our team will be looking at all the responses to the application closely, we will be focusing on the three following pillars in selecting our finalists: Possibility, Creativity, Equity (see more below).

  • We’re investing in young people because we believe in the unbounded aspiration, allergy to convention, and fidelity to equity that define their leadership in the Responsibility Technology Movement. To that end, we’ve selected application questions that will explore each of these three areas. As you are answering questions, please keep these themes top of mind (as further defined below):

    • 🤔 Possibility—Help us see the change you’re going to make in the world, understand why it matters, and how you and your team plan to make it happen.  

    • 🎨 Creativity—Show us how your initiative challenges the status quo and grows the responsible technology movement. 

    • ⚖️ Equity—Tell us how you are disrupting traditional sources and distributions of power.

  • We are open to and looking for a wide range of responsible technology initiatives focused on AI, mental health and well-being, or climate change. Here are a few non-exhaustive initiative examples:

    • The intersection of technology and mental health 

    • Harnessing connective opportunities technology provides to support belonging and well-being

    • Building a better world online — that is safe, fair, and compassionate

    • Supporting learning, discovery, and action focused on AI, mental health and well-being, or climate change

    • Bridging the frontiers of artificial intelligence, data science, and social impact 

    • Empowering youth leaders who are building better digital worlds

    Please note that we are unable to support initiatives that could be considered lobbying: "An organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges members of the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation."

  • The Steering Committee of the RT Youth Power Fund — which will be comprised of funders and previous grantees — will be responsible for both reviewing and selecting grantee candidates and awards. Applications will be evaluated via the lens of the three pillars noted above of: Possibility, Creativity and Equity.

  • Selected 2024 grantees should expect to receive funding by Fall 2024 with a public announcement in early 2025.

Additional resources