Call for Proposals: Applications ongoing for The Mozilla Technology Fund (MTF)

Mozilla Technology Fund is investing in AI research and development, focusing on open-source projects that promote transparency and reduce bias. They are interested in supporting technical projects that address environmental and climate justice, sustainability, and ecology, especially those developed by communities most affected by climate change.

The fund typically supports open-source projects that already have some traction, but they are also open to earlier-stage and experimental projects led by successful teams.

This investment in positive impact on ecosystems and human communities is exciting.

They’re looking for proposals that fall under the following categories:

– Exposing/mitigating climate impacts of AI systems

– Utilizing AI for environmental impact assessments

– Prototyping grassroots AI systems for ecological management

– Combating climate disinformation

What to expect

Mozilla Technology Fund is offering up to $50,000 and a year of mentorship and support to open-source projects that meet specific criteria in the MTF: AI and Environmental Justice cohort. Awardees will have access to mentors with relevant expertise and will join monthly cohort calls. The MTF Slack/Discord Community will also be available for asynchronous discussion and updates. Applicants must produce written output in English, and those who require interpreter support to participate in meetings fully may note this in their application.

What they are looking for?

The Mozilla Technology Fund AI and Environmental Justice Awards aim to assist various projects encompassing hardware and software endeavors, including utilities, frameworks, datasets, tools, and design concepts. However, applications for policy or research projects will not be considered. Nevertheless, software projects that contribute to, complement, or amplify policy and research efforts, such as those supporting ecological studies, may be eligible for consideration.

All applicants should:

• Have a product or working prototype in hand (they will also consider projects at the idea stage if the project team can demonstrate a track record of success in launching and building community around similar projects in the past)
• Already have a core team in place to support the development of the project (this team might include software developers working in close collaboration with ecologists, AI researchers, designers, product/project managers, and subject matter experts)
• Embrace openness, transparency, and community stewardship as methodology
• Make their work available under an open-source license

Who should apply?

These awards are open to everyone, regardless of where they are from or what institution they are affiliated with, as long as it is not prohibited by law. However, Mozilla is especially interested in receiving applications from those who are often overlooked – the Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA), members of the Global Majority or Global South, Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, women, transgender, non-binary, and/or gender-diverse applicants, migrant and diasporic communities, and those coming from climate displaced/impacted communities. Mozilla strongly encourages all such applicants to apply for these awards.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted for four weeks and reviewed by a committee of experts, which will make final funding decisions and allocate awards out of a total pool of $300,000.

Applicants can expect to hear back within six weeks of submitting an application. Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Applications will be open from September 7th to October 5th, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements

• Be legally able to receive funds in the form of a grant from the Mozilla Foundation (a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization)
• Be working towards solving a public interest problem or issue related to the focus of this Call for Proposals.
• Meet the abovementioned criteria outlined in the ‘What they are looking for?’ section.

Source: Mozilla Foundation