Call for Proposals

The Mozilla Foundation and the Shuttleworth Foundation support dynamic leaders with new ideas that drive openness and innovation. In particular, we share an interest in how open technologies and open education can foster creativity, participation and fresh thinking that improves the world. For this reason, we have decided to jointly offer an Education for the Open Web Fellowship.

The Fellowship is a part of Mozilla's Drumbeat initiative and the Shuttleworth Foundation's Fellowship programme. It offers Fellows the benefits of both programmes. Applications must be submitted by 7 June 2010, via a modified version of the Drumbeat project proposal format (see below).

What is the focus?

We invite applications from individuals interested in developing innovative approaches that educate people how to promote the open web.

The applicant should demonstrate practical ideas that will allow large numbers of people to learn about, improve and promote the open nature of the Internet. The fellowship should not be considered an academic fellowship aimed at research.

Ideas can connect the open web with learners of any age: opening up the world of web citizenship to include kids; encouraging high school students to learn from the bendable and hackable world of the Internet; helping people in their 20s learn the skills they need to create wealth or find work in the web era. Any of these would be a fit.

Also, ideas need not focus on formal learning within the education system. In fact, informal learning approaches that draw on the fluid nature of the Internet are highly encouraged. The main thing is that proposals need to have the potential for large scale participation and impact. Can you imagine your idea reaching thousands of people? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?

While these projects should embrace open technology and open source philosophies and participation, they should not focus on software development.

Who is eligible

  • Anyone who has a plan for fresh thinking that adds value to the open web using innovative approaches to education.
  • The Fellow must have a clear vision of an improved world and his/her contribution to bringing about this improvement.
  • We will give preference to applications from people residing in Europe or Brazil, but we realize good ideas can come from anywhere.
  • Fellows must be fluent in English
  • Fellowship applicants must have attained the age of majority by the date of application.

Why you should apply

Our aim is to help you turn your good ideas into successful initiatives.

This fellowship offers you the freedom and financial support to make your idea happen. It also provides you with an enabling support structure and an existing network of social change agents.

We will provide technological, financial and legal support, in addition to administrative services such as contracting with third parties, etc. All carried out in an efficient and risk free manner. We will connect you with our network of projects, funders and institutions where we think you will thrive and be successful.

What the Fellowship is worth

The grant amount is equivalent to a year's salary, and includes contribution toward expenses plus access to a travel allowance. In addition, the Fellow will have access to potential project funding, including:

  • A project investment pool that will match the Fellow's personal investment in projects by at least ten fold.
  • An on-line fund-raising programme to help the Fellow raise further funds if needed.
  • Support in seeking grants from other sources once successful project prototypes are developed.

Funds raised or allocated beyond the Fellow's salary equivalent may ONLY be used to support project work and may not be used to supplement or extend the Fellow's own compensation.

The total grant amount will be based on the Fellow's qualifications, experience and comparable cost of time for their skill level.

The duration of the fellowship is one (1) year, with the possibility of renewal, based on review.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted by 7 June 2010, through a modified version of the Drumbeat project development process. Here's how it works:

  • Step 1: Create a project on www.drumbeat.org (Please read the Gentle Warning below).
  • Ensure that your project page includes:
    • A five minute video explaining your idea.
    • A written description of the world - and the Internet - as it is, plus a description of how things will be better and different if you succeed.
    • A written, high-level, description of your immediate goals (what does success look like one year out?) and roadmap (what are the steps along the way?)
    • Information about yourself and your team (or community).
  • Step 2: Send a note to indicating that you would like to be considered for the fellowship, and provide a link to your project page.
  • Step 3: Start building and engaging people around your project. We realise time is short and engaging people may be limited to getting people to comment and provide feedback. The main thing we want to see is that you know how to get people interested.
  • Step 4: We will interview the top five project leads that expressed interest in the fellowship in late June 2010. Selection for interviews will be based on both the quality of submission and the early success in attracting participation and support.
  • Deadline: Project pages must be created and an email sent to NO LATER THAN Monday, 7 June 2010. We will do interviews between 14 June and 25 June 2010.
  • Gentle Warning: The drumbeat web site is under active development. Changes to the project submission form will take place throughout mid-May. Please work on your submission offline and then post it to drumbeat.org once you feel it is complete (and once you've got a good back up copy). We appreciate any feedback you can offer on the site, but keep in mind that we already have many ideas on how to improve it and are actively rolling these ideas out.

Where the Fellowship is based

Fellows work from where they are currently based, with an open door to visit the Foundations' offices in Cape Town, Silicon Valley, London, Paris, Toronto and Vancouver.

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