We will continue to receive LOI applications on a rolling basis and you are welcome to apply at any time.

If you would like to be considered for funding in 2008, LOI's must be received by the Foundation by April 30, 2008.

ZeroDivide 2.0 - Letter of Inquiry Guidelines

Since its inception, ZeroDivide has sought to transform both individuals and communities through the power of information and communications technologies. We believe that through the use of technology, underserved communities will become healthy and vibrant; that great organizations, businesses, and jobs will thrive at the local level; and that community members will become more engaged, influential, and amplify their voices to be heard, to make a difference, and to foster change.

We have witnessed the evolution of technology from a set of tools to access and process information, to a converged digital platform that fosters content creation, interactivity and social networks. This convergence of telecommunications and information technology has helped to create a whole new generation of media producers, activists, social networks, and entrepreneurs. ZeroDivide has worked to assure that underserved communities reap the benefits of these technological advancements to enhance economic and educational opportunities, civic life, and the health and well-being of these communities.

We believe that through our investments, underserved people and communities will create ground-breaking enterprises, capture important but suppressed voices, distribute this content in diverse ways, and collectively influence policies and practices to enhance and mobilize community based assets for social change.

ZeroDivide’s experience of the inventiveness of its grantees over the years, combined with a keen appreciation for the constantly evolving socio-demographic and technology environments particular to California, has caused us to make timely adjustments in our philanthropic approach in response to these developments. For the future, we will invest in organizations that have demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit that serves as a basis for community learning, impact and transformation. We intend to provide on-going support to a network of enterprises that create, capture, and distribute content oriented to California’s diverse and underserved populations to influence the economic status and civic life in their communities.

ZD 2.0: Framing the Future

We have always believed that the digital divide is part of the set of social, economic, political and cultural divides that separate the haves from the have-nots. Achieving a ZeroDivide characterizes both our vision and our mission. This fundamental principle has not changed in our new approach. Our original ZeroDivide Framework involved a straightforward philanthropic grantmaking strategy: funding community based organizations to integrate technology into their existing missions for social change; supporting local non-profit leaders to internalize the implications of technology for building strong communities and affecting policies; and developing and strengthening a network of technology savvy peers to build the community technology movement.

Our new framework, ZD2.0, acknowledges the innovative, entrepreneurial and transformative attributes that our grantees’  have demonstrated. It more fully recognizes the potential for enterprising approaches to change inequitable conditions that prevent communities from becoming and staying healthy and vibrant. And it incorporates a strategic technology focus that accommodates rapid change and fluidity in its deployment.

We will engage with selected ventures that demonstrate potential for high impact community enterprises in the specific program areas of e-democracy and community asset building, using mobile applications, wireless access, and social media information and communication technologies serving California’s underserved communities. We seek innovation at the ground level to create, capture, and distribute community-designed content and applications with the purposeful outcome to influence and change societal status quo at the community level. Such enterprises will explicity incorporate plans for a level self-sustainability, scalability and/or replication beyond the organization’s initial impact community.

ZeroDivide has adapted the emerging social enterprise concept to its principle of community based focus. We theorize that committed investments in technology oriented “community enterprises,” (social enterprises that focus on enhancing or mobilizing community based assets for social change) will develop great organizations, businesses and jobs (economic empowerment) and engaged, amplified and influential voices (civic engagement) leading to healthy and vibrant California communities.

Program Areas: E-Democracy and Community Assets Building

Our program areas of e-democracy and community assets are designed to meet the following goals and objectives:

E-democracy - To build and strengthen the capacity of underserved communities using information communication technologies (ICT) to influence public policy and business practices. Our objectives are to:

• Create a network of community leaders influencing ICT policy and business development.
• Establish demonstrations of replicable models for effective engagement in broadband, wireless and media policy advocacy.
• Seek applications of social media tools to actively engage diverse constituencies to address immigration and/or health care reform.

Community Asset Building - To establish enterprises in underserved areas that employ mobile, wireless and social media technology to promote the ideas, voices, and experiences of the underserved. Our objectives are to:

• Increase educational and economic opportunities for underserved youth & adults.
• Support community based media enterprises that create and distribute content to market.
• Develop mobile, wireless, social media applications for community, economic or social impact.

ZD 2.0 Community Investment Fund

Our ZD 2.0 Community Investment strategy supports two major categories of investments:

1. Pipeline Investments: Unsolicited programs to seed new/emerging technology produced content ideas or implement a proof of concept to test an existing technology application within a specific market. Pipeline investments are intended to potentially mature into opportunities for Big Bet investments within a 6 to 18 month timeframe.
2. Big Bet Investments: Solicited multi-year ventures that have demonstrated potential and initial capacity for taking a technology based service/product/campaign to an underserved market, with revenue generating possibilities, and/or scalability and replication potential.

In both cases, priority will be given to organizations that have been specifically funded for, and have successfully implemented a program with one or more of the following information and communication technology components: mobile applications, wireless access or social media/networking, and can document an organizational commitment to integrating technology for social change.

The guidelines published on this website are for Pipeline LOIs only. If you submit an LOI under these guidelines, you will be considered for a Pipeline investment.

These LOI guidelines are not intended for Big Bet investments, as those proposals are solicited and initiated only by ZeroDivide.

Eligibility

In order to submit a Pipeline LOI, you must meet the following conditions:

• be a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization;
• not a private foundation under section 509(a);
• not a 501 (c)(3) entity, but have a fiscal sponsor (please name fiscal sponsor)

How to Apply

This LOI is targeted towards funding Pipeline investments only. Each Pipeline LOI will be reviewed for a match to the ZD 2.0 investment goals. Those determined to have the best match will be invited to submit a full proposal within a one-month timeframe.

Pipeline LOIs must address the following areas, in no more than 2-3 pages. Please be succinct. If you are invited to submit a full proposal, you will have an opportunity to more fully describe your venture.

Contact Information:

Please indicate the following:

• Contact Name (person(s) submitting the LOI)
• Organization name
• Address, phone, fax email
• Website
• Indicate your non profit status:
  •  
    • tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization; or
    • not a private foundation under section 509(a);
    • not a 501(c)(3), but have a fiscal sponsor (please name fiscal sponsor and contact information)

Community Enterprise Description (not to exceed 1 page)

• What is the compelling community enterprise opportunity? Why is it uniquely needed?
• Who and where is your target market/audience? (ie community, population, demographic, geography)
• Please describe how your community enterprise matches the goals of ZeroDivide’s e-democracy and community assets program areas. If your enterprise has a policy and/or advocacy component, please describe.
• What community level social impacts and outcomes do you hope to achieve? Share with us your indicators of success.
• How will your community enterprise address cultural competency and disability access issues?

Operations, Capacity, and Timeline (not to exceed 1 page)

• Describe briefly how the integration of this technology into your organization’s approach impacted your target audience and/or improved your organizations effectiveness.
• What competencies does your organization have to implement the proposed program (please include management, governance and program staff expertise)?
• If you have a revenue model, what are your financial impact objectives?
• What is your timeframe for implementation?
• What will be the new impact of this on your organization’s capacity building and internal effectiveness?
  

Technology (not to exceed 1/2 page)

• What is the critical role of technology in this community enterprise?
• How are mobile applications, wireless access, or social media technologies a critical part of this venture?
• What is your plan for deployment of this technology?

Budget and Finance (Request cannot exceed $75,000, not to exceed 1/2 page)

• What do you estimate is the total cost of your enterprise?
• How much capital do you have available to have to launch your community enterprise? Please identify any current or pending funding partners.
• Please indicate other pending proposals of funding opportunities you are currently seeking to support this venture. Identify the funding source(s) and grant request you are seeking. Is receipt of this funding contingent upon support from CTF?

Please submit your LOI as a word document to grants@zerodivide.org. For those interested in possible funding this year, please submit your LOI no later than the end of April.

Our most recent deadline for accepting LOI proposals ends on April 30, 2008.  However, we do accept LOI proposals on a rolling basis and you are still welcome to apply at any time. 
 
Please note the the LOI application process contains two parts.  You must first register on our website at http://zerodivide.org/grants/online_application.  You will then be sent an email with instructions and a link to a web form cover sheet to complete and a Word document template to fill out with the narrative portion of your proposal.  The narrative portion will need to be submitted as an attachment to grants@zerodivide.org. 

Your application will not be considered complete until both portions have been received.
 
Please feel free to contact us with any questions at info@zerodivide.org.

Timeline

We will accept LOIs throughout the year. Once an LOI is received, it will be reviewed by ZeroDivide and a decision made for an invitation to submit a full proposal. Upon receiving such notice, the organization will have 30 days to submit its proposal.

We expect to award Pipeline grants this year. For more information regarding our timeline and process please send us an email.

Questions

If you have any questions about this LOI please read our FAQs.

Because we strive to make our communications accessible for all, please email or call us at (415) 773-0388 if you need the LOI in pdf, word document, or other accessible format.