Congratulations to our 2018 Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference Civic Ignition Grant Winners!  We received 6 submissions and had about 18 participants join us to judge the cycle at our meet up and workshop.  It was a great conversation and the workshop took about 75 minutes to complete.  Congratulations to the winners:

Sandtown South Community Apiary (Baltimore City):
Fencing for a community apiary.  This project is important to the community because it would convert nuisance space into productive space. The area currently attracts illicit activity such as illegal dumping and drug related activity. This blight and crime makes the surrounding houses unattractive to potential residents or investors. Beautified green spaces such as gardens and this apiary create community hubs that bring neighbors together and make others want to become part of the community. We have received permission from Baltimore City’s Housing Department to go forward with the project. The city requires a barrier around the perimeter of the apiary. This grant would go towards the necessary fencing. We will start off with 2 hives that we already own and the bees will be delivered in the spring. This project will be ongoing and will continue to grow and include more neighbors throughout the years. The apiary will also contain a variety of native flowering plants.

KIDS HAVE SUPERPOWERS!!! (Philadelphia):
KIDS HAVE SUPERPOWERS!!! will be an activity station where children will be able to identify their actual or aspirational superpower, create accessories and garments that reflect these powers, and explore behaviors that manifest these powers. E.g., if a participant’s superpower is listening, they might make a giant set of ears to wear, and create a cape that shows images of good listening. If a kid is really fast, s/he might want to make lightning bolts to attach to their footwear, or a cape with flames. We will encourage kids to consider many different types of superpowers, physical skills, emotional and intellectual strengths, etc. the goal being to help all participants get in touch with their particular skills and interests. We would also like to have a photo booth so we can take and print out pictures of the kids displaying their superpowers.
Burners Without Borders Philadelphia:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/bwbphilly/
See FOR THE KIDS FB page, https://www.facebook.com/events/276613106208552/.  

Protohaven (Pittsburgh):
Protohaven was founded in November 2017. We are a local non-profit DIY workshop, shared artist space and classroom. We are seeking funding to help outfit our space with enough safety glasses to ensure coverage for every participant in the space. We currently require participants to bring their own.

What is the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference Civic Ignition Grant?                                                                                                                      
A program aimed at funding innovative community & civic projects within the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference respective geographic areas.  We are interested in programs that create collaborations, produce direct actions, utilize several of the 10 Burning Man Principles, are reproducible, and creatively tackle local social problems. This grant gives anyone the opportunity to submit a collaborative, creative, and principle-focused project with a chance to win up to a $,1,500 grant.

Timeline:
–  Grant Opportunity is announced on March 16th. 
–  Deadline for grant submissions is April 14th (Midnight EST)
–  Workshop Partiucipants will review the grant proposals at the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference (Weekend of April 20-22nd)
–  Winner(s) will be announced Monday evening after the MALC  (April 23rd)

Apply here:  http://bit.ly/2IyejYe

What’s special about the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference Civic Ignition Grant?
Submissions to the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference Civic Ignition grant cycle will be workshopped and judged by a group of participants and community leaders that attend this year’s Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference. This group will be using the submissions as material to review and workshop while learning how to administer their own civic grant programs.

Who is eligible to apply?
Anyone!  Individuals, Groups, and Not-for-Profits are all eligible.  You do not need to be a participant of the leadership gatherings themselves to apply.  
We encourage projects be endorsed by a local Burning Man Regional Contact.  The RC does not need to be a project lead, or heavily involved with the process, rather they are simply endorsing the project and the leaders who are submitting.  We recognize not all regions have local RC’s, if this applies to you consider contacting a neighboring RC.

How much can you ask for?
The maximum grant that maybe awarded is between $1,500, though the award could be less.  We encourage your project’s viability to not be solely dependent on this grant.  Think about other sources of funding that might be available.  Grants awarded could be less than the full amount.

What types of proposals will likely not get funded by this program?
Programs that are solely based on artistic endeavors and do not have a community or civic aspect will most likely not be considered for funding.  Funds should not be used for direct fundraising, chapter promotion efforts, or for paying people for their work.

What follow-up will be expected by grant recipients?
All recipients will be expected to submit written reports on what they have accomplished and learned in the course of their projects, along with accompanying visual media.  This media will be hosted on the Burners Without Borders website.

Who won the Civic Ignition Grant in 2017?                                                                                      
This will be our first time producing the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference Civic Ignition grant.  
But you can check out past winners of the Civic Ignition or Walk the Talk grants:
Walk the Talk Winners 2017
Civic Ignition Winners 2016
Walk the Talk Winners 2015

If I have questions, who should I contact?
Patty Simonton: patty.simonton@burningman.org

Do I have to go to the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference to qualify?
No! We want this grant to be accessible to everyone. In fact, we make sure everyone judging the projects does not have a conflict of interest to ensure the grant awarded is fair.

> How to create a Project.