Click here to view the Project Innovation grant application
On the heels of their successful 2018 Project Innovation grant challenge that resulted in eight local organizations receiving a total of $225,000 in grants, NBC Bay Area / KNTV and Telemundo 48 Area de la Bahia / KSTS today announced their grant challenge will return in 2019. Project Innovation is a competitive grant program that is presented locally by NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48 in partnership with the NBCUniversal Foundation. This year, the stations and the Foundation will present a second round of $225,000 in grants to local organizations that are addressing local community issues through innovative solutions around four grant categories. Applications for Project Innovation open on January 11, 2019 and close on February 15, 2019. Project Innovation 2019 grant winners will be announced by the stations in April 2019.
In addition, the stations announced the launch of their new dedicated Project Innovation websites that provide program, rules/eligibility information and grant applications in English and Spanish, to help more bilingual service organizations access the information they need to apply and be considered for a grant. For more information and to preview the grant application visit www.nbcuprojectinnovation.com. To access information in Spanish visit www.nbcuproyectoinnovacion.com.
Project Innovation 2018 winners, including TalkingPoints have leveraged the grant funding presented by the stations to create community solutions around youth education and community engagement, to name a few. TalkingPoints used their $50,000 Project Innovation grant to power their mobile app that helps more than 30,000 parents in low-income, minority school communities communicate with their children’s teachers and schools without language barriers. Other 2018 Project Innovation winners included:
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County – $30,000
SMART! BUILD IT! EUREKA! is a program that empowers girls (4-12th grade) to discover and sustain engagement in STEAM. This innovative program helps girls transcend multiple barriers; develop skills for the digital economy; and make positive generational and community change by accessing college and, ultimately, new career and leadership opportunities.
Scholarmatch, Inc. – $30,000
This program ignites civic engagement through the ScholarMatcher online platform, and a corresponding virtual college coaching program— catalyzing hundreds of volunteers to support low-income youth in the journey to college via dynamic online tools and virtual volunteering portals.
Presented in 11 markets throughout the country, including the Bay Area, Project Innovation is offered by the NBCUniversal Foundation and NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. This year, NBC and Telemundo owned stations will present nearly $2.5 million in Project Innovation grants to eligible non-profits that are physically located in the participating markets and service each market, have an annual operating budget of more than $100,000, and are using innovation to inspire community solutions in any of the following four grant categories:
- Next Genertation Storytellers: Programs that empower the next generation of storytellers and utilize media to drive social impact.
- Culture of Inclusion: Programs that seek to build pathways for diverse and equitable communities.
- Youth Education: Programs that equip youth with the tools they need to succeed, including STEM/ STEAM education.
- Community Engagement: Programs that enable individuals to engage and volunteer in their communities.
Project Innovation 2019 grants are available in select markets serviced by NBC and Telemundo owned stations, including New York (WNBC, WNJU), Southern California (KNBC, KVEA), Chicago (WMAQ, WSNS), Philadelphia (WCAU, WWSI), Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS, KXTX), Boston (WBTS, WNEU, NECN), Hartford, CT (WVIT, WRDM), Washington, D.C. (WRC-TV, WZDC), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ, WSCV), San Francisco Bay Area (KNTV, KSTS), and San Diego (KNSD, KUAN).
