Reset's Guide to Open Calls
This Guide is designed for anyone considering applying to - or otherwise involved with - a Reset Open Call. Applicants and reviewers alike are encouraged to read all sections of the Guide.
If you or your organisation are thinking of applying to receive funding from a Reset Open Call, you are in the right place! It is our hope that this Guide will provide transparency into our decision-making operations and ultimately help you navigate the application process and submit your most competitive application. Along the way, you'll also learn why we believe Open Calls are so important to the work that we do and the future we hope to create together.
First-time visitors should be sure to check out the Reset Overview and FAQs, as these two sections provide helpful context for understanding the rest of the Guide. Return visitors, or those otherwise pressed for time, can choose to use the menu on the left to jump to a specific topic. Please note, however, that the Guide is structured to be read in sequential order - so if you're able to do so, we think you will get the most out of reviewing the Guide by simply reading each page and then clicking through to the next section via the button at the bottom right.
Below, we provide a bit more insight into the Guide itself. But first - a note on Reset. Reset is an initiative engaged in programmatic work on technology and democracy. We provide grants and contracts while creating a network and working alongside partners with shared policy, technology, and advocacy goals in countries with immediate opportunities for change. We operate internationally to ensure that the commercial interests of Big Tech companies are compatible with the values of robust and resilient democracies. You can learn more about our work here.
This Guide acts as a starting point for applicants and other interested parties looking to better understand the ins and outs of Reset's Open Call process. Covered information includes:
- Open Call goals,
- funding criteria,
- what we look for in an ideal application,
- how to choose the right funding mechanism,
- how to best structure an application,
- application timing and workflows, and
- other useful application tips.
In addition to clarifying the process for would-be applicants, compiling and presenting this information in a public manner also helps us make good on our commitment to act transparently and openly share all possible aspects of our work. To this end, the Guide also provides a section for reviewers - enabling applicants to view the Evaluation Worksheet and General Application Considerations that reviewers use when evaluating applications. Our hope is that granting applicants access to this kind of information will help them to prepare and submit their most competitive applications.
This Guide is always changing - so check back often, and know that your input matters. Much of the information now found in the Guide was in fact informed by the numerous inquiries sent our way by curious would-be applicants. Successful applications, as well as those that we ultimately decline, necessarily help shape the process for subsequent rounds and applicants. So, if you came here with a question and find your answer, know that it is thanks to those who came before you. In that spirit, we very much welcome your feedback, thoughts, and opinions on how to make this Guide more useful and relevant to your needs. Feel free to comment directly within the Guide, or reach out to us in whatever way is best for you.
Note: To make sure you're always up to date on any changes to our Open Calls, and to learn about other Reset funding opportunities, sign up for Reset announcements.
Reset's Open Calls are inspired by the successful models developed by the Open Technology Fund, Data & Society, Shuttleworth Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, New Media Ventures, Indela, and various others committed to conducting Open Calls. Thank you all.
Last modified 3yr ago