Global Catalyst Fund
OVERVIEW: Global Catalyst makes tech heavy grants toward poverty alleviation, social tolerance, and diversity projects around the world.
IP TAKE: Global Catalyst is not a particularly transparent funder and prefers a proactive approach to grantmaking, which means it does not accept unsolicited applications. This funder makes grants in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. This is a foundation built by VCs, who by their nature, are always on the lookout for innovative and novel projects to fund.
PROFILE: The private Global Catalyst Foundation was established by the principals of Global Catalyst Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. The foundation works to “improve peoples’ lives through the effective application of information technologies.”
Grants for Global Development
While the foundation supports a variety of groups that work within the context of its overall goals, it concentrates on technology in its grantmaking. As a result, a majority of its grants are tech related. Considering the fund’s motto is “empowering people through technology,” grantseekers’ projects should also emphasize technology in some significant way.
Global Catalyst also offers Small Tech Grants, which provides up to $5,000 in funding for “projects engaged in the effective application of information and communications technologies for education and economic development purposes.”
Important Grant Details:
Global Catalyst grants range from $10,000 to $300,000, but the foundation offers little to no information as to how grantseekers can secure funding from Global other than contacting the fund directly for more information.
Since the Small Tech grants program is not accepting new proposals, it is likely that the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.
Grantseekers are advised to contact the fund directly and build a relationship with program staff.
PEOPLE:
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