Incite Labs
OVERVIEW: Incite Labs supports grantmaking in the environment and climate change spaces, as well as community development, work and economic opportunity, and science research. It does limited grantmaking to civic engagement organizations.
IP TAKE: This is not nearly as transparent or accessible as it could be. Its website provides information on select past grantees, but it does not reveal funding amounts or frequency. These previous grant recipients tend to be familiar names in the field, suggesting this funder supports established medium and larger-sized organizations rather than grassroots efforts. Additionally, the funder does not provide a clear way for grantseekers to request funding or submit LOIs.
New grantseekers’ best approach here may be to just reach out via Incite’s email and see what happens.
PROFILE: Established in 2017, Incite Labs is the grantmaking branch of the Incite consortium, the parent organization of Incite Ventures, LLC and Incite Politics. Incite is helmed by Matt Rogers, a former engineer at Apple, who worked on early generations of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and Swati Mylavarapu, a Rhodes scholar, Harvard and Oxford graduate and former Finance Chair for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 Presidential campaign. Incite Labs’ grantmaking seeks “to further charitable, educational, and scientific purposes.”
Grants for Environment, Climate Change and Clean Energy
While the Incite consortium does not have a division focused on the environment in the way it does for politics, tax filings suggest that the environment and climate change is a top priority. Previously, Incite has given $1 million to Carbon180 and $500,000 to Activation Energy. Other past grantees include (carbon)plan, Advanced Energy Economy, Floodlight, which is a nonprofit environmental news organization, and The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
Grants for Community Development, Work and Economic Development
Incite Labs does not make as many grants for community or economic development, but tax records reveal that it is an important issue that receives significant funding. It has given $500,000 to American Jobs Initiative in past years. Additional past grantees include Upsolve, PL+US: Paid Leave for the United States, B Lab Company, Hopewell Fund, Black Girls Code, and Freedman Heirs Foundation. It has also given to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Grants for Science Research
Science Research is another important cause that Incite Labs supports. It has given $165,000 to the Transportation Research Board National of the Academy of Sciences. Other grantees include Center for Tech and Civic Life, The Beeck Center, and Urban Ocean Lab.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
While Incite’s Incite Politics is a separate organization from Incite Labs, there is some overlap between the two in the form of groups they support. For example, Incite Labs has given almost $500,000 to Vote.org and $150,000 to Public Rights Project.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range between $5,000 and $1 million dollars; however, the most common amount is $10,000. This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding, but it does offer a way for grantseekers to reach out and introduce themselves via email at labs@incite.org.
PEOPLE:
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