Sunlight Foundation

OpenGov Grants FAQ

1. What is a Sunlight Foundation OpenGov Grant?

   The Sunlight Foundation OpenGov Grant program offers grants to organizations and individuals who are using technology to make government more open, transparent and accountable. Our grantmaking is designed to foster and expand the ecosystem of technology-driven transparency and citizen engagement or to deploy technology to make government and government data more accessible.

2. How do you determine my eligibility for an OpenGov Grant?

   Priority will be given to projects that develop open source software or data. Projects we might fund could include: civic innovation tools, apps or websites; tools that enable the media, bloggers, developers and citizens to sift, share and combine data; efforts to collect municipal, state or federal data; or projects that extend the capabilities, scope or reach of Sunlight’s own tools or data. Sunlight may also provide limited mentoring or logistical support where appropriate to some grantees. Sunlight will not provide grants for academic research, the development of media content, or for conference support or convenings. Grants will not be issued to any officer or employee of a government or government-controlled entity or a public international organization, or any official or agent of any political party or candidate for political office, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing. You have to reside in the United States of America to be eligible.

3. What should I do before I apply?

   Read our guidelines and make sure your project has a title and a full description of what it’s about, clearly explaining its mission and objective. If you think your project is unique, be ready to explain why and why it will it work, who is working on it and how long it will take including its outputs. Specify the total cost of your project, how much funding are you requesting from Sunlight, who else is funding your project and/or how are you planning to fund it. You will be required to provide your contact information and name of your Fiscal Sponsor if applicable.

4. What is the deadline for applying for an OpenGov Grant?

   There is no set deadline as grant requests will be considered on a rolling basis by Sunlight’s Proposal Review Committee.

5. How much should I expect from an OpenGov Grant?

   Grants awarded will be one-time grants in the range of $5,000 — $10,000.

6. I don’t live in the United States, can I still apply for an OpenGov Grant?

   Only applicants residing in the U.S. will be considered for an OpenGov Grant.

If you have any questions on how to get started, send us your grant inquiry.