COVID-19 Challenge Grant

We are pleased to announce a challenge grant funding up to $15,000 for alumni of our program and other policy-oriented technologists to work on projects to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

At the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, we take tech experts, teach them the policy process through an in-residence fellowship program in the Bay Area, and encourage them to develop outside-the-box solutions to society’s problems. We model ourselves after tech incubators like Y Combinator, but train new policy thinkers and focus the impact of their ideas. We’re building new ideas at the intersection of civic technology and policy making. You can see our past projects here.

While the focus of the Hub to date has been our 10-week full-time incubator fellowship, we have long planned to expand our programming to support the tech and policy ecosystem in other ways, including by supporting challenge grants for players across the ecosystem to propose timely projects. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need for civic technologists to build new tools and policy solutions to support communities in need, we thought it was imperative to pilot this model and announce one such opportunity now.

As such, we are accepting applications from technologists for projects that will help mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Winning teams will be allotted up to $15,000 over three months to execute their projects.

We are looking for experienced technologist teams to propose projects to help mitigate the short and long-term effects of COVID-19.
Applicants are required to propose a project that will help mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Illustrative project topics might include (but are not limited to):
- Providing best practices on mitigating cybersecurity risks while small businesses are shut;
- Providing data analysis of and/or real time COVID-19 information to health care workers;
- Using emerging technologies such as virtual reality to mitigate the effects of social isolation; and
- Using automated systems to inform citizens about the status of the outbreak locally.
Applicants also must submit a timeline and budget for completion.

Before applying, please carefully review the program details, eligibility, and Frequently Asked Questions below. Please take your time and fill out the application thoughtfully; we recommend writing and editing drafts before transferring them to the application form. No decisions will be made about any applications before the application deadline.

We will make up to 3 grants of up to $15,000 (our budget currently maxes out at $30,000) after review of submissions through the platform below. Applications are due on March 30 at 11:59pm PT. 50% of the awarded budget is payable on award, with the remainder on completion of the project.

We thank Screendoor (https://www.dobt.co/screendoor/) for generously donating the application software and making it available to us in this important time.

Apply

Because of the short timeline to submission of projects, we have elected not to host webinars for this application cycle. If you have questions not covered in the detailed description and FAQ below, please email us directly at aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org. We will update the FAQ with common questions throughout the application cycle.

Challenge Grant Details

We will award up to 3 grants of up to $15,000 (our budget currently maxes out at $30,000) for projects proposed by alums of our program and other policy-oriented technologists to work on projects to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

Unlike our Hub fellowship program (which asks prospective applicants to submit an idea for a project but does not bind them to it), this challenge grant is focused specifically on enabling a team to identify a specific problem and propose a project to help resolve that problem. Illustrative projects might tackle issues such as:
• Providing best practices on mitigating cybersecurity risks while small businesses are shut;
• Providing data analysis of and/or real time COVID-19 information to health care workers;
• Using emerging technologies such as virtual reality to mitigate the effects of social isolation;
• Using automated systems to inform citizens about the status of the outbreak locally.

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive; we urge you to be creative!

Eligibility

We are looking for teams with three key characteristics:

1 – Applicant teams should demonstrate significant professional experience with technology

For instance, applicants might work as an engineer, computer scientist, or business executive at a technology company; might be trained as a data scientist or in human-computer interaction; might work at a university or at a think tank studying cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or the Internet of Things; or might have professional technology experience such as serving as a patent lawyer. Please note these are just illustrative examples; they are not intended to limit eligibility to these categories.

2 – Applicant teams should show that they have experience solving complex problems at the intersection of policy and technology

Unlike our traditional Hub fellowship program, which focuses on recruiting policy novices, this challenge grant is focused on recruiting teams that already have existing substantive civic technology and/or technology policy experience. In particular, at a minimum the team lead submitting the grant must demonstrate they have significant tech policy experience. (It is ideal, but not required, for other members to have such experience.) Illustrative examples of relevant qualifications include past participation in the US Digital Service, Presidential Innovation Fellows, Aspen Tech Policy Hub, or TechCongress; experience in a government agency working on tech policy; or experience working in public policy at a tech company.

3 – Applicants have a concrete idea for how to solve a problem related to the effects of COVID-19, and an executable plan for solving that problem

Other requirements for the challenge grant include:

To facilitate quick distribution of the grants, applicant(s) receiving funds must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Applicant(s) must be fluent in English.
Applicant(s) must have sufficient time to devote to the proposed project such that it can be completed in 3 months.

If you are ineligible for the challenge grant but still would like to get involved with the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, please email aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org or sign up for our listserv.

FAQ

We will update these FAQs as we receive additional questions about the fellowship. If your question is not answered here or in the materials above, please contact aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org.

Application Process

I am a student/recently graduated. Am I eligible to apply?

While there is no specific age requirement for the program, team leads must demonstrate substantive experience both with technology and policy. Students without prior work experience are unlikely to meet both criteria, and so are unlikely to be strong team leads. We urge students to become part of a team instead!

I am on a visa. Am I eligible to apply?

Unfortunately, because of the quick turnaround required to distribute funds on such a tight timeline, and the difficulty in verifying visa holders’ eligibility to accept outside funds, we are unable to accept applicants on visas as team leads or as recipients of stipend funds. Visa holders are welcome to join teams as volunteers so long as your visa terms allow you to do so.

What is the application timeline?

Applications are due by midnight PT on March 30, 2020.
Finalists will be notified by early April. If the quality of applications means that we are unable to make decisions based on the applications alone, finalists will undergo Skype interviews in early April.
Final decisions will be made by mid April at the latest.

Projects

What is the project timeline?

You submit and set your own timeline. Projects must be completed no later than 3 months after the first funds are distributed. We encourage you to finish faster: the world needs your work!

How does the funding work?

You propose a budget of up to $15,000. Depending on the quality of applications, we may provide partial funding to some projects. 50% of the approved budget will be paid as soon as possible after the project is accepted, and the remainder will be paid on completion of the project.

Can I continue to work in my job while doing the project?

You are welcome to do the project on a part time basis, or in hours outside of work. However, if you do so:

You must make sure that you nevertheless can complete the project in no more than three months.
If you already have a full-time salaried job and can support yourself on your existing salary, we ask you to not request additional salary support. We have limited funds and want to stretch them as far as possible.

Application

Please completely fill out the application below. We encourage candidates to express themselves simply and clearly. For advice on developing a clear writing style, please see this blog post from Y Combinator.

Applications are due by 11:59pm PT on March 30, 2020. Finalists will be notified by early April, and decisions made in mid-April.