(ISF) FW: RFP from the Progressive Technology Project

-----original message-----
From: Arif Mamdani < arif%40progressivetech.org">arifprogressivetech.org>
October 2006 Edition from the Progressive Technology Project

Welcome to another edition of the Community Organizing Resource
Network E-Newsletter (CORN) – PTP's quarterly newsletter packed with
news and information related to using technology in your organizing
work. The big news for this issue of CORN is:

THE PTP Organizing Technology GRANTS Program IS OPEN!

That's right, PTP has opened another grants round where you can submit
your proposal for funds to help your organization use technology in
your organizing work. Deadline is November 28 th.

Head on over to www.progressivetech.org for more information.

Once you've read that, come on back here to read the rest of CORN.

Since it is really hard to top news like that, we'd like to share some
information related to PTP's grants program that will help you as you
prepare your grant application.

At PTP, we're big fans of good technology assessment, and from that a
clear technology plan. If you've ever attended a PTP training, you
know we spend a lot of time on these subjects because we've seen what
a difference a clear plans makes in successful implementation of a
technology project. We've got a good set of materials related to
assessment and planning on website that should help you if think some
assessment and planning are in order. Check them out at
http://www.progressivetech.org/Resources/assessment_planning.htm

Also, the focus of PTP's grants round is technology that helps to
advance and enhance your community organizing work. So please, tell us
about the organizing work that you're doing. Your organizing work is
what gets us excited and makes us pay attention, not the wiz-bang
technology. So, tell us about your organizing work and how the
technology will help to move the work forwards.

Finally, if you're wondering about the kinds of things PTP has funded
in the past, take a look the information in the grants section of the
website, and also check out some of the case studies that we've
written about in CORN. Read about previous grantees here:
http://www.progressivetech.org/Grantees/index.htm.

The Organizing Technology Grants Program is Now Open!

With the generous support of our funders, we've reopened our
Organizing and Technology Grants Program. This is our ninth grants
round and some aspects remain the same, while others are changing. As
before, we have $100,000 to distribute and grants will be limited to
$10,000. They will still go to support technology applications for
grassroots social change community organizing groups. Some changes:

* grantees will be invited to share their proposals and experiences on
our web site so that other groups can benefit from what they learn or
get advice from organizing groups that have undertaken similar
projects.

* applications will be taken on-line (if you can't make an online
application for some reason, you can send print or email versions)

Check out the grants page to familiarize yourself with the process.
Apply early. The November 28 deadline is fast approaching.

Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

.

Hi ISF members,

I've been part of this list for a long time and really appreciate the ideas and talent that is shared.

I lead an organization based in Chicago, called the Tutor/Mentor Connection. It's goal is to collect and organize information that leads to the growth of comprehensive, long-term, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs serving youth living in high poverty neighborhoods of big cities.

For instance, in the Program Locator section of http://www.tutormentorconnection.org you can find maps created with Geographic Information Systems and searchable databases that show where poverty and poor schools are most located, and help volunteers, donors, parents and social workers learn about programs that may be operating in specific zip codes.

In the LINKS library are links to organizations that already have web sites, and links to research sites that provide information about poverty, and about challenges kids face growing up that could be off set by having an extended network of adults helping them.

The challenge we and anyone else with a web based information system is not just keeping the information current, it's getting thousands of people to look at the information, understand it, then act on it. This challenge is similar to what faith leaders, college professors and big corporate advertisers deal with every day. If we can learn from them, we can draw volunteers, donors, business leaders, youth, educators, etc. to the information on the T/MC site, and on a network of linked partners, and keep them coming back year after year.

I'm hosting a one-day tutor/mentor conference in Chicago on Nov. 30. You can read about it at http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com <http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com>

The Chicago conference capacity is only 100, so my goal is to recruit technology organizations who will host on-line discussions, or write blogs, before and after the conference, with a goal of building better understanding of where tutor/mentor programs are needed, what a tutor/mentor program is, and how volunteers and donors can become involved.

By doing this in December we could draw holiday donations from many people around the country directly to tutor/mentor programs in various cities.

If you think this is something you'd like to be involved with, let me know.

Dan Bassill
Tutor/Mentor Connection
800 W. Huron
Chicago, Il. 60622
312-492-9614

Messages in this topic (2) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

.

Hi ISF members,

I've been part of this list for a long time and really appreciate the ideas and talent that is shared.

I lead an organization based in Chicago, called the Tutor/Mentor Connection. It's goal is to collect and organize information that leads to the growth of comprehensive, long-term, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs serving youth living in high poverty neighborhoods of big cities.

For instance, in the Program Locator section of http://www.tutormentorconnection.org you can find maps created with Geographic Information Systems and searchable databases that show where poverty and poor schools are most located, and help volunteers, donors, parents and social workers learn about programs that may be operating in specific zip codes.

In the LINKS library are links to organizations that already have web sites, and links to research sites that provide information about poverty, and about challenges kids face growing up that could be off set by having an extended network of adults helping them.

The challenge we and anyone else with a web based information system is not just keeping the information current, it's getting thousands of people to look at the information, understand it, then act on it. This challenge is similar to what faith leaders, college professors and big corporate advertisers deal with every day. If we can learn from them, we can draw volunteers, donors, business leaders, youth, educators, etc. to the information on the T/MC site, and on a network of linked partners, and keep them coming back year after year.

I'm hosting a one-day tutor/mentor conference in Chicago on Nov. 30. You can read about it at http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com <http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com>

The Chicago conference capacity is only 100, so my goal is to recruit technology organizations who will host on-line discussions, or write blogs, before and after the conference, with a goal of building better understanding of where tutor/mentor programs are needed, what a tutor/mentor program is, and how volunteers and donors can become involved.

By doing this in December we could draw holiday donations from many people around the country directly to tutor/mentor programs in various cities.

If you think this is something you'd like to be involved with, let me know.

Dan Bassill
Tutor/Mentor Connection
800 W. Huron
Chicago, Il. 60622
312-492-9614

Messages in this topic (2) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

.