Public Interest Technology University-Internal Network Challenge

Summary

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) are pleased to issue this internal Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) Challenge. As an institutional member of the Network, William & Mary (W&M) has been invited to submit up to three new proposals in spring 2022.

Full Description

The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) is a partnership of colleges and universities committed to educating students who can better apply technical understanding and practice to questions of individual rights, justice, social welfare, and the public good, particularly for those members of our society least well served historically and today by existing systems and policies.

The goals of the network are to:

●Connect accredited nonprofit institutions of higher education in the US that seek to take the lead in establishing and defining the field of Public Interest Technology within academia;

●Spur the development of a strong pipeline of students seeking to pursue careers in Public Interest Technology, broadly defined; taking active measures to ensure that this pipeline is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, ability, gender, and socioeconomic status; and characterized by a sense of inclusion and belonging for students and practitioners;

●Foster collaborations and connections across the network and practitioners in the wider ecosystem.

The Public Interest Technology University Network’s challenge grants are funded through the support of the Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Mastercard Impact Fund with support from MastercardCenter for Inclusive Growth, The Raikes Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and The Siegel Family Endowment. The Fund is a project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that supports innovative and effective public-interest projects.

For its fourth year, projects addressing any priority areas below related to public interest technology in university settings are welcome to apply for a grant.
i. Educational Offerings
ii. Career Pipeline/Placement
iii. Faculty & Institution Building
iv. Strengthening the PIT University Network

Details of the Public Interest Technology University Network Challenge grants are available here.

Internal Timeline for Submission:

• Thursday, May 5, 2022 – Draft applications are due to OSP at wosp@wm.edu by 4pm
• Thursday, May 19, 2022 – Finalists are invited to submit proposals
• Thursday, June 9, 2022 – Finalists’ proposals are due to OSP at wosp@wm.edu by 4pm
• Friday, June 10 to Wednesday, June 22, 2022 – OSP and CFR work with finalists to complete the submissions
• Thursday, June 23, 2022 – Applications submitted by OSP