Education Microgrant

Please read the following information before applying for an Education Microgrant.

Purpose

Collaboration & geography are at the heart of OpenStreetMap. To promote camaraderie and learning through open mapping, TeachOSM and OpenStreetMap US are awarding grants of up to $500 to support activities that bring together students and educators across different classrooms, education-minded groups, and geographies to learn through OpenStreetMap. Examples of activities include hosting mapping events that bring different student organizations together, multi-school field trips to conduct mapping activities, or virtual mapping campaigns between schools on a regional issue.

Grant Requirements

1. The event must occur within the United States (or, if virtual, be concerned with mapping efforts in the US), and be hosted by academic institutions or groups operating within the US (though they may have international campuses or branches).
2. Grants are open to classes in high school or higher education institutions, after-school or extracurricular groups, student groups with experience hosting events, and chapter-based youth organizations (i.e. Girl Scouts of America or 4-H). If you are unsure if your group qualifies, please contact us.
   1. Grants are NOT limited to classes and groups focused on geography or mapping. Grants are broadly available to classes in social sciences, environmental sciences, humanities, and other disciplines, as long as the activity sponsored by this grant involves OpenStreetMap.
3. Collaboration activities MUST involve a minimum of two schools or education-focused groups. Each school or group must have a Primary Applicant willing to act as a contact with OpenStreetMap US. The collaborating entities will submit one joint application.
   1. Classes or school-based groups must be from different schools to qualify for collaboration.
   2. Youth organization chapters can be within the same entity (i.e. Boys & Girls Clubs) but must be from different chapter locations to qualify as a collaboration.
4. At least one of the institutions involved must meet one of the following membership requirements:
   1. The Primary Applicant applying for an Education Grant on behalf of their school, club, or organization must be a current paid individual member of OpenStreetMap US at any tier at the time of application, and must still be an active member at the time of the planned event(s).
   2. One of the participating academic institutions must be a current paid organizational member of OpenStreetMap US at any tier at the time of application, and must still be an active member at the time of the planned event(s).
5. The event must advance the mission of OpenStreetMap US, take place in the United States, and align with our Code of Conduct.
6. The title of your event(s) must include “sponsored by OpenStreetMap US” in all public promotional materials.
7. Your event(s) must be noncommercial in nature and be accessible to all who are interested in attending.
8. One of the original Primary Applicants must complete a Post-Event Reflections document within 2 weeks of the event date, or co-author a blog post to be posted on the OpenStreetMap US blog.
   1. Please note that the information recorded in these documents can be used at the discretion of OSM US for promotional purposes, such as promoting the event(s) via social media.
9. The Primary Applicant must maintain a regularly updated budget document for the event(s), shared with OSM US.

More Information

1. Maximum grant amount is $500 USD for a single event.
2. This grant may be used to cover the following expenses:
   1. space and equipment rental,
   2. event advertisement, and
   3. food and non-alcoholic beverages offered for free to attendees.
3. This grant can only be used to fund an event that occurs within 12 months of the award date.
4. This grant is disbursed via reimbursement of expenses to the Primary Applicant. All receipts must be sent to OSM US staff within 48 hours of payment.
5. Awardees must wait a full calendar year from their event date to re-apply for this grant.

Evaluation Criteria

Localization: Does the activity improve OpenStreetMap data locally or otherwise have a local impact?

Purpose: What will students gain or learn from this activity, besides practicing skills in OpenStreetMap?

Collaboration: How well does the activity promote interaction between groups? How will students learn from each other?

Inspiration: How will this activity impact the continuation of open mapping both in your classroom/group and collaboration between classrooms/groups involved?

How to Apply

Complete the following proposal form, which will ask for:

1. Information about the event and planned activities.
2. Information about the schools, clubs, organizations, or groups involved including information for secondary points of contact.
3. Your best estimate of total eligible expenses.
4. How your event will benefit and strengthen the OpenStreetMap US community.

Apply

---

Grant applications are reviewed and selected on a quarterly basis. Please see the program webpage for the 2025 application deadlines and other relevant dates. All grants are awarded at the discretion of the OSM US staff and Board of Directors.