Microsoft is currently accepting proposals for the AI for Accessibility Grants Program to empower your work through grants, investments in technology, and expertise.
AI for Accessibility grants support projects that use AI to empower people living with disabilities. They are looking for individuals or teams who are not only passionate about making the world more inclusive but also firmly rooted in the communities they intend to benefit. They want to invest in ideas that are developed by or with people with disabilities.
Areas of Focus
- Low-cost Assistive Technology: 80% of people with disabilities live in low- and middle-income countries; only 1 in 10 people have access to assistive technology. They believe that designing relevant assistive technology with and by people with disabilities in these regions will spur innovation and help create better opportunities.
- Community: Connections are key to maintaining mental health and relationships with family and friends. Mental health is the largest disability segment and a growing concern during the pandemic. AI is modernizing ways to better maintain well-being and communicate across differences.
Topics
Mental Health
- Theme 1: Community and Intersectionality Driven
- Theme 2: Appropriate and Responsive Interventions
- Theme 3: Within Reach and Accessible
Benefits
- Their grants cover costs related to collecting or labelling data, developing models, or other engineering-related work.
- They provide Azure compute credits worth $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 as well as Azure developer support and resources.
- You will be included in a supportive community of current grantees and alumni.
- They provide a designated mentor based on your grant topic to help unlock the potential of your project.
- They give you access to a support platform to craft and share your grant project more widely.
Eligibility Criteria
They invite applications from developers, NGOs, academics, researchers, and inventors to accelerate their work for people with disabilities. This is a global program: Grant applications from all countries are eligible.
Requirements
Review the proposal requirements document. Your project proposal should describe the accessibility challenge addressed, the technical solution proposed, and its potential impact on people with disabilities. Please follow the application form and be as specific as possible.
Deadlines
- The last date to submit for this Mental Health RFP cycle is at 11:59 PM PST on August 12, 2022. Click here to apply.
- The deadline to submit the AI for Accessibility Grant Application is 11:59 PM PST on November 1st, 2022. Click here to apply.
For more information, visit Microsoft.
