Update 6/24/21: Grant funding and volunteer support is now fully committed. Product credits are still available for projects operating outside of the United States. If you are working to advance vaccine equity in countries outside of the United States, we encourage you to apply for Twilio product credits.
Watch our on-demand webinar to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution grant round.
COVID-19 vaccine distribution open call FAQ
What is the objective of Twilio.org’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution open call?
Vaccine production is ramping up globally, providing new optimism in the global fight to end the pandemic. Yet significant challenges remain to ensure that vaccines reach people around the world equitably. The Director General of the World Health Organization recently said “as vaccines bring hope to some, they become another brick in the wall of inequality.” The objective of this open call is to support organizations that are building trust, providing information, and increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines for underserved communities globally.
How does Twilio.org define underserved communities as it relates to COVID-19 vaccines?
Twilio.org defines underserved communities as those that have faced a disproportionate burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, and today continue to face significant inequities in accessing COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccine inequities are playing out on multiple fronts— from last mile availability of vaccines, to the unavailability of reliable internet access to book vaccine appointments, to essential workers not being able to take time off to get a vaccine.
For example, in the United States, Black, LatinX, Native American, low-income, and rural communities are currently underserved in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations. Likewise, from a global perspective, people living in low- and middle-income countries are underserved relative to people living in wealthier countries.
Who should apply?
If you’re working on vaccine distribution for underserved communities, we encourage you to apply for support. Your work could include providing accurate information on vaccines, supporting the complex supply chain to ensure vaccine availability, or supporting the distribution of vaccines at health clinics, community centers, and mobile health teams.
What is the timeline and review process for this open call?
Because this is a rolling application process, the timeline for reviewing your application is relative to when you submit it. Some key dates are below.
· Open call launches: March 17, 2021
· Live informational webinar: March 31, 2021
· Phase 1 application decisions: rolling basis, within 6 weeks of receipt of your application
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by a diverse committee of Twilio employees. First round decisions will be made within 6 weeks of receipt of your application. If selected, we will invite you to Phase 2, in which we’ll request additional information on your proposed project, including a budget if you’ve applied for grant funding.
Can my organization apply for a combination of grant funding, product credits, and volunteer support?
Absolutely! We encourage you to apply for holistic support that will enable your organization to reach people in underserved communities with vaccine information and access.
Is there a maximum amount of grant funding, product credit, and volunteer support we can request in our application?
We will award grants up to a maximum of $500,000 for activities covering a period of up to 12 months from the date of the grant being awarded.
Product credits are intended to kick off a project, or temporarily sustain a high usage project. Credit amounts will be determined based on your historical usage or planned scale of the project the credits are being requested for. We will request organizations interested in product credits to demonstrate long-term financial viability of the proposed project.
Volunteer support requests should not exceed 50 hours per project.
What are the application evaluation criteria?
We are looking to support organizations and proposals that:
· Plan to reach a large number of people in underserved communities with information on and/or access to COVID-19 vaccines.
· Provide demonstrable evidence of deep knowledge of and trust within the communities they plan to reach
· Clearly identify how the support being requested will lead to more equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
· Align with Twilio.org’s mission to build communications that change lives
· Have organizational financial sustainability
Does my organization have to use Twilio products to be eligible for grant funding?
Twilio product use is not a requirement—Twilio.org provides grants to organizations that use Twilio products and those that don’t. Note that we do consider the ways that an organization uses communications technology, like Twilio, in our evaluation criteria, and we give weight to innovative and high impact uses of Twilio products. This is because we take a holistic view in our funding partnerships that includes grant funding, product, technical support, and employee volunteering—this is at the heart of how we help organizations achieve their goals.
How strict are the word limits for application questions?
We are serious about applying the word limits. If your response is beyond the stipulated word limit, we will only read the response up to the word limit. We anticipate a large number of applications and we want to ensure that we evaluate each application on the same criteria. We encourage you to be deep but brief in your responses.
I started my application but need to come back to it. Can I save it?
We recommend copying the questions and working on your application in a separate document from the application webform. The application webform will not save your application until you click “Submit,” and your application is no longer editable after it has been submitted.
Can the application be completed in another language?
Unfortunately, applications can only be accepted in English. If you are using online translation services such as google.translate.com, please let us know in your application.
If I receive a grant, what are the reporting requirements?
All grantees will be expected to submit a 6-month and 12-month report. You will be expected to report on the number of people in underserved communities reached, the impact of the project on their lives, and other success measures you include in your application.
If I am not selected in this open call, may I apply again in the future?
Grant funding: Yes! We invite interested and eligible organizations to apply for grant funding each time we open a funding round. To receive communications about upcoming grants, please sign up for our email list.
Product credits: Organizations receive $500 in product credit when they sign up for Twilio.org’s Impact Access program. Other opportunities, when available, are publicly announced.
Volunteer support: Organizations can connect with a Twilio volunteer via Twilio.org’s Impact Corps program.
I just submitted my application. What’s next?
Congratulations! Our goal is to respond to all applications within 6 weeks of receipt of your application. We will invite a select number of applicants for Phase 2 applications, which will include providing more detailed information on your proposed project and virtual interviews. In the meantime, we encourage you to take advantage of the tools and resources that Twilio is offering to help you leverage communications technology to accelerate equitable vaccine distribution.
Grant round eligibility criteria FAQs
Is my organization eligible for grant funding, product credits and/or volunteer support if we are already an Impact Access program member?
Yes, absolutely! Great to hear that you are already a member of Twilio.org’s Impact Access program.
Will you accept grant proposals from organizations based outside the United States?
Yes, we accept grant proposals from organizations based anywhere in the world.
We are a volunteer group and don’t have a nonprofit registration. Are we eligible for funding?
We are only able to award grants to registered nonprofit organizations. However, we encourage you to visit our Impact Access program, as we’ve expanded our eligibility criteria to include volunteer groups working on response and recovery efforts for COVID-19. This program offers a $500 USD kickstart credit along with discounts on product usage.
My organization is based outside the U.S. Am I still eligible for grant funding if I don’t have a 501(c)(3) registration?
If you are a registered nonprofit organization in your country, you are eligible for grant funding. Please submit your registration document when you submit your application.
Can my organization submit a joint application with several organizations?
If you are working on a multi-organizational initiative, we recommend that you identify one organization to submit the application and be the prime holder of the grant, if awarded. You may budget for multi-organizational activities with the understanding that grant funds will be transferred to the organization that is the holder of the grant award.
What size and stage organizations do you fund?
We provide grants to organizations of any size, ranging from early stage, small teams to large organizations operating in multiple countries.
Can we use grant funds to pay our Twilio bill?
No. Your grant funds may not be used to pay your Twilio bill. We encourage you to use the funding to support work related to building a software application, technical staff, programmatic support or other communications work, but do not use them to pay the bill directly.
General Twilio.org and Impact Fund FAQs
I’m new to Twilio. How do I get started and what benefits do nonprofit organizations receive from Twilio?
Sign up for a Twilio account. While you’re at it, sign up for the Twilio.org Impact Access program to receive your nonprofit benefits, which include:
· A $500 kickstart credit which is good for approximately $80,000 text messages to try out Twilio.
· Discounts on Twilio product usage
· Volunteer support through the Impact Corps
· Access to Twilio resources, including tutorials, guides and customer support
· Expanded eligibility criteria to support COVID-19 response
Nonprofit organizations and social enterprises are eligible for Twilio.org’s Impact Access program, regardless of whether you apply for or receive a grant from Twilio.
Where is my Twilio Account SID?
Your Account SID is located in your Twilio Console on the account dashboard.
Does the grant include access to any additional Twilio resources?
Absolutely! We like to call this the Twilio.org bear hug. If you have additional questions about Twilio products, new features, or have a business question, we’re happy to connect you with Twilio employee volunteers with expertise in areas ranging from technical architecture, user experience and analytics to fund raising, strategy and marketing via our Impact Corps program. Twilio volunteers love to support social impact organizations achieve their missions.
What is the Twilio.org Impact Fund?
Twilio allocated 1% of our company equity as part of the Pledge 1% movement to fund the Twilio.org Impact Fund. Through this fund, we support nonprofits and social enterprises that are generating impact that align with Twilio.org’s mission to build communications that change lives. Learn more about the Impact Fund and explore Twilio’s 2020 Impact Report.
Who administers distribution of grants?
The Twilio.org Impact Fund is managed by Impact Assets as a donor advised fund (DAF). Grants and investments are administered by Impact Assets.