Spark MicroGrants Empowering Communities Worldwide

Spark MicroGrants is a unique program that empowers communities worldwide by providing small grants to support innovative ideas and projects.

These grants are designed to be small, with a maximum amount of $5,000, making them accessible to a wide range of community groups and individuals.

By providing funding for projects that might not otherwise receive support, Spark MicroGrants helps to amplify the impact of community-led initiatives and foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among community members.

Spark MicroGrants has been used to support a variety of projects, from community gardens to art programs, and has helped to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Spark MicroGrants offers a unique approach to funding social change efforts.

They provide grants of up to $60,000 to support projects that aim to address systemic injustices.

These grants are designed to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of each project.

Grantees have the freedom to use the funds in a way that best suits their project, with minimal reporting requirements.

Spark MicroGrants focuses on supporting projects that have the potential for significant impact and scalability.

They prioritize projects that are led by individuals or organizations that have a deep understanding of the community or issue they are addressing.

This approach allows Spark MicroGrants to make a meaningful contribution to the work of social change efforts.

Spark's model combines six months of community organizing with a seed grant of $8,000. This approach has been effective in over 260 communities across seven countries.

Community engagement is a key aspect of Spark's strategy. Communities double their rates of civic engagement and increase household assets by 20-80% through this approach.

Weekly face-to-face meetings are crucial for building social bonds and fostering community participation. Families attend these meetings, sometimes for the first time ever, and 94% continue to take civic action over time.

Spark's proactive approach to reaching out to disorganized communities has been successful. They offer a planning process of weekly community meetings and a seed grant of $8,000 in East Africa, which encourages people to attend and participate.

Having a consistent and broad-based input from community members ensures that community funds and resources are not captured by a handful of elders or entrenched leaders. This is achieved through Spark's community-driven development model.

Spark MicroGrants is a model that has successfully stimulated community-driven innovation in over 260 villages across seven countries. This model has been proven to work.

The organization has seen a 98% project sustainability rate, with a return on investment of 2:1. This is a remarkable achievement.

Spark's model increases social inclusion, with 56% of attendees being women, even in regions where women have never attended a public forum previously. In some areas, this has led to a significant increase in female leaders.

In Burundi, Spark community partners have seen 49% female leaders, compared to the 6% local government average. In Uganda, 198 community members invested in this model and ran for local office, with a 78% success rate of being elected.