Objectives: The MTV Staying Alive Foundation was born with the aim of supporting projects targeting HIV/AIDS prevention. The Foundation gives financial awards to youth organisations willing to implement innovative projects and it also produces and shares contents that further their mission. The Foundation was born in 2005 thanks to the collaborative efforts of several partners. Among them, MTV, the Body Shop, H&M, Positive Action, PEPFAR, UNICEF, The Goss-Michael Foundation, BGC, and VIMN (for details about the partners of the Foundation, see here).
Areas of Funding: The grant-making programme targets organisations led by young people between the ages of 15 and 27. The Award is given to organisations ENTIRELY run by young people (nobody in the organisation should be older than 27 years of age).
Applicants must work in the field of HIV prevention. Projects should educate young people about HIV/AIDS prevention in the community of belonging. Projects should demonstrate a high level of creativity and a commitment to fight HIV/AIDS. Projects must demonstrate an engagement with the community in which the project will be developed (cultural awareness, history of the community etc.) Start-up organisations and organisations with little or no access to funding are favoured.
Although the Grant is open to recognised organisations led by young people, informal groups (not registered as NGOs) could also apply. If your organisation is not registered yet, you need to find a partner among registered associations in your country. In fact, the Grant cannot be deposited in individuals’ bank accounts. If your organisation is registered, you will still need to provide credentials (independent references, governmental accreditations, verifiable banking details).
The Grant is given for projects lasting a maximum of 12 months but grantees are encouraged to re-apply in order to further develop their projects when successful (the grant could be given to the same organisation for a maximum of 4 years). The Grant allows recipients to invest part of the money for purchasing appropriate equipment although the costs should represent a small part of the entire budget.
Sponsored projects will be advertised in the Foundation’s website and the stories collected will be shared to inspire and guide the activities of other organisations around the world.
Geographic Focus: No geographical restriction.
Programs or Prizes: The Staying Alive Foundation Grant gives up to $12,000 per year. In addition to financial aid, the Foundation provides teaching kits developed by the Foundation, a local mentor, a personal grant manager, and training schemes.
How to Apply Information: There is one call for proposals (concept notes) a year and it is advertised in July. Grants are awarded in December. To be notified of the new call as soon as it is advertised, you should sign up for the Foundation’s newsletter. More information about how to sign up can be found here.
The application process consists in 2 phases. Firstly, you will be asked to fill in an online application form with a general description of your project and its main goals. Within 2 weeks from this initial submission the Foundation will notify you on the results of the first stage selection. If your project is selected, you will be asked to fill in another form and to explain in details the activities of your project and also to provide information about your organisation, its history, and its manifesto.
