Meta Unveils Llama 3.1 Impact Grants to Empower AI-Driven Organizations Across Africa, Others, With $2 Million

Meta has announced the launch of the Llama 3.1 impact Grants, to empower AI-Driven organizations across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey.

The tech giant is continuing its commitment to supporting innovative use cases of open-source AI to address critical global challenges. Building on the success of previous grant programs, the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants will provide up to $2 million USD in funding to organisations worldwide.

The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program invites proposals from organisations with ideas for using Llama 3.1 to address social challenges in their communities. Applications in areas such as economic development, science and innovation, public service and more will be given special consideration. Selected recipients will receive up to $500,000 USD and winners will be announced early next year.

Speaking about the grant, Kojo Boakye, Meta Vice President, Public Policy, Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye, Kojo Boakye said,

“We’re inspired by the diverse projects we’ve seen developers undertake around the world to positively impact their communities by building with Llama. We believe AI has more potential than any other modern technology to increase human productivity, creativity, and quality of life and to accelerate economic growth while unlocking progress in medical and scientific research. The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program presents an opportunity to further empower organizations to leverage AI for social good and to drive meaningful change.”

To support prospective applicants, Meta will host a series of regional events, including virtual events, in-person hackathons, workshops, and training sessions in Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Korea, Latin America, North America, Pakistan, Singapore, Sub-Saharan Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

These events will provide technical guidance and mentorship, fostering the development of impactful applications of Llama 3.1 in local contexts. Organisations participating in these events will be eligible for additional specialised awards of up to $100,000 USD.

The inaugural Llama Impact Grants, announced in October 2023, received over 800 applications from 90+ countries. The 20 finalists have submitted their final proposals, and the grant recipients will be announced in September, alongside the recipients of the Llama Impact Innovation Awards.

All proposals will be evaluated using the selection criteria which are as follows;

• Must not be an individual, a sole proprietor, or sole-owner entity in the jurisdiction where it is formed; 
• Be an entity that is duly formed prior to August 5, 2023, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Organization was formed; 
• Have the legal right to participate in this Award Program and its participation will not violate any agreement or obligation between the organization and any third-party; 
• Must appoint and authorize one individual (the “Applicant”) to represent, act, and submit a Proposal on behalf of the Organization; 
• The Applicant must be an employee of or affiliated with the organization and must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and the age of majority in the Applicant’s jurisdiction of residence. 

According to Meta, the application window for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants is open from Monday, August 5, 2024, to Friday, November 22, 2024. Interested organizations are advised to apply here. Meta encourages eligible organizations to submit their proposals and take advantage of this opportunity to drive social impact through AI.