Estimated Number of Awards

In 2025 we anticipate supporting multiple institutions from across PIT-UN to host Tech for Change Hackathons. For the third year of the Tech for Change Hackathon, we anticipate supporting 3-5 Tech for Change Hackathons from across PIT-UN. We will be selecting and supporting PIT-UN member institutions that have experience in hosting hackathons or co-hosting a hackathon but have not hosted or co-hosted a Tech for Change Hackathon.

PIT-UN seeks Tech for Change Hackathons that clearly define topical and relevant public interest technology focuses such as:

• Health care
• Elections
• Bias (racial or gender)
• Education
• Alternative methods for internet access

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to PIT-UN member institutions that have not previously hosted or co-hosted a PIT-UN Tech for Change Hackathon. 

Projects that are a partnership between two or more universities should submit a single application from the lead institution. Projects should explain the nature of the partnership, including the division of labor and funds in the proposal.

Please follow your institutions process for submitting responses to RFPs. Typically, each PIT-UN member has identified one point of contact for submitting all grant applications for their institutions and should be accessing the online grant platform. If you do not know who your PIT-UN member Network Challenge point of contact is, get in touch with your institution’s PIT-UN designee.

All receipts need to be submitted at the same time.

Travel Reimbursement Policy

Terms and Conditions: All flights, up to the lowest-available, most direct, coach class fare (standard economy). We do not intend to make all people fly red-eye flights when flying from one coast to the opposite coast. Up to the lowest available business class fare for international flights (arrives in a different country than that from which it departed) of more than five hours actual flight time, including domestic connecting flights. Baggage fees, which include oversize or overweight bags if the oversize or overweight bags contain NVF equipment/supplies/materials.

Transportation to and from an airport

The cost of the transportation to and from a point of origin of travel falls within the travel expense policy. We expect a reasonable expense and it is the project's discretion if they want to cover this portion.

Complete these forms for Travel Reimbursement 

• Reimbursement form
• NVF EFT Form
• W-9 for U.S. Residents
• W-8 for International Residents

Materials to submit a request for a Budget Modification 

• Original NVF Budget Template submitted with the grant application 
• Complete the Budget Revision Tab in the Template
• A short paragraph detailing why you need a budget revision.

Material Needed to Complete a Mid-grant Report

1. The project title as it appears on the original grant application
2. The total funding request and the total expenses to date
3. Answers to these questions

• Please describe what is going well with your project. (300-word limit)
• Please describe any challenges you are experiencing with your project (300-word limit)
• In the project application, you were asked to list outcomes and deliverables. As you view your work, are the outcomes and deliverables you listed in your application obtainable? If yes, please describe your progress in obtaining the objectives and deliverables. If not, please share how you would like to revise them. (200-word limit)
• How can we better support your work? (300-word limit)
• How can we assist you in highlighting your work inside and outside of your institution? (300-word limit)The requirements for completing the final grant report can be found in Exhibit B of the ratified grant agreement. 

Material Needed to Complete The Final Grant 

• a copy of the grant agreement 
• Answers to the Exhibit B questions. (Exhibit B questions are found in the ratified grant agreement). 
• DEI statistics if you collected that data
• The original NVF Project Budget Template with the reporting tab filled out. If the finance department has a separate financial sheet you can upload that as well.
• Any links or copies of specific deliverables or open educational resources.
• Any links to publications (case studies, reports, papers...) developed out of this work

Material Needed to Complete a Mid-grant Report  

1) Project Summary (300-word limit) Please provide a summary of the status of your project to date. In your narrative of the project, please include:

a. Activities and progress 

b. Institutional issues and/or project challenges 

c. Partner issues or challenges 

2) Progress Toward Objectives & Deliverables (300-word limit) As part of your grant application, you listed expected outcomes and deliverables. Please list the outcomes and deliverables listed in your grant application. a. Of the listed outcomes and deliverables, which, if any, have been accomplished? 

3) Challenges or Lessons Learned (500-word limit) In the listed outcomes and deliverables, what are the challenges in meeting the deliverables outline in the application? 

4) Project Impact (200-word limit) Describe how your project is meaningfully addressing the barriers to equity and access related to Public Interest Technology that you identified in your original grant proposal. Please describe what challenges you experiencing in meeting equity, diversity and inclusion related to your ongoing project. (300-word limit) 

5) Network Impact (300-word limit) Describe how your project is creating shared resources or otherwise strengthening the community of educational institutions committed to Public Interest Technology. (300-word limit) 

6) Institutionalization of PIT (300-word limit) Describe how, if at all, your project will contribute to Public Interest Technology becoming institutionalized within your university (i.e., through committed university funds, support from leadership, or collaboration between departments, faculty, or other groups). If you do not anticipate Public Interest Technology will become institutionalized in the short- or long-term, please explain why. 

7) Budget & Expenses to Date 

a. Total funding request 

b. Total expenses to date 

c. Total In-kind funding propose 

d. Total In-kind funding utilized to date 

e. Please explain any unforeseen expenses or other adjustments you have had to make to your proposed budget. 

f. The Network Challenge Grants have a 16-month grant term, please upload a copy of the grant expenses to date spreadsheet* 

Material Needed to Complete The Final Grant 

The requirements for completing the final grant report can be found in Exhibit B of the ratified grant agreement. 

1) Project Summary (300 words maximum): Please provide a clear and concise statement summarizing the work your institution(s) completed during the duration of the grant period. 

2) Objectives & Activities: (250-word limit) Describe the specific objectives of the project supported by the Challenge. Summarize the activities you engaged in during the grant period to accomplish these objectives, and any progress towards the outcomes or impact that you were hoping to achieve. 

3) Key Drivers of Meeting the Project Objectives: (250-word limit) Were you able to accomplish your objectives, please describe what you saw as the key drivers or enabling conditions of that success. If applicable, please share a specific instance or event that illustrates the impact of your project. 

4) Expected Outcomes: (200-word limit) As part of your grant application, you listed EXPECTED outcomes and deliverables. Please list the original outcomes and deliverables you listed on your grant application. 

5) Achieved Outcomes & Deliverables: (500-word limit) Please list the ACHIEVED (FINAL) outcomes and deliverables here. 

6) Project Impact Statement: (200-word limit) Provide a clear and concise impact statement regarding your work. 

7) Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Number of Participants: (500-word limit) Describe how your project meaningfully addressed the targeted community and the demographics of the project participants compared to the demographics of the larger population. If your project was not able to address said barriers as meaningfully as intended, please describe what challenges you experienced or lessons you learned. What sources of bias was the project subjected to and what mitigation strategies did you employ to generate more equitable outcomes to engage, serve, and collaborate with those populations in ways that are informed by best practices? 

a) Estimate the percentage of non-majority project participants. 

b) Demographic 

8) Lessons Learned and Challenges (500-word limit) In the final outcomes and deliverables you listed above, highlight any challenges, expected or otherwise, or lessons learned throughout the grant period. Describe any adjustments or changes you made to your activities to address challenges as they arose. 

9) Network impact: (300-word limit) Describe how your project created shared resources or otherwise strengthened the community of educational institutions committed to Public Interest Technology. 

10) Institutionalization of Public Interest Technology: (300-word limit) Describe how, if at all, your project will contribute to Public Interest Technology becoming institutionalized within your university (i.e., through committed university funds, support from leadership, or collaboration between departments, faculty, or other groups). If you do not anticipate Public Interest Technology will become institutionalized in the short- or long-term, please explain why. 

11) Attachments: In addition to the report narrative, please submit the following attachments: 

a) Financial report detailing final accounting of budgeted vs. actual expenditures of all grant funding, including the entire project budget and all sources of revenue and expenditures (including grassroots and direct lobbying expenditures, if applicable), in addition to this Grant. 

b) Artifacts and Open Educational Resources (OER): and other artifacts developed with grant funds i) A list of all intellectual property and assets purchased or created with the Grant. 

ii) Any publications or media generated as a result of your project. 

12) Certification: All [GRANTEE NAME] activities were and are consistent with charitable purposes under Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and [GRANTEE NAME] complied with all provisions and restrictions contained in this Agreement, including, for example, and without limitation, those provisions related to lobbying and political activity. 

PIT-UN is interested in understanding how you used the Regional Hub Fellow funds and the impact you were able to achieve during the grant period. The Network is equally interested in learning about your successes and challenges, and would like to hear what you learned in the process. Please provide candid, reflective responses 

to the questions below. The information you share will help inform PIT-UN's future strategy and programs. 

As part of the Grant Agreement, you are required to submit a verbal progress via monthly meetings, a short narrative mid-grant report at the second quarter Fellows meeting and all final reports by November 30, 2024. 

A successful PIT Regional Hub should be a collaboration between Principal Investigators and/or Designees of PIT-UN  member institutions, and outreach to regional employers and/or employer organizations, to ensure that the regional opportunities are related to the entire region.