Who May Apply
Only those organizations currently under a grant contract with the Endowments, or who have received a grant within the past several years, are eligible.
Why Spotlight your organization?
You want expert training in how to harness the latest interactive media tools to tell more compelling stories about your organization. You want a free digital camcorder for your organization so that you can continue making powerful videos. You want to exchange ideas and collaborate on projects with like-minded nonprofit colleagues. You want to take advantage of the Endowments' Web presence in the foundation and nonprofit sectors in order to raise the profile of your organization. If you have all these wants, then Spotlight is tailor-made for you.
How it works:
- Apply to be in the Spotlight, using the form to the right. You must read and sign on to the Community Guildelines. This is a popular project, with organizations scheduled several months in advance, so you may be placed on a waiting list. You will be notified well in advance of your date to take over the Spotlight.
- Receive a free digital camcorder. Spotlight participants will be trained in small-screen video production and will receive a Flip Video camcorder, which retails for several hundred dollars, to use in their Spotlight project. Spotlighted grantees get to keep the camera - and hopefully continue video storytelling on their own.
- Tell us your story. As a Spotlight grantee, you will:
- Be interviewed by Endowments staff members who will prepare a brief introduction of the organization.
- Host the Spotlight Blog during the period in which your organization is featured.
- Produce a two-minute video highlighting your organization's mission, or a specific project. The Flip Video camcorder is simple to operate, and comes with built-in software to edit, organize and upload your videos. Also, the free training will allow you to use more sophisticated filming techniques to tell your story more effectively.
- Upload photos of your organization, programs and participants to a photo gallery.
- Provide Feedback. We will ask you to complete a brief survey and possibly spend a few minutes on the phone with an Endowments' communications officer so that we can evaluate the effectiveness of the project and collect ideas on how to make the Spotlight experience easier and more productive for participants.
