Meta, the parent company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsAPPÂ is offering a grant of $2 million to Africans who are able to develop applications in areas such as economic development, science and innovation and public service.
The company made this known while unveiling the launch of the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants, in its continued commitment to supporting innovative use cases of open-source AI to address critical global challenges adding that the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants will provided to organisations worldwide.
Meta called for applications for 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 saying that selected recipients will receive up to $500,000 and winners will be announced early next year.
Speaking about the grant, Kojo Boakye, Vice President, Public Policy, Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye, Meta 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 organisations 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.
The inaugural Llama Impact Grants, announced in October 2023, received over 800 applications from over 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.
