Doteveryone is delighted to announce our first round of Fairer Tech Event Grant recipients.

Each round awards £500 to three recipients, to support them in making their events fairer. We’ll be running two more rounds later this year.

While we know that fairer events and conferences are only step 1 towards a fairer digital society, as our CEO Rachel Coldicutt wrote recently, “they are still a physical manifestation of who’s in charge, what is important, and who can have opinions.”

The grants are small and this is partly because we’re a charity so our budget is limited but there is also an intentionality to their smallness. We want to make the point that making fairer events doesn’t have to cost much. This is much more of a mindset issue than it is a budgetary one.

So, if you didn’t receive a grant this round consider whether you can find a way to still go ahead with your initiative. There’s no doubt that the benefits of creating a fairer digital society will be worth the investment.

Here are our first round of recipients.

1. Liverpool MakeFest

image: Liverpool Makefest

Liverpool MakeFest, the north-west’s biggest Maker event showcases and engages children, young people, families and adults in science, technology, crafts, creations, inventions and gadgets.

Doteveryone are funding Liverpool Makefest to make their event more accessible for young people with disabilities, including mental, physical and learning. This will include specialist support costs, accessible transport and communication aids.

How will this make Liverpool MakeFest fairer? Free support services ensure young people with disabilities and their carers can participate, learn and contribute fully in the Makefest.

____________

Event details
Where: Liverpool Central Library (accessible venue)
When: June 24 from 9am–5pm
Cost: free

2. Non Binary in Tech

Non Binary in Tech is a free one-day event that focuses on highlighting the amazing work of people who identify partly or solely outside of the gender binary in the technology industry. The event will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London.

We’re funding NBiT to provide travel subsidies for people based outside of London who couldn’t afford to come to the event otherwise.

How will this make Non Binary in Tech fairer? The event is hugely important for strengthening the UK non-binary tech community. The grant will ensure that the (pricey!) cost of regional travel won’t be a barrier to people from across the UK attending and contributing to NBiT.

____________

Event details
Where: Goldsmiths, University of London (accessible venue)
When: July 29
Cost: free

3. iCame, iSaw, iConnected: Inverclyde Digital Inclusion Information Day

Presented by Software Training Scotland

We’re funding Software Training Scotland to put on the first ever Inverclyde iCame, iSaw, iConnected Digital Inclusion Information Day — without this grant the event wouldn’t be happening.

iCame, iSaw, iConnected will be an open door event for the people of Inverclyde, an area of known multiple disadvantage in Scotland. Hosted by Software Training Scotland, it will be an opportunity for local people, many of whom don’t have digital skills or in some cases internet access to get free resources and support.

The Doteveryone grant will cover venue hire, staffing, promotional time and materials. Importantly this will include a pro-active approach to securing the attendance and participation of digitally excluded people.

How will this event allow Software Training Scotland to increase fairness in Inverclyde? It’s a gateway event for the residents of Inverclyde experiencing multiple disadvantage to start benefiting from the digital age. The day will also be a chance to signpost opportunities for further learning determined by the needs and interests of participants.

____________

Event details:

TBA — Software Training Scotland’s site and twitter

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted an application and to everyone who shared the initiative.

If you missed out this time or want to apply for an event later in the year our second round of Fairer Tech Event Applications will be open on 08 September.