Apply for Llama 3.1 Impact Grants: Up to $2 Million in Funding

Meta has announced the launch of the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants, highlighting the potential of AI to boost human productivity, creativity, and quality of life. The company believes AI can drive economic growth and advance medical and scientific research. By promoting open source AI, Meta aims to ensure equitable and safe deployment of technology globally.

Advocating for Open Access to AI

Meta continues to advocate for open access to AI as the industry standard. The company is excited to open applications for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants, part of a broader portfolio of initiatives to support organizations using Llama 3.1 to tackle social challenges in their communities.

Launch of Llama 3.1 Impact Grants

Building on previous efforts, Meta has launched the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program. In less than a year since the first grant program, significant real-world applications of Llama AI have emerged in education, entertainment, and medicine.

Inaugural Llama Impact Grants

In October 2023, Meta introduced the inaugural Llama Impact Grants program, inviting global proposals to address critical challenges using the open source AI models, Llama. Applications for the next iteration, the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants, are now open, with up to $2 million USD available. Meta is seeking innovative proposals utilizing Llama 3.1's new features for impactful economic and social projects.

Expanding the Grant Program

Meta believes in AI's potential to improve productivity, creativity, and quality of life. To help organizations leverage open source AI, Meta has expanded its grant program to include grants, awards, hackathons, and community-building activities. These initiatives showcase how open source AI can drive social and economic progress.

Application Criteria and Awards

Meta invites proposals from eligible organizations worldwide on using Llama 3.1 to address social challenges. Applications focusing on economic development, science and innovation, public service, and similar areas will receive special consideration. Selected recipients will be awarded up to $500,000 USD, with winners announced early next year. You can read more about the criteria here.

Global Engagement and Events

Over the past year, Meta has engaged with developers and stakeholders already using Llama to tackle community challenges. Building on these efforts, the next round of Impact Grants will feature in-person and virtual events worldwide. These events will provide technical guidance and mentorship to prospective applicants and include hackathons, workshops, and training in various countries.

Specialized Awards

Organizations participating in these events may be eligible for specialized awards of up to $100,000 USD, in addition to the open call awards of up to $500,000 USD. Meta aims to support the development of Llama applications that address local economic and social impact opportunities.

Success of the First Grant Program

The inaugural Llama Impact Grants received over 800 applications from 90+ countries, with 20 finalists advancing in the program. The final versions of their proposals have been submitted, and grant recipients will be announced in September.

Fostering Community and Collaboration

Meta also identified over 70 runners-up with compelling visions for using Llama to address specific challenges. These teams were invited to the first in-person Global Llama Community Summit, fostering collaboration and community building.

Regional Innovation Awards

In July, Meta launched the Llama Impact Innovation Awards for organizations in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. These awards, totaling up to $300,000 USD, target pressing regional challenges. Recipients will be announced alongside the inaugural Llama Impact Grants in September.

Learnings and Future Directions

In less than a year, Meta's grant program has revealed significant real-world uses of Llama for good. Throughout this journey, Meta has learned valuable lessons, leading to significant investment in events and capacity-building efforts during the application period. The company is excited to see what the community will build with Llama 3.1.

Apply Now

Applications for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants are open until November 22, 2024! Apply here.