Meta Announces Llama 3.1 Impact Grants To Empower AI-Driven Organisations In Africa, Middle East, Turkey

Meta has launched the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants to support innovative open-source AI solutions to global challenges.

Building on the success of previous grant programs, the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants will award up to $2 million USD to organisations worldwide.

The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program seeks proposals from organisations with ideas for using Llama 3.1 to address social issues in their communities.

Applications in economic development, science and innovation, public service, and other fields will receive special consideration. Selected recipients will receive up to $500,000 USD, with winners announced early next year.

Meta’s Vice President, Public Policy, Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye, Kojo Boakye, commented on the grant: “We are inspired by the diverse projects we have seen developers undertake worldwide to positively impact their communities by building with Llama.

“We believe that AI has the greatest potential of any modern technology to boost human productivity, creativity, and quality of life—as well as to accelerate economic growth and advance medical and scientific research.

“The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program provides an opportunity to further empower organisations to use AI for social good and drive meaningful change.”

Meta will hold a series of regional events to assist prospective applicants, 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, promoting the development of effective Llama 3.1 applications in local contexts.

Organisations that participate in these events will be eligible for additional specialised awards worth up to $100,000 USD.

The first Llama Impact Grants, announced in October 2023, drew over 800 applications from 90 countries.

The 20 finalists have submitted their final proposals. Grant recipients will be announced in September, along with the winners of the Llama Impact Innovation Awards.

The application window for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants is open from Monday, August 5, 2024 to Friday, November 22, 2024. Meta encourages eligible organisations to submit proposals and take advantage of this opportunity to drive social impact with AI.

All proposals will be evaluated based on the selection criteria listed here.