Shareable

Are you interested in starting a sharing project, or know someone who is? Then you should apply for a seed grant from Shareable! This brand-new pilot program offers small grants and technical support to students and young leaders under 30 to help them catalyze a sharing project in their communities.

The program offers up to $1,000 to young leaders on college campuses and in cities to launch projects or events that strengthen their communities as platforms for sharing. Along with cash awards, Shareable will also offer media and technical support, as well as project coaching and access to our network of sharing experts.

The entire application is online and only takes a few minutes to complete. Apply now.

The deadline to apply has been extended to February 18, 2013 so please help us spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested. 

What’s a “sharing project”?

Here are examples of projects we’d like to support: swaps (clothing exchanges, book swaps), skill shares, bike and computer kitchens, lending libraries, timebanks, free stores and free schools, sharing-themed campus club, cooperatives of all kinds, and more.

But don’t let this list limit you. Be creative! We’re totally open to ideas that aren’t on the list. We’ll also consider summits and educational events to develop project ideas, alliances and next steps for community action.

Who can apply?

All college undergraduates, graduate students, and urban leaders under 30 are eligible to apply. We encourage applications from the Midwest, the South and low income communities. The deadline to apply has been extended to February 18th. We will award the grants on February 21, 2013.

How can you apply?

Since this is a pilot, we’re keeping the project requirements fairly loose though we’d like to see proposals for achievable, sharing-themed, service projects that could become permanent institutions in the community. We encourage applicants to work in teams, and to find additional support from other organizations.

If you’re a young leader, please apply here by February 18, 2013. And please share this opportunity with people who you think would be interested.

Who is Shareable?

Shareable is an online magazine about sharing. We cover the people, projects, and communities that are bringing a shareable world to life. This shareable world includes things like car sharing, clothing swaps, childcare coops, potlucks, and cohousing, to make life more fun, green, and affordable. When we share, not only is a better life possible, but so is a better world. Make sure to check out our how-tos so you can make sharing real in your life.

Why has Shareable created this pilot program?

In May 2011, Shareable hosted a one-day event called ShareSF. We invited city officials, sharing entrepreneurs, nonprofits and new economy leaders to explore how to strengthen San Francisco as a platform for sharing. ShareSF combined education with action, including a half-day unconference where leaders began collaborating. Nothing like ShareSF had ever been done before. It was an experiment.

Much to our surprise, the impact of ShareSF greatly exceeded our expectations. As a result of ShareSF, the City of San Francisco became keenly interested in the sharing economy. We helped Mayor Ed Lee launch the city’s Sharing Economy Working Group, which is working on sharing-friendly policies. We also hosted a speaking tour to educate the city about participatory budgeting, which they are piloting this year. Finally, we launched the first policy series about the sharing economy in partnership with the Sustainable Economies Law Center.

Inspired by the unexpected success of ShareSF, we tried a hands-on approach to developing sharing projects in other communities, but with mixed success. We realized that we’d have more success if we helped leaders create projects that make sense for their own communities. We believe that creating a network of local sharing leaders will have more impact than creating projects ourselves.

Don't wait, apply now online, just takes a few minutes. Click the below button to apply.