Grants
Zendesk Tech For Good: 2024 Impact Award and Software Donation
Deadline: 15th of August, 2024
Zendesk, a leading customer service software company, believes in the transformative power of technology, particularly for vulnerable communities. The Zendesk Tech for Good program exemplifies this commitment by partnering with over 110 nonprofits worldwide, providing them with free Zendesk software, grants, and pro bono support. This initiative aims to empower organizations to leverage technology effectively and extend their reach to serve more people.
The Tech for Good program focuses on two main goals:
- Providing Nonprofits with Support: Through Zendesk software and grants, nonprofits can enhance their capacity to serve vulnerable populations, creating a more significant impact in their communities.
- Empowering Workforce Development: Tech for Good also collaborates with nonprofits that offer workforce development training in customer experience (CX) to historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. This partnership aims to create career pathways in the tech industry, particularly for those facing economic barriers.
Zendesk supports organizations aligned with the Zendesk Foundation’s impact areas, which include:
- Fostering Community: By facilitating connections and support networks, Zendesk enables communities to thrive.
- Promoting Resilience: In times of crisis, Zendesk works to safeguard against disasters and alleviate human suffering.
- Creating Career Pathways: Zendesk aims to close the economic opportunity gap and reduce unemployment by fostering pathways into the tech industry.
The Impact Awards will provide multiple awards between $5K to $50K per organization Zendesk Tech for Good will also provide free product donations. The Tech for Good program reflects Zendesk’s dedication to using technology for positive social impact, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can benefit from technological advancements.
Benefits:
Benefits include:
- Opportunity to use Zendesk software for serving beneficiary communities
- Support in scaling service response for nonprofit organizations
- Access to Zendesk Impact Awards for eligible nonprofits
- Possibility of workforce development programming and participation in Zendesk’s Agents of Change Program
- Alignment with Zendesk Foundation’s core focus areas: fostering community, promoting resilience, and creating career pathways in tech
- Ability to adopt new technology to improve services to beneficiary communities
Eligibility:
Applications are due by August 15, 2024, at 3:59 am UTC+0. You will be notified of the status of your application after September 30th, 2024.
- You MUST submit proof of nonprofit status with your application in the “attachment” section of the application form.
- Current Zendesk customers are not eligible for the impact awards.
- Current and past Zendesk grantees are not eligible for the impact awards.
- Only applications submitted through the application form will be considered. Zendesk will not accept emailed applications.
- At this time, Zendesk is only accepting applications written in English.
- At this time, we are unable to grant to organizations based in: Belarus, Central African Republic, Crimea Region of Ukraine, Congo, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Application:
Zendesk Impact Awards Application Form & Instructions
- Your email address
- Your Name and Title – Your full name and job title
- Subject – The title of your application or project
- Agree to Terms and Conditions – Please check this box to indicate you have read all of the Impact Award FAQs including the application instructions and terms and conditions. The FAQs include important details for submission.
- Organization Name
- Organization or Project Description -Tell us about your organization or project. You may choose to answer questions such as – What are your organizational mission and goals? What communities do you serve and why? What are your organization’s biggest accomplishments? How many people does your organization or program serve? What are your future goals and how do you hope to achieve impact? (Max 200 words)
- Organization’s Website (please provide URL)
- Size of your organization – Please select from the following: 1-20 full time employees; 21 – 100 employees; 101+ employees
- Organization Location – Please select from the following: AMER – North America; EMEA – Europe, Middle East, or Africa; LATAM – Latin America; APAC – Asia and Pacific Islands; Global
- Issue Area: You may select up to three. Agriculture; Animal Welfare; Anti-trafficking, abuse, or victim support; Arts & Music; Children & Youth; Civic Engagement; Climate Change; Community
- Development; Conflict Resolution; Crime & Safety; Democracy & Governance; Disaster Relief; Economic Development; Environment & Sustainability; Financial Literacy; Health & Medicine; Housing & Homelessness; Human Rights & Civil Liberties; Hunger, Food Security; Immigration or displaced people; Job & Workplace; Legal assistance; Media; Mental Health; Philanthropy or Microfinance; Poverty; Prison Reform; Reproductive Health & Rights; Veterans; Water & Sanitation
- Application Focus Area: Please select the Zendesk Foundation focus area with which your application most closely identifies: Fostering community for vulnerable populations, enabling connections that allow people to thrive; Promoting resilience in a time of crisis in order to safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering; Creating career pathways in tech, by closing the economic opportunity gap for underrepresented communities. Agents of Change [Learn more about the Agents of Change Program here.]
- Why are you interested in the Impact Awards? Tell us about your program, the region or countries where you are working, your goals, and how we can help you achieve success. Strong applicants will demonstrate the correlation of Zendesk financial and product donations toward directly serving beneficiary communities. For examples of our products in action please see here. (Max 350 words).
- What is the ability of your organization to adopt new technology? Please tell us about your organization. You may choose to tell us about other technology investments you’ve made in the past or your plan to implement new software within your organization. How many team members will need to be onboarded? Do you have buy-in and excitement from leadership teams? What software are you currently using to implement or facilitate your project? Do you or your staff have prior experience implementing SaaS tools? It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers. Let us know how our financial and pro bono support would help you get up and running more efficiently. (Max 150 words)
- Who oversees new software implementation at your organization? (Name & Role) This could be an IT supervisor or other technology administrator or a dedicated team member support role.
- Request for support. Please tell us if there is specific Zendesk software you are interested in using and the amount of funding you would like to request to support implementation. Applicants are eligible to receive financial awards between $10K-$50K. Please also let us know the number of software licenses you estimate your team will need (the number of people who will be using the software). Please note that final financial award amounts are at the discretion of the Zendesk Foundation. For more information regarding the grant terms and deliverables please see our FAQs. (Max 100 words).
- Please upload documented proof of charitable mission and status (Required) Please upload an IRS Proof of Determination Letter or other proof of nonprofit and charitable status. Please note, this is required.
