Meta unveils grants to empower AI-driven organisations

Meta, a multinational technology company, has unveiled Llama 3.1 impact grants to empower Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven organisations across Africa, the Middle East and Turkey.

Kojo Boakye, Vice President, Public Policy, Africa, the Middle East, and Turkiye, Meta said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Boakye said Meta would continue its commitment to supporting innovative use cases of open-source AI to address critical global challenges.

The vice president said that building on the success of previous grant programmes, the Llama 3.1 impact grants would provide up to two million dollars in funding to organisations worldwide.

According to Boakye, the Llama 3.1 impact grants programme invites proposals from organisations with ideas for using Llama 3.1 to address social challenges in their communities.

Boakye said that applications in areas such as economic development, science and innovation, public service and more would be given special consideration.

The vice president said selected recipients would receive up to $500,000 and winners would be announced early next year.

“We are inspired by the diverse projects we have seen developers undertake around the world to positively impact their communities by building with Llama.

‘We believe AI has more potential than any other modern technology to increase human productivity, creativity, quality of life and to accelerate economic growth while unlocking progress in medical and scientific research.

“The Llama 3.1 impact grants programmes presents an opportunity to further empower organisations to leverage AI for social good and to drive meaningful change,” Boakye said.

The vice president said to support prospective applicants, Meta would host a series of regional events, including virtual events, in-person hackathons, workshops, and training sessions.

Boakye said this would be done 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.

The vice president noted that these events would provide technical guidance and mentorship, fostering the development of impactful applications of Llama 3.1 in local contexts.

“Organisations participating in these events will be eligible for additional specialised awards of up to $100,000.

“The inaugural Llama Impact Grants, announced in October 2023, received over 800 applications from 90+ countries.

“The 20 finalists have submitted their final proposals, and the grant recipients will be announced in September, alongside the recipients of the Llama Impact Innovation Awards,” Boakye said

According to Boakye, the application window for the Llama 3.1 impact grants is open from Aug. 5, 2024 to Nov. 22, 2024.