The City of Austin's Grant for Technology Opportunities Program (GTOPs) will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a banquet and awards ceremony at the beautiful downtown Omni Hotel on April 21, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Former Austin Mayor Pro Tem Brewster McCracken will emcee the event.  Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance (sales close April 16, 2010).

For more information visit www.gtops.org/gala

The first Austin Digital Inclusion Awards will be presented at the gala in recognition of the significant contributions to community technology by GTOPs grantees.  In addition to the awards categories listed on the website, the organizing committee created a “Community Choice Award” for YOU, the community to recognize your favorite GTOPs recipient for their ongoing efforts.  Click here to vote today! One vote per person, please.

The 2009-10 GTOPs schedule has been published at www.gtops.org on the "application" page! The calendar includes important due dates and a link to register for this year's GTOPs Pre-Application Meeting and Grant Writing Seminar!

Changes to note - the due dates for written questions have been posted in advance this year so there are no surprises! Not all applicants will be asked written questions but for those who do there will be no confusion as to when responses are due back to the City.

Look for applications to be released October 1, 2009 pending Austin City Council approval!

The 2009 GTOPs Awards Ceremony was well attended by members of the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission, representatives from award winning organizations and City Staff. Austin Mayor Pro Tem Brewster McCracken presided over the ceremony with assistance from Commission Chair Chip Rosenthal. GTOPs Program Coordinator Sheena Harden organized the event which was aired live on local government channel 6.

For photos of the ceremony visit http://picasaweb.google.com/OneWeeb/GTOPs2009AwardsCeremony?feat=directlink

GTOPs Awards Presentation
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
2:30 p.m.
Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second Street
News Conference Room


Austin Mayor Pro Tem Brewster McCracken and members of the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission will present the 2009 Grant for Technology Opportunities Program Awards at an announcement ceremony Tuesday, March 31, at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.

Ten winning projects will receive GTOPs funding for connecting the public with information technology, computers and the Internet.

"GTOPs enables local organizations to leverage technology in novel ways," said Commission Chair Chip Rosenthal. "Its achievements are remarkable, and a tribute to the innovation and community spirit of Austin."

Some of the projects include providing adults with disabilities specialized computer work stations to assist in finding employment opportunities online; multimedia training to low-income and at-risk youth; and offering bilingual computer training to non-native English speaking families.

The GTOPs program was designed by the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission to support digital technology projects that benefit our community.

The 2009 GTOPs grant cycle closed on Friday December 5th, the deadline to submit an application. The applicants look to be an excellent bunch this year. The Review Committee has their work cut out for them!

The next important date on the GTOPs calendar is January 14, 2009 - oral presentation day. The reviewers will select the top twenty applications to come and give a five minute oral presentation about their program followed by Q&A with the committee.

Deliberations and scoring will follow. The committee's recommendations will be announced at the regular meeting of the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission on February 11, 2009.

GTOPs recipient Austin Groups for the Elderly, is calling for nominations for their 15th Annual Awards. The categories are:

The Willie Kocurek Vital Aging Award: Honoring an older community member who exemplifies the concept of vital aging and is accomplished in the areas of self-determination, self-sufficiency, civic engagement and quality of life.

The Bert Kruger Smith Vision Award: Honoring a person or organization whose vision has enhanced the senior community and who has shown foresight and energy in implementing programs, services or legislation that serves older adults.

The AGE Philanthropy Award: Honoring a person or organization whose extraordinary generosity has supported work on behalf of older adults.

The AGE Community Service Award: Honoring a person or organization who has volunteered on behalf of the older adult community.

The AGE Professional Spirit Award: Honoring a person whose professional commitment goes above and beyond their job

To submit a nomination visit www.ageofaustin.org to download the form. The deadline is Thursday, October 30th.

The 2007 GTOPs annual report was presented last night at the regular meeting of the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission by GTOPs Program Coordinator Sheena Harden.  The results were outstanding!  The average success rate was 138% with grantees raising over $380,000 in matching funds, over triple the $120,000 in awards recieved.

To download a copy of the report visit www.gtops.org and click on "2007,"  a PDF file is downloadable from a link at the top of the page.

The City of Austin is seeking Grant Reviewers for the Grant for Technology Opportunities Program (GTOPs.) This grant provides funding to Austin organizations whose programs foster digital inclusion.

Ideal candidates will have experience in the technology sector and/or with non-profits.

Deadline to Apply: November 7, 2008

Application: http://www.gtops.org under "application"

Reviewers will be required to attend:
- One hour orientation
- One day-long event interviewing grant applicants
- Final deliberation (one to two hours)

Other work may be done on reviewer's own schedule. Most communication will be via email. All deadlines are final.

This is a truly unique experience. Reviewers have returned to apply in multiple years!

Skills Required:
- Understanding of the need for community technology
- Ability to discern the feasibility of a project
- Willingness to read applications thoroughly and without bias
- Background in technology or non-profits

The Austin Business Journal recently wrote an article about one of our 2008 projects, Skillpoint Alliance!

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/10/06/story5.html

The 2009 GTOPs application is now on-line.  Visit www.gtops.org and click on "application" to download the new application kit.  This year I have provided a protected word document of the cover sheet only for ease in filling out that part of the application.  Please note however that the meat of the application itself is in the FULL kit.  Applicants are advised to read the kit thoroughly before applying!

The Pre-Application Meeting & Grant Writing Seminar is scheduled for October 24, 2008, time and location to be announced. This is an opportunity for interested parties to learn more about GTOPs, ask questions and brush up on grant writing skills.

Thanks!