On Saturday, March 3rd 2018 it is International Open Data Day, coordinated by Open Knowledge International. As last year, Hivos, ARTICLE 19 and Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) are proud to announce a Open Data Day 2018 mini-grant scheme for transparency & accountability in public contracting and following public money flows.

We aim to support local #ODD18 initiatives that will focus on approaches, data and technology to ‘Follow the Money’ to track and analyse public money flows for transparency and accountability work in countries from the global south and in tricky environments.

Open Contracting Innovation Challenge

We encourage the organizers of #ODD18 in different parts of the world to think about follow-ups for the best ideas, concepts, approaches and prototypes that come out of the #ODD18. Hivos, ARTICLE 19 and OCP are keen to support initiatives that aim to produce outputs that can be followed up and become candidates for the Open Contracting Innovation Challenge that Hivos, ARTICLE 19 and the Open Contracting Partnership will launch later 2018.

We would expect these proposals to be focused on innovative approaches for transparency & accountability in public contracting and following public money flows, not necessarily on data and technology itself. Willing to support #ODD18 initiatives and events with a broader focus on ‘Follow the Money’ issues we invite organizers to focus on preparing something for the Innovation Challenge, thinking about having continuity of implementation.

Preference for funding will be given to ODD18 applications with the following criteria:

• event are organized by local organisation in developing countries;
• events that seek to improve transparency & accountability in tricky environments (see footnote 1);
• events focus on transparency & accountability in public procurement and public money flows;
• events promote the development of ideas, initiatives and prototypes that can be followed up and might become candidates for the Open Contracting Innovation Challenge later in 2018.

Innovation can be both new ideas, but also old ideas in new contexts. Please consider the following suggestions as inspiration for planning your approaches to running an Open Data Day event with a focus on Open Contracting or Follow the Money:

• Using Freedom of Information requests to open up contracting related information;
• Hackathon on public contracting (Nepal) and a blog about their ODD 2017;
• Follow the Money Treasure Hunts;
• Contracting-focussed data expeditions;
• Bottom-up initiatives like Budeshi, linking budget and procurement data to public services;
• Data analysis hacks with contracting data;

Why are we supporting this?

The Open Contracting program of Hivos and ARTICLE 19 works with local frontline organisations in civil society and media in seven focus countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Indonesia, Philippines, Guatemala and Bolivia) to jointly develop capacities, tools, and approaches for effective lobby and advocacy aimed at change of policies and practices to reform public contracting processes that lead to tangible improvements for people’s lives, like access to improved delivery of public services and goods, quality healthcare and education, safe roads and clean drinking water.

What is the timeline for the mini-grants?

The deadline for applying is 4th February 2018. The selected grantees will be announced on 19th February 2018. If you are all set to organize your ODD event, apply for a mini-grant HERE.