We’re trying something a little different. Are you interested in improving the world using concepts from psychology, behavioural economics, math, or social science? Can you come up with ideas for teaching a skill, framework, or behaviour change strategy that would work well in an interactive, digital format?
We’re inviting our users to take part in our new Clearer Thinking Micro Grants program! We are offering up to $595 to people who propose, design and build short online modules that align with our mission to improve people’s critical thinking, happiness and decision-making skills. Check out our application guide here, or read on to find out more information! The deadline for the first stage of applications is May 1st.
We’re awarding these grants in three stages: $50, $150, and $395 respectively. Winning applications for each round will be announced on our site, and applicants who are successful in all three stages will also receive standardized feedback data on their learning module, and may have their module published in our library of free online programs, and shared with you, our 80,000+ readers!
You don’t need to have a programming background to apply - this opportunity is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, who enjoys learning new skills, wants to gain experience in online content creation, or has a practical idea for creating a happier, more rational society.
We believe many people have valuable ideas that would work well as an interactive program on our site, and we’re hoping this project will allow us to expand our existing library to provide more benefit to our users. We also want these grants to contribute a little to alleviating the economic challenges people are experiencing as a result of the current pandemic, and provide some meaningful work to do for those stuck at home for the foreseeable future.
As inspiration, here are some topics we’d like to see proposed as interactive programs:
Useful concepts from psychology, social science, rationality, or critical thinking that will make our everyday lives better (and are not currently covered on our site).
Self-improvement techniques that are likely to be helpful to the majority of people (e.g., techniques drawn from ACT Therapy, DBT, Interpersonal Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, CBT, etc.)
Concepts from mathematics, computer science or science more broadly that can be usefully applied to everyday life.
Techniques for improving self-esteem or for increasing self-compassion.
Techniques for better understanding or effectively engaging with one’s own emotions, including how to align one’s emotions with analytic thinking if they diverge from each other.
Techniques for developing and maintaining good relationships with others, including colleagues, friends, family, or romantic partners.
Techniques for increasing productivity and making effective plans.
Techniques for identifying self-limiting beliefs, or false stories we believe about ourselves, and working to change them.
If proposing and designing a program like this sounds exciting to you, please read our application guide and send us a short proposal by the 1st of May! The top ten proposals will receive $50 each, and up to eight of these applicants will be invited to apply for the next stage of micro grants. We can’t wait to hear your ideas!