Unity Technologies offers grants, mentorships, and technical support for real-time 3D (RT3D) content creators hoping to make a social impact on the world.
At the 2021 Unity for Humanity Summit, Paisley Smith, Senior Program Manager at Unity for Humanity, outlined three steps to help extended reality (XR) creatives file successful applications.
At the Summit, the US technology firm awarded up to $500,000 USD to winning XR pitches and partnered with Hip-Hop Artist and Activist Common, who will provide a Special Imagine Grant to an RT3D project representing the contest’s ‘Imagine a Better World’ theme.
She told audiences,
“It’s an opportunity for changemakers and creators to apply for the opportunity to get technical mentorship and financial support from Unity”
Applications to Unity’s funding opportunity will remain open from October 11 until December 3.
Steps to a Successful Application
Smith described three simple steps to file a successful application for this year’s grant cycle.
Firstly, she said passion was key and that “grant reviewers want to know why you’re making this work and what is so exciting about the thing that you’re making.” Applicants should also explain to judges why a RT3D project was created and how it aims to solve “an issue in the real world.”
She continued, adding,
“We want to know exactly what motivates you to make this work, why are you passionate about the social impact topic”
Smith’s second tip was “a little less exciting, but very important,” but advised potential applicants to duplicate all of the answers required for a successful application.
Applicants can download the questions and draft an application form in before submitting and Unity is using ‘Typeform’ to automatically save applications on a user’s browser.
Finally, Smith said applicants should “read the instructions and know what grant you’re applying for” to define the submission genre, impact areas, and which United Nation Sustainable Development Goals had been reached in the pitch.
