This Week at Pick Up The Mic: Celebrating Growth, Community, and Opportunities
Pick Up The Mic Ltd
Where we inspire, learn how to adapt to what life throws at us, and overcome the obstacles of life
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! This is what you can expect from us this week.
Content
We'll be hearing from Obinna Iwuji on The Student Guide, and learning about the importance of being yourself (both in your professional and personal life). Check out our previous episode of The Hustle Chronicles with Enna Uwaifo which discusses the work she is doing at The IE Collective, and how we can ensure we are having the right impact on the planet.
Big changes are happening at Brunel, which will greatly impact on students, staff and the overall university experience. So we spoke with Union Of Brunel Students staff and student representatives, as well as Brunel's UCU Union Chair to learn more. Click here to watch the episode.
Career Opportunities
Have a job you'd like to share? Let us know! For more jobs, feel free to check out Run The Check or If You Could Jobs. Check out our jobs board here to learn about roles you can apply for, including Somerset House and Creative Mentor Network.
Support Available
If you need support, Vivify Therapy offer accessible and culturally aware mental health interventions through online counselling and psychotherapy, digital self-help courses, psychoeducational workshops, and wellness retreats. To learn more, please click here.
Events
Funding Opportunities & Awards
🚀 Impact Shakers Accelerator | a 6-month programme & €150k investment for diverse founding teams in Europe to scale their impact startups. Deadline: Thursday 26th December.
🚀 XR2LEARN Open Call 2 | up to €300k to perform tests, pilot, evaluate & validate the user acceptance of new & developed XR-based applications in real-life settings. Deadline: Friday 27th December.
🚀Pivotal has launched a $250 million global initiative, Action for Women’s Health, to support organisations improving women’s mental and physical health worldwide. Awardees will receive flexible funding between $1 million and $5 million USD. Eligible organisations should focus on women’s health, prioritise equity, and be ready to scale their impact. Applications are open to global organisations, with registration required by 21:00 on Tuesday 3rd December, and final applications due by Friday 10th January 2025, at 21:00. Sign up here.
🚀The deadline for submissions to the Sony Photo Awards 2025 is just around the corner.. the professional competition is free to enter and the selected Photographer of the Year wins $25,000, a solo show at the Awards exhibition at Somerset House, Sony digital imaging equipment, global exposure and more! Send in your best images from 2024 by Friday 10th January 2025 at 13:00.
🚀Solve for Tomorrow is a tech-for-good competition open to all young people aged 16-25 across the UK and Ireland. It is a free initiative that is designed to empower young people, regardless of their background, to create tech-for-good solutions that benefit society by addressing real-world issues. To learn more or apply, click here. The deadline is Sunday 12th January 2025.
🚀Braze x BET+ | Tech for an Equitable Future Grant Programme (Cohort 5) - 12 months of free access to Braze’s customer engagement platform, plus mentorship and support. Deadline: Friday 17th January 2025. Apply here.
🚀 Remarkable Launcher | 8-week part-time program for founders new to the startup ecosystem or that want to innovate in disability, aging or health tech. Deadline: Tuesday 21st January 2025.
🚀 Nestlé RnD Accelerator: Womens' Health Challenge | a programme for innovative nutrition-based solutions that support women with their physical, mental health and well-being. Deadline: Friday 31st January 2025.
🚀 TheWMarketplace | From Local to Global - 6-week workshop series on exporting for California-based women entrepreneurs, launching Monday 3rd February 2025. Learn more here.
🚀 Shopify has a blog detailing grants available to small business.
🚀 Looking for advice from grant winners? Considered Capital held an event bringing together three purposeful organisations who have successfully secured millions in grants to fuel their businesses. Click the link to watch the recording.
🚀 SOLVE MIT Truist Foundation Inspire Awards | up to $250k for US-based non-profits who reskill/upskill adults in the middle-late stages of their careers
🚀RURACTIVE Open Call | up to €90k for SMEs transforming rural Europe with innovations in sustainable food systems, culture, tourism, mobility, health & wellbeing
🚀Robert Bosch Stiftung: Building Power for Economic Justice | up to €400k available globally for orgs & coalitions that tackle structural economic injustices
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🚀EIC Accelerator - The EIC Accelerator is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to start-ups and SMEs that:
🚀Women’s Enterprise Growth Programme 2025 - An exciting programme designed specifically for women and non-binary people aged 18-35 living or working in London and Liverpool. You’ll develop the skills, strengths and networks required to grow purpose-led enterprises and in turn create new jobs for underserved communities. Programme dates - March and December 2025.
🚀The Youth Endowment Fund’s Open Call funding round invites proposals from delivery organisations that work to reduce young people’s involvement in violence and are ready for rigorous evaluation. To learn more or apply, click here.
🚀 Founder’s First CDC | Southern California Job Creator’s Grant - $50,000 for Latino, Black, Asian, Women, LGBTQ+, and Veteran-led businesses. Applications are open. Check here for more information.
🚀The UK 2025 Black Tech Achievement (BTA) Awards will return to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House on Friday 21st March 2025, highlighting achievements from all those working within the tech sector, from rising stars to experienced innovators and progressive corporations. Nominations are currently open, to learn more & apply click here.
🚀California GO-Biz x U.S. SBA | STEP Grant - Up to $10,000 reimbursement for export activities, open to US-incorporated small businesses. Apply here.
🚀 Access Grants Unlocked: A Guide to Successful Non-Dilutive Funding for Black Founders. Explore here.
🚀Grow London Local is the one place to get free access to all the support you need to help start and grow your business. Explore their online library for events, support programmes and expert-led content designed to help you achieve your business goals – and receive personalised recommendations via their Business Success Check. Click here to learn more.
🚀The 2025 Hult Prize programme cycle has officially kicked off! Each year, Hult Prize empowers students around the world to create innovative startups that create real impact. s join an exclusive global community of student entrepreneurs, mentors, and industry experts as they work to earn a spot in our Global Finals where finalists compete for $1M in funding to bring their big ideas to life. To learn more and apply, please click here. There is no deadline listed, but it is recommended you apply as soon as possible.
🚀East End Community Foundation x SWEF Enterprise Fund is available for voluntary and community sector organisations across the East End (specifically the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham and City Of London). Organisations can receive up to £2,000 as a grant to support their work. To learn more, please click here.
🚀Impact Shakers have teamed up with Startup Guide for a pitching competition in ClimateTech & InclusionTech! We are selecting the best Global ClimateTech & InclusionTech Startups with diverse founding teams to come pitch and win investment at the Startup Guide Summit. To apply and learn more about this, please click here.
🚀EIC Women Innovators Category | access 3 prizes of €100k, €70k and €50k for women entrepreneurs building ground-breaking innovations in Europe. Find out more here.
🚀School for Social Entrepreneurs have numerous courses (e.g., Writing a Successful Funding Application) that can support you and your business. If you are interested in signing up, please click here.
🚀Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism | up to $8k to fund advocacy work, and/or efforts to raise awareness, influence policy, and change public discourse for women, trans, & non-binary people. Learn more here.
🚀The Paul Hamlyn Foundation offers different funding applications for businesses, individuals and teams. To review them, please click here.
🚀 Unlock the potential of TikTok for your business with TikTok Takeoff and stand a chance to win £1,000! Want to boost your presence on TikTok? Join Enterprise Nation's free, three-part email course and learn how to maximize TikTok for your business. Sign up during August, and you'll automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a £1,000 grant. To learn more and enroll, please click here.
🚀Black Business Network have a support hub on their website that has resources that can support on access to finances, events and awards, networks you can join and more. To search for specific support, click here.
🚀Apply for the Pitch 2024! They help founders raise investment with free advice, investor introductions, mentoring and opportunities to pitch at events across the UK. To learn more click here.
🚀The Wellcome Trust runs recurring Discovery Research awards three times a year. These are for researchers at different career stages across all disciplines as long as the research has the potential to improve life, health and wellbeing. To learn more about these awards, click here, and you can apply here.
🚀Verizon | Small Business Digital Ready Grant: $10,000 in grant funding for small businesses. Apply Here.
🚀Create Equity's mission is to ensure racially equitable investment in the arts, social enterprise, and commercial industries. They design and implement projects and conduct research to address market failures in grant funding, impact capital, and venture capital. For funding opportunities, click here to learn more.
🚀Women TechEU | €75k in non-dilutive funding for women leading deep tech startups in Europe. Learn more.
🚀Social Impact Award | For young innovators (14-30) from Europe, Central Asia & Africa to transform impactful ideas into viable social enterprises. Learn more.
🚀Unlock Your Funding Potential: Access over 30 lessons to boost your grant acquisition skills, strategies for non-dilutive funding, insider funding tips, detailed proposal guidance, and our exclusive Resource and Grant Library. Access them here.