Calling all problem solvers, mad inventors and crazy scientists!
The Innovation Grant is an opportunity for people like you, people who have great ideas to make our event even better!
Do you think you know how to improve Nowhere? We give out grants to support great projects and new ideas!
The Art Grant funds art projects at Nowhere that bring people together and get them to interact and have fun together.
The Innovation Grant funds practical projects that make Nowhere better / safer / friendlier to the environment or participants in some way.
Example projects might speed-up construction & takedown of Nowhere, provide better lighting, save water or electricity, provide greener power, reduce vehicle use, or find a clever way of reusing rubbish.
Innovation projects don’t necessarily have to be participatory or artistic, they can be ‘behind the scenes’ or purely functional.
2013
- Baking Nowhere: a project to teach people how to make solar ovens
- Evaporative Fridge : a project to teach people how to make water-cooled fridges
2014
- Cycle Aquarium : a project to lend out decorated bikes to get around the playa
- NoNav : a project to create a digital WhatWhereWhen guide that would be accessible onsite via wifi
- NoDirtyHands : a poster campaign to raise awareness about proper handwashing routines
2015
- HotShowers : a project to create a public shower for the freecamping area
- The Plough : A trench digging machine to avoid the need to dig trenches by hand
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell : an experimental project to create and burn hydrogen to create emission-free electricity as an alternative to diesel generators
- NoCharge: a solar charging station where people can charge laptops and phones
2016
- Red Tent: a support space for menstruation on the playa
- Dustybrary : a library space where introverts can go to read in peace and quiet
- Cycle Aquarium : the bike-loan scheme from 2014 brought back to provide bikes for Norg
2017
- Steamtent : a transportable, propane powered steam tent, made to keep volunteers and leads happy and relaxed.
- L’Ojo D’ra : a solar cooker with a water lens, for use by barrios and anyone who wants to, with information available.
- Sunna : a mobile solar power system in the form of a light and audio responsive swing!
2018
- Practical Menstruation Station (PMS) : an accessible toilet in the Malfare complex in order to make it more comfortable for people on their period.
- RadioBarrio : A radio station and program for and about nowhere participants.
2019
- VIPee : Urinals built for vulva-owning participants
2022
- The precious plastic nomad station : using human pedal power to turn trashy plastic into perfect playa carabiners!
Innovation projects must strive to make Nowhere better in some way, by addressing an existing problem, highlighting new ways of doing things, or making things more efficient or friendlier to the environment or the participants. They must benefit the wider Nowhere community and not just a particular person or camp.
They can be:
- Something you have designed or invented yourself.
- A service (such as a bike-loan scheme, or recycling scheme) you wish to create.
- A community support scheme such as the introvert’s library.
- Something someone else has made, that you wish to bring to Nowhere to benefit the community (with that someone else’s acceptance to do so).
If in doubt, email us at innovation@goingnowhere.org and we’ll tell you whether your project is suitable!
The Innovation Team can help you to plan your project: we can look at your budget, requirements, safety, etc. together with you. We can also help you overcome problems by pointing you towards useful resources. Last but not least, we can partially fund your project to make it easier to get it to the playa:
- The maximum grant amount is 750€ or 70% of your project cost, whichever is lower.
- We cannot fund your time, your labour or any personal costs such as your food or personal travel.
Grants are usually paid after the event, on submission of valid receipts. Advance payments can be arranged in exceptional circumstances.
If you are interested in applying for an innovation grant, you can fill out the application form (link coming soon). If you have any questions you can check our FAQ or write to us at innovation@goingnowhere.org.
Deadlines for applications:
- Details to be announced soon.
If you don’t speak English but you’re fine with: French, Spanish, German, Italian or Finnish, you can send us an email in any of these languages at innovation@goingnowhere.org and we’ll help you fill the form.
You can also join the Nowhere/Euroburners Solar Power Facebook group if you are interested in solar projects.
INNOVATION FAQ
We don’t fund projects that are part of a Barrio. The installation can eventually be close to a Barrio but not part of it. There are a multitude of criteria that we need to record and to ponder before picking a location on site for a project (depending also on the power level that it requires and preferences in terms of placement such as quiet area, etc.). We cannot promise that the requests of the creator will be fulfilled, yet we always try our best for it.
The grant is meant to cover 70% of your material purchases and transportation costs, up to 750€. You must present valid proof of expenses in order to get reimbursed. For instance, if you only have a 300 € bill you can get reimbursed 210€. The grant explicitly does not cover labor costs, artist fees, salaries and similar fees. It does not cover the purchase of high-value reusable tools either (e.g. a power auger).
The funds will be released to you after the event, and after we receive by email at innovation@goingnowhere.org valid documents proving your purchases and your banking details (IBAN, name and address of the creatorand of their bank, and the creator’s passport number) together with a small project report about what went well and what went wrong with your project. Please don’t bring the documents at Nowhere because they could be lost or destroyed. We accept as proof of purchase invoices or receipts that have on them at least a description of the item(s), the price and the date of purchase. We normally don’t accept credit card receipts or bank extracts as proof of purchase as they usually don’t have any description of the item.
If you purchased materials within the EU, please ask to put the bill in the name of the event. This allows Nowhere to get reimbursed for the VAT.
We check and approve the receipts, then our accountant transfers the money. This process usually takes around 3-4 weeks after the receipts have been approved and sent to the accountant. You have until mid-October at the latest (the sooner the better) to send the receipts.
The installation needs to be up and ready by the time the event starts and stay up until the event ends. Excessive delays in bringing up the installation, or very early removal of the installation, might cause funding to be reduced (though normally we are flexible with this as long as it is communicated clearly). Adverse weather and other issues outside of your control which prevent the installation to be ready or causes it to break down earlier than the end of the event will not cause any change in funding.
You can enter the event only from Monday afternoon on if you have a normal ticket. If you need time to set up your project you can ask us an early entry pass. We’ll organize with the ticket team to allocate the early entry passes between all projects.
The innovation grant can fund more than one of your projects. Overall, this is fine as long as the person/group submitting for more than one project can give the innovation team credible evidence that they have time/energy/manpower/resources to do all they are setting out to do. Additionally, the projects have to be distinct from one another – so no splitting a single project in two halves so as to get twice the amount of a grant!
The innovation grant does not cover the price of your ticket. Every person entering Nowhere needs to buy a ticket, regardless if they are part of a group setting up an innovation project, or not. So if your team has 10 people, you will need 10 tickets. Tickets are Nowhere’s only way to finance the event – and offer innovation grants – so everyone has to buy a ticket.
The innovation grant does not cover your personal travel costs to and from the event. In some cases, it can cover the transport costs of your installation. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Not applying for a grant but still want to bring an innovation? Please register it! The benefits for you – and us – are many :
- If you have an installation, it will be placed on the official map.
- If you offer a workshop related to your project at a certain time, you will be included in the main performance programme.
- If your project needs power, we can hook up registered projects to our electrical grid.
- If you need tools, registered projects also get access to Kunsthaus, Nowhere’s tool repository for artists (handy if you’ve forgotten your screwdriver, but don’t fancy an 80km trek to get one).
Also, don’t forget to abide by the leave no trace guidelines !
You can check Power FAQ, or email power@goingnowhere.org (and cc innovation@goingnowhere.org) so that both teams know about your specific needs.
You can follow the Nowhere innovation grant Facebook page here.
The innovation team can also put you in contact with other innovators if they think it might be relevant for you or if you want to know more about other innovation projects.
If your project is related to solar energy you can also join the Facebook group Nowhere/Euroburners Solar Power