Back to Programs

Protostars

Funding your wild passion projects...
Australia / New Zealand
APPLY FOR SEASON 7

About Protostars

We're giving young people $1k for their passion projects! We're looking for the wildest hearts with the wildest ideas and projects. In the past, we've funded diverse projects that include: a community garden, a metaverse art exhibition, art curation apps, a travelling STEM roadshow, a sustainable go-kart build, haptic feedback VR gloves, battle bot builds, a queer comedy show, an underground arts zine and more!

The Program
Protostars is a microgrant program where we give you $1k to work on your passion projects. But it's more than just a grant; Protostars is also a community.
When you become a Protostar, you will join a cohort of other next-gen worldbuilders, creatives, visionaries and innovators. Over the course of 8 weeks, you'll breathe life into your passion projects, come to weekly catchups, share your progress, learn from one another, and build lifelong relationships. At the end of the program, we celebrate our passion projects in an end-of-cohort virtual showcase!
That's not all, though; once you're a Protostar, you'll get ongoing access to exclusive funding and networking opportunities.

Eligibility
> You are aged 15-25 (U18's must have permission from a parent or guardian)
> You are based in Australia or New Zealand
> You have a passion project

What our alumni think about Protostars
"I'm so glad to have this group to belong to and share our successes and not-so-successful moments too. I love reading about all your wonderful projects and my heart is so full knowing the beautiful and marvellous [stuff] everyone is getting up to! So freaking inspiring!"
"The best thing about Protostars is meeting a group of young people with similar crazy ambitions and seeing everyone's projects come to life!"
"I've never found quite a community that inspires me so much and pushes me to do my best. My two passions have never been more united and flared up as they have recently due to working on my project so much. Thank you for that!"

Testimonials

Testimonials

No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Previous
Next

FAQ

Who can enter?

The grants are available to young people aged between 15-25 based in New Zealand or Australia with a creative project in mind.

What sorts of projects have you funded in the past?

All sorts! Artists, activists, scientists, poets, theatre makers, toy designers, engineers. You can check out the projects we have funded from Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Are there any other conditions?

If you get awarded the grant, you agree to share at least three progress updates at a minimum with Blackbird. You will be expected to participate in the program, but how much time you commit is up to you.

When do applications open? When do they close?

Applications for Protostars Season 6 will open on Wednesday 29 May at 5:00 PM AEST, and close at 11:59 PM AEST on Sunday 30 June.

What is the application process?

The application process has one round, and it consists of a video and written application.

In the written application, we ask you to tell us about yourself, your interests, and your skills. Here, we are looking for young people who embody the values that we look for in potential Protostars: Curiosity, Generosity and Kindness, and Ambition.

In your video, we ask you to pitch your passion project to us. You should tell us what your passion project is, why it's important, why you're so passionate about it, and how the $1k grant will unlock your ability to bring it to reality.

Once we've received all applications, our judging panel of 7 judges will review and score all candidates. The top 30 scoring projects will receive a grant.

How long does the cohort go for and what's involved?

The cohort goes for 8 weeks.

It’s designed to be fairly light but with enough content to help us build community, and complete our projects. Typically we will meet once a week via Zoom and share project updates weekly via our group chat.

The more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it, but we also understand life is busy, and everyone will be able to participate in whatever way suits them. We understand that this is a side project and that you have other priorities in life.

Protostars is not a highly structured learning program. While we do offer learning content and modules, the program is not built around this. At Protostars, we focus on relationships and building confidence through community and creativity. Homework and learning tasks completed outside of our weekly catchups aren't our vibe.not is a highly structured learning program. While we do offer learning content and modules, the program is not built around this. At Protostars we focus on relationships and building confidence through community and creativity. Homework and learning tasks completed outside of our weekly catchups aren't our vibe.

What kinds of projects can be submitted?

You can apply with any type of project; we are particularly interested in supporting projects that are unique, personally meaningful, and can reach a defined milestone in the next 3-6 months.

Apply Now

Season 6 Applications open on Friday 12 January, 2024!
Apply