Oculus VR launches VR for Good programme
Howard Lake | 17 June 2016 | News
Virtual reality company Oculus has announced two projects as part of its VR for Good programme, one of which will give 10 charities or nonprofits the opportunity “to tell their stories through VR” (virtual reality).
Oculus will match 10 rising filmmakers with 10 selected nonprofits. The filmmakers will be invited to a bootcamp at Facebook HQ, at which they will create a 360 film to bring to life a selected nonprofit and its campaign. Winners will receive the necessary resources, including funding, technology, a Nokia OZO camera, post production support, travel budget and one-on-one mentorship with industry veterans.
The first videos will be unveiled at the 2017 Sundance film festival.
Oculus VR is inviting applications from charities and filmmakers
The VR for Good programme is open to nonprofits in the USA, but also to charities in the UK. In addition, it is open to applications from nonprofits in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Canada (excluding Quebec), France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand. To be eligible organisations must have “a valid page on the Facebook platform”.
Applications close today, 17 June 2016.
Clouds Over Sidra
Unicef has used VR for fundraising. Its Clouds Over Sidra by Gabo Arora and Chris Milk focused on the life of a Syrian refugee girl as she explored a refugee camp. The charity has presented the film to major donor events and at some private fundraising sites.
Katherine Crisp, head of strategy and innovation at Unicef UK, said that the charity sees VR as “a tool for raising awareness, encouraging people to donate and increasing advocacy”.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.