Facebook’s Community Accelerator Program launches in Malaysia

• Eight-month programme provides training, mentorship, fund to extend community impact
• Community will receive US$50K funding, some eligible to part of US$1mil additional funds

FACEBOOK has announced their 2021 Community Accelerator Program in Malaysia, an initiative focused on “helping leaders harness the power of their community to turn ideas into action.”

In a statement, the company said the eight-month program will provide participants training, mentorship and funds to invest in an initiative that extends their (Facebook) community’s positive impact.  

Through the program, each community will receive up to US$50,000 to help fund work that advances the community’s goals. A subset of communities will be eligible to receive part of US$1 million in additional funding.

This program is open to communities that have a presence in Facebook Groups with leaders who are 18 years of age or older and reside in the following countries: Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, United States, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco and India.

Communities must have existed for over one year and must have a minimum size of 1,000 members.

Selected community leaders will spend five months learning from experts, coaches and a customised curriculum so they can organise and strengthen their community to work better together, Facebook said.

Lessons include community identity foundations, leading action-oriented communities and sustainability. Participants will also receive early access to new Facebook products aimed at helping communities better manage and activate their members, it added.

After that, participants will identify an important initiative that will create a positive impact on the broader world and develop a plan to mobilise their community around their goal.

Initiatives will be shared with an audience of potential partners, mentors and a panel of judges for the chance to be awarded additional funding and receive public recognition.

Participants will then spend three months executing their initiatives. They will collaborate with advocates and leaders in the community space and work with the Facebook team to bring their ideas to life.

“Online communities have been around since the beginning of the Internet, but we’ve seen them grow tremendously in the last year, as a result of Covid-19. There are now more than 70 million administrators and moderators running active Facebook Groups,” said Grace Clapham, director, Asia Pacific community partnerships and programmes at Facebook.

Clapham said it is everyday people who start and run these groups as a labour of love, with no training or support.

“Through the Community Accelerator program, we have helped community leaders from around the world and in Malaysia, to build, grow and scale their communities. We look forward to discovering the next cohort of community leaders in Asia, and help them to unlock their full potential and create meaningful impact.”

The application will be open from May 4 - 31, 2021. Applications can be made here.