About
The Observation & Action Network (OAN) is an emerging network of like-minded young leaders throughout the world. Building upon the momentum seen with youth activists such as Greta Thunberg, Ridhima Pandey, Licypriya Kangujam, Isra Hirsi, Autumn Peltier, Bruno Rodriguez, Helena Gualinga, and Mari Copeny, the OAN aims to cultivate urgently needed new urban leaders. The OAN seeks and supports diverse young leaders’ implementable ideas for a better future in the places they care about. The world’s youth are empowered through their observational skills to discover, connect, and take action in their communities. The OAN invites and encourages bold, creative responses to what is seen and unseen.
OAN Grants Program, India
OBSERVATION & ACTION NETWORK (OAN) Grants Program is a collaboration with the Center for the Living City, the Urban Design Collective and NASA India that invites students who are extremely passionate about transforming their cities/towns for a better tomorrow. This program utilizes skill-sets and tools that both inform action and support students’ developing voices. The OAN strives to create a network where students can involve themselves directly with identifying and solving real urban challenges with people in their neighborhoods while also connecting with other creative leaders throughout the world. The Grants Program is an inaugural part of the OAN. The Grants Program, initiated in 2020, received 42 project ideas from across India, and awarded three OAN Grants Fellowships. In 2021, the Grants Program received 150 project ideas from across India.
2021 - 2nd OAN Grants program
Launched July 1, 2021, the second OAN grants program selected five winning projects in November 2021 for OAN Grants Fellowships. Each of the winning individuals or teams will be awarded up to ₹ 1,25,000 per proposal to implement and realize their project ideas, ₹ 10,000 per proposal as mentor fees and ₹ 15,000 per proposal as Prize money on successful completion of the fellowship. This is a multi-year fellowship project to create opportunities for deep community engagement and community-owned projects. These projects will be completed by June 2023.
We are grateful for the support and financial commitment made by Asia Initiatives and Public Landscape + Urbanism Studio (PLUS) towards this 2021 OAN Grants Cycle.
Visit NASA India through the button above for further information on the grants program.
2021 OAN GRANTS PROGRAM JURY PANEL
oan grants program founding partners
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR THE LIVING CITY
Launched by a group of activists, practitioners, and academics in 2005, the Center for the Living City holds the singular distinction of being the only urbanist organization founded in collaboration with Jane Jacobs. In the years since its founding, the Center has become a leading global urbanist organization. Advancing social, environmental and economic justice forms the core of its purpose. The Center works to invite all perspectives, particularly those of the marginalized, to participate in the creation of solutions that are empathic, responsive, and community-based.
ABOUT URBAN DESIGN COLLECTIVE
A collaborative platform for architects, urban designers and planners to create liveable cities through participatory planning. UDC was founded in 2011 as a platform to mobilize those who want to change the way our cities are built. By providing an open platform for young design professionals, who otherwise as individuals are excluded in the city building process, to create and disseminate content, we give them a chance to voice themselves as change-makers for better cities. As a result, UDC has come to be a global community of architects, designers, engineers, artists, writers, photographers and many others who are passionate about cities.
ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STUDENTS OF ARCHITECTURE (NASA India)
Headquartered at School of Planning and Architecture, NASA India is one of the largest Architectural Student Organizations in the world with student participants from more than two hundred colleges all over India and countries around the world. The main objective of NASA India is to create a platform for architecture students to learn and interact, engage them directly and indirectly through both online and offline platforms. NASA India conducts events, conventions, seminars, workshops, design competitions & trophies and many other activities.
2021 funding PARTNERs
ABOUT ASIA INITIATIVES
The mission of Asia Initiatives (AI) is to leverage the power of social capital to improve neighborhoods, healthcare, education and livelihoods for under-served communities, striving to bring positive change in the quality of life of people. With a particular focus on women, girls and their families, their initiatives utilize transformative methodologies and technologies to empower people to realize their full potential, and become key stakeholders of their own success.
ABOUT NARAYANAN FAMILY FOUNDATION/ PLUS
The Narayanan Family Foundation's goal is to improve lives through investments in education, culture, and the environment. The foundation provides seed funding to several social impact projects.
Public Landscape and Urbanism Studio (PLUS) and The Narayanan Family Foundation have a joint initiative to focus on making our shared spaces ecological, equitable, and livable.
PLUS hopes to create a platform for landscape architects, allied professions, nonprofits, public agencies, and communities to address urgent challenges in India's built environment due to rapid urbanization, climate change and rising sea levels, and increasing social inequity.