Filipino Young Leaders Program receives $25,000 innovation grant for Caretaker Project

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

The FYLPRO COVID-19 Task Force is looking to identify other opportunities for collaboration both in the United States and the Philippines. For additional questions, interested parties may email [email protected]. (Photo from file)

QUEZON CITY, Sept. 21 (PIA) — Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), a group of young professionals based in Washington, D.C., received a $25,000 innovation grant from a US-based Booz Allen Foundation for their Caretaker Project proposal, which will bridge service and information gaps among Filipinos in the US and the Philippines.

“This grant is absolutely huge for FYLPRO and the Fil-Am communities we serve, which is a population prone to service gaps and misinformation. Our COVID-19 Task Force envisioned this project as a way to help fill those gaps and address the unique needs of our communities as we all weather this pandemic together,” said FYLPRO President Joshua Ang Price.

FYLPRO proposed a virtual help desk to connect Filipinos with vital, culturally relevant services such as wellness resources and legal assistance; debunk misinformation and warn against fraud and scams; and improve collection of data to better serve the community.

“This project aims to fill gaps in services for the most vulnerable social groups — seniors, frontline workers, and the unemployed. The anticipated rollout will take place in October 2020 through a proprietary web-based platform, Tayo, with initial focus in the Los Angeles area,” FYLPRO explained in a press statement.

The Booz Allen Foundation is an independent organization that “serves as a convener of diverse stakeholders from the private, public, academic, and social sectors to solve challenging social issues through innovation and technology and build community resilience from the ground up.”

Out of nearly 3,000 submitted applications across the US, 21 entries — including FYLPRO — were selected to receive funding to develop new solutions, systems, technology, and approaches that help build lasting community resilience by protecting vulnerable populations and frontline workers or support the safe return to work.

The FYLPRO COVID-19 Task Force is looking to identify other opportunities for collaboration both in the United States and the Philippines. For additional questions, interested parties may email [email protected].

FYLPRO was established in 2012 by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC in cooperation with the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI). (MTQ/PIA-IDPD with additional information from FYLPRO)