Educate and engage.
Apply for a 2020 campus grant
Grant applications are now being accepted for 1 for All’s fall 2020 campus-outreach program
- News release
- Also see 1 for All PR campaign grants
1 for All is the nation’s longest-running program building public awareness of the amendment that keeps us free – the First Amendment. It’s a nonpartisan and nonprofit campaign to boost understanding of our freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion and petition – on college campuses, in high schools and across the country.
1 for All was founded in 2007 by then-USA Today Editor Ken Paulson, now director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University College of Media and Entertainment and a First Amendment scholar. Founding partners include journalists, educators, First Amendment lawyers, librarians and artists, with the aim of educating the public on the vital importance of First Amendment freedoms.
Among the 1 for All campaign’s most notable work:
- Free to Tweet, a social-media competition in 2012 in which over 17,000 students tweeted their support for First Amendment freedoms.
- Picture Freedom, a nationwide scholarship contest in 2015. Students shared artwork on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook illustrating freedom of expression.
- Dozens of First Amendment festivals at colleges, universities and high schools.
- A celebrity ad campaign in 2010 featuring Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Paisley, John Mellencamp, Blake Shelton and Kesha.
Grants from 1 for All
Holding a 1 for All event is the best way to celebrate your school’s commitment to free speech, freedom of thought, and academic freedom. 1 for All will pay up to $5,000 of a campus's expenses for a program or event.
- We’re inviting proposals for both large- and small-scale events exploring First Amendment freedoms on college and university campuses.
- Think campus-wide. Think exciting, inspirational, thought-provoking. Think fun.
What to keep in mind
- Be creative. Hold a high-impact First Amendment Day or First Amendment Week featuring a number of events – music, speakers, panels, readings, competitions ... maybe a First Amendment scavenger hunt designed by students.
- Think large. 1 for All First Amendment explorations and celebrations should be designed to involve as many students as possible. That means lots of promotion, including by faculty.
- Play to your school’s strengths. Great music program? Incorporate musical features with First Amendment themes. Superb law school or history or political science department? Enlist your school’s best thinkers and liveliest speakers on First Amendment issues.
- Involve as many academic departments as possible. The First Amendment crosses all academic lines.
- Note: Grant funds can't be used to pay for space or building rentals.
Or, as an alternative ... bring 'Shut Up and Dance' to your campus!
Campuses might wish – instead of or as part of a First Amendment event – to host a performance of “Shut Up and Dance.” It's a new program of 1 for All that will engage your students on free speech, civility, diversity and democracy, and it's now available for campus bookings. A thoroughly entertaining and engaging concert with multimedia and narration, the show tells the story of America’s social struggles and progress through pop, rock, gospel, soul, country and hip-hop music. See details.
How to apply for a campus grant
To submit a 1 for All proposal, please do the following:
Explain the nature of your event idea, and how it will enhance visibility and understanding of the First Amendment and its freedoms.- List the departments that will be involved.
- Tell how you will ensure student participation.
- Provide a preliminary budget showing anticipated expenses. (Note: Speaker honoraria may be paid, but should be a small part of the budget.)
Submit your proposed plan via email to 1forall@mtsu.edu: Brian Buchanan, 1 for All coordinator.
1 for All is a project of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. For more information, see About 1 for All.
