OJ Gives 2027: cohort applications are open

Applications for the 2027 OJ Gives cohort are open now. Every year our program designs and builds free websites for a small cohort of Tampa Bay nonprofits, this round closes November 1, 2026, and the selected sites launch in 2027.

These are real builds, the same quality we ship to paying clients, at no cost to organizations doing work that matters here.

What is OJ Gives?

OJ Gives is OJ Amplify’s annual pro bono web program. Every year we pick a small cohort of Tampa Bay nonprofits and build each one a complete website at no cost, using the same process we run for commercial web design and development clients across the country. The 2027 cohort application window is open now and closes November 1, 2026.

We started the program for a simple reason. The organizations doing the hardest work in Tampa Bay are often the ones with the least budget for their website, and a weak website costs them donors, volunteers, and grant credibility every month it stays up. We can fix that for a few of them each year without charging for it.

Small is the point. A small cohort means every selected organization gets a full custom build and the attention that comes with it. We would rather do a handful of sites properly than run a high-volume template mill.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any nonprofit based in or primarily serving the Tampa Bay area can apply, regardless of size or budget. A clear mission and a real case that a better website would change something for your organization is enough. No existing site, brand guide, or technical staff required.

Past selections have favored organizations where the website is genuinely the bottleneck. The mission is strong, the community impact is visible, and the digital front door is holding it all back. If your current site makes donors hesitate, buries your programs three clicks deep, or breaks on phones, you are exactly who this program is for.

A few things that do not affect eligibility: how old your organization is, whether you have applied before, and whether you already work with another agency or a volunteer webmaster. We also do not require a minimum staff size. Two-person operations are welcome.

How does the application and selection process work?

The process runs in four stages: apply by November 1, 2026, selection review, a kickoff and build phase, and launch in 2027. From your side, the application is short. From ours, each build gets the same strategy-first treatment as a paid engagement.

Here is each stage in more detail.

1. Apply. Reach us through the contact page with “OJ Gives” in your message before November 1, 2026. Tell us about your mission, your current site if you have one, and what a better one would change for your organization. No forms to notarize, no pitch deck required.
2. Selection. After applications close, we review every submission and pick the cohort. We look at mission fit, how much a new site would actually move for the organization, and whether we can realistically serve the build well in the coming year. We reply to every application, selected or not.
3. Build. Selected organizations get a kickoff call, then we design and develop the site the way we do commercial work: strategy first, content structured around what donors and volunteers actually look for, accessible by default, and easy for your team to update without calling a developer. Accessibility gets the same weight it gets in our paid accessibility work, because nonprofit audiences include the people most often excluded by inaccessible sites.
4. Launch in 2027. Builds go live across 2027, scheduled with each organization. You own everything. The site, the accounts, the content. If we never talk again, it all keeps working.

What does a selected nonprofit actually get?

A complete website, built and launched, with full ownership transferred to your organization. That includes strategy and content structure, custom design, development, accessibility baked in from the start, and a handoff so your team can make updates on your own.

To be specific about what “complete” means here:

• Strategy before pixels. We start with what the site needs to do: drive donations, recruit volunteers, prove credibility to grantmakers, or all three. The structure follows from that.
• A design that fits your organization, built from your mission and materials rather than a theme we recycle across the cohort.
• Accessibility by default. Your site should work for screen reader users, keyboard-only visitors, and people on old phones with weak signals.
• A CMS your team can run. Updating an event or swapping a photo should take minutes, no developer required.
• Ownership and handoff. Domain, hosting accounts, content, all of it in your name, with a walkthrough so your team knows where everything lives.

What it does not include: ongoing marketing retainers, paid ads management, or indefinite free support. If you want ongoing help later, our nonprofit pricing covers that.

What makes a strong application?

Specificity. The applications that stand out tell us plainly what is broken and what a better site would change: “our donation page loses people on mobile” beats “we want a fresh look.” Skip the polish. Give us a clear picture of the problem.

Three things worth including:

• What your organization does and who it serves, in your own words
• The state of your current site, honestly, including what frustrates your team about it
• What you would point to a year after launch as proof the new site mattered

If you are not sure a website is your real bottleneck, that is a fine thing to say in the application too. Part of our review is telling organizations, honestly, what would help most.

What happens if you are not selected?

You still hear from us. We reply to every application, and when we can, we point organizations toward something useful: a fix they can make themselves, a resource, or a right-sized path forward. Our nonprofit pricing exists for exactly this reason, and our work with nonprofits does not begin and end with the free cohort.

You can also reapply in a future cycle; applications often get sharper the second time. If you want a head start on what good looks like, we wrote about how nonprofits get good websites without burning their budget.

Questions we get about OJ Gives

Does the program cost anything at all? No. Selected organizations pay nothing for strategy, design, or development. The only costs that remain yours are the ones you would have anyway, like domain registration and hosting, which stay in your name and are typically small.

Can we apply if we already have a website? Yes. An existing site that underperforms is often the clearest evidence that a rebuild would matter.

When will we hear back? Applications close November 1, 2026, and we respond to every applicant after the review that follows. Selected organizations are scheduled into the 2027 build calendar from there.

Do you keep any control of the site after launch? No. You own the site, the accounts, and the content outright. Ongoing help is available if you want it, but nothing about the program locks you in.

Ready to apply? Send us a message through the contact page with “OJ Gives” in it before November 1, 2026, or read more about how we work with nonprofits on the nonprofits page.