Dear Arrigo: I am interested in the topic you present, with respect to finding funding for grassroots endeavors, and I see your question has also generated a good deal of response. I did a bit of internet searching a while back trying to assist a friend in South Africa who was starting an NGO for rural women's rights. I have also become aware of sustainable projects in Africa that are in dire need of funding, through participation in an international biotechnologist organization,
You discuss many possibilities. I think it is necessary to define which possibility you are talking about for each project. Some foundations will fund non-profits, but not individuals; I found one recently that specifically only wanted to fund entrepreneurs, not non-profits. Some want to fund only those in the start-up phase, trying to obtain non-profit or NGO status. The specifics of the group and the issues they are addressing are key to matching with an appropriate donor. In the U.S., unless the foundation is funding start-up organizations, a foreign NGO should benefit by finding a non-profit 501(c)3 to act as a go-between, at least if the donor wants to be able to claim a tax exemption for the charitable contribution. Being able to write off a contribution as a tax exemption is pretty important if the person is making a large donation. They can approach non-profits with similar goals, and I think the non-profit might take a percentage to act as a go-between, but that is understandable. All of the above relates to the existing status quo. That being said, I am also interested in trying to create alternative funding channels so donors can directly fund sustainable projects from the bottom-up, instead of traditional top-down projects. Currently, people in need of funding need to do quite a bit of sleuthing to find funding sources. Can we create an alternative? I am imagining a website which showcases a diversity of projects through photos and brief descriptions (women's rights, sustainable water purification, permaculture, medicinal gardens, etc.) so that individuals who want to donate can get an overview of a diversity of sustainable projects around the world and choose specific projects they would like to donate directly to, without the mediation of individual foundations. I think this would serve the dual purpose of offering a new vision of a sustainable world, while helping donors feel more personally connected and involved with projects to which they are donating financial support. I appreciate the thoughts and feedback of others in the group. Best regards, Gena Fleming Traditional Chinese Medicine Website: http://www.plantbyplant.com On Tuesday, June 14, 2005, Arrigo della Gherardesca asked: > How can a small entity (say in rural India or Africa) - it could be a > women's cooperative, a small local NGO, or even an existing company or a > single entrepreneur (but the same could hold for a Local Government) - > if they have a viable project (both economically and socially), tap the > rich countries donor and grant opportunities (Foundations, Corporate > donors, etc.)? > > Would they have to go through a credible, well established international > NGO? And in the absence of one, what could they do? ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
