Both ENDS Donor Newsletter # 2-2003

The information in this donornews-series is based on data from the Both ENDS database of donor- and organisation profiles. Maintenance of this database is part of  the ongoing services of Both ENDS to environmental organisations in the South and in the countries of Central and East Europe and those of the former Soviet Union.

This donornews is the second in a new series of three issues regarding funding opportunities in the field of development and environment. This issue concentrates on funding possibilities for capacity building and institutional strengthening in the field of sustainable development and social justice issues. 

This series of publications is made possible by a grant of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM). 

INDEX

Africa70

Asian Community Trust

Care Austria

Center for the Support of Native Lands

CESVI

Christensen Fund

CISP

Development Workshop Austria

Eco Himal

First Peoples Worldwide

HEKS

Institute for Cooperation in Development Projects

Institute for Sustainable Communities

Kerkinactie

LACA Foundation

Mission East

Norwegian Human Rights Fund

Self Help Development International

Tinker Foundation

Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program

Weltfriedensdienst

World Neighbors

Africa70

Background:

Africa70 (full name Movimento Africa '70) was founded in 1971 as civil and cultural movement in support of the independence wars fought in many Africa countries and colonies but it soon changed into an NGO that concentrates on development cooperation.  

Activities:

Africa70 realises development projects especially concerning rural and urban rehabilitation, and institutional support in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. 

Project example(s):

Project for the improvementof the living standard for all inhabitants of the Cape Verdian Sal and Maio islands, with interventions of institutional support and promotion of productive activities in a disadvantageous social context. Important interventions are: improvement of management in both municipalities, especially for management of social and territorial transformations.

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Other themes:

Agricultural issues, artisan fisheries, food security, micro-credits, conservation and natural resources management, education, drinking water and sanitation etc.

Other activities: Emergency and humanitarian aid to refugees.

Geographical concentration: 

Africa: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Mauretania, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia

Asia: Thailand, Vietnam

Middle East & Northern Africa: Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen

Central America: Mexico, Nicaragua

Balkan region: Kosovo

(information collected 08/2003)

Asian Community Trust

Background:

Established in 1979 as Japan's first charitable trust based on general fund-raising, ACT has since been committed to financially supporting the grass-roots self-help efforts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in sustainable social and economic development across Asia.

Activities:

ACT supports grass-roots efforts to develop self-reliant communities, which are essential in creating a viable development framework. ACT works with local NGOs because they are sensitive to changes in their social environments, responsive to local needs, trusted by the community, and have special technical skills. In partnership with these NGOs, ACT aims to promote sustainable development a.o. through institutional development of the local partners.

Project example(s):

Yayasan Masyarakat Sejahtera Indonesia Project to develop an agroforestry system which increases farmers' income by grass-roots capacity building, increase farmers' environmental awareness, develop multipurpose crops, and provide agroforestry and husbandry training to create an agricultural system using appropriate technology adapted from local indigenous knowledge.

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Other themes:

Agricultural training and education, agro-forestry, rural development and appropiate technology, income generating activities, environmental conservation, education and youth development, health care, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities: Monitoring, training and workshops.

Geographical concentration: 

Asia: Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

Grant information: Project budget 2000: Euro 54.000

(information collected 08/2003)

CARE Austria

Background:

CARE International is a confederation of 10 agencies that delivers relief assistance to people in need and long-term solutions to global poverty. Because of CARE’s international structure, agencies such as the United Nations contribute to CARE’s project funding. CARE Austria is since 1986 a member of CARE International.

Activities:

CARE Austria realises its own projects (priorities: humanitarian and structural aid for the CEE-countries; planning, implementation and supporting long-term agroforestry and small-scale businessprojects in Africa south of the Sahara), sends out qualified personel and supports the world-wide activities of CARE International.

Project example(s):

Mount Isarog National Park project, Philippines. A five year sustainable management project aiming at preservation of the rich biodiversity of the park. Together with a large amount of local and international partners. Environmental education and sustainable agricultural and agroforestry techniques. Microcredit project.

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Other themes:

Agricultural training and education, permaculture, micro-credits and micro business development, conservation of biodiversity, agroforestry, land rights,c education, indigenous people, women and youth, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities: Emergency and humanitarian aid; personel.

Geographical concentration: 

Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, wanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe     

Asia: East Timor, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines

Central America: Guatemala, Nicaragua

Central & Eastern Europe incl. Balkans: Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Russia

(information collected 08/2003)

Background: 

Native Lands, through a program of research, training, and the facilitation of conferences, workshops, and exchanges, works to create the conditions whereby indigenous peoples in Latin American can more fully protect and manage their traditional territories and its natural resources.  

Activities: 

Through a combined program of applied research, training, and the facilitation of conferences, workshops, and technical exchanges, the Center seeks to: strengthen the capacity of indigenous peoples to organize themselves to protect their lands, sustainably manage and conserve their natural resources, and strengthen their cultures; encourage communication and collaboration between indigenous peoples, governments, and NGOs for the co-management of the region's natural areas and the preservation of indigenous cultures; link indigenous peoples with  technical, legal, and financial resources; and assist in the creation of policies that foster self-determination among indigenous peoples.

Project example(s): 

Participatory Mapping with the Tirio of Suriname, the Kuna of Kuna Yala, Panama and Q’eqchi’ Mapping in Livingston, Guatemala.

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Other themes: 

Mapping and land rights, biodiversity and habitat protection, cultural issues.

Other activities: 

Facilitation of workshops, conferences, and meetings; policy development; technical assistance.

Geographic concentration:

Central and South America: Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, onduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Surinam

Grant information: 

Budget for Program Services in 2000: US$ 470,000

(information checked 05/2003)

Background: 

CESVI (Cooperazione e Sviluppo = Cooperation and Development), established in 1985, is a secular, independent association, working for global solidarity. CESVI undertakes cooperation programs and projects for the development of underprivileged social groups and poor communities.  

Activities: 

CESVI has instigated development projects in areas that are particularly delicate from the environmental point of view. It has supported initiatives concerning the management of natural resources. Environmental projects often involve various measures depending on the case at hand and are dependent and articulated through the following actions: research activities, environmental management activities, training activities (to develop human resources and reinforce local institutions that can be charged with sustainable management of natural resources, and to raise awareness and involve various local social actors in environmental problems), small-scale economic development, and development of infrastructure..

Project example(s): 

In Thailand CESVI has rebuilt the economy of the fishing villages of the Malay minority, protecting the coastal strip that goes from the coral reef to the mangrove forest. Other non-destructive fishing projects have been implemented in the "inner delta" of the Mekong in Laos, home of the fresh-water dolphin.

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Other themes: 

Agricultural training and education, rural infrastructure, food sovereignty, income generating activities, natuaral resources management, ecological restoration, environmental education, cultural issues, health care, housing and urban infrastructure, drinking water and sanitation, coastal protection.

Other activities:

Emergency aid, rehabilitation and reconstruction, children's projects.

Geographic concentration:

Africa: Angola, Dem. Rep. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, North Korea, Tadjikistan, Thailand, Vietnam
Latin America: Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
South Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia, Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Turkey

(information collected 08/2003)

Background: 

The Christensen Fund (TCF), estabished in 1957, is developing a new grant-making program that combines its interests in arts, biological conservation science and education into a single approach; the so-called Geographic Bio-Cultural Focus. Funding will be directed towards strengthening the understanding, appreciation and creative persistence of biological and cultural diversity in four geographic regions: The American Southwest and Northern Mexico; Central Turkey-Iran-Central Asia; The African Rift Valley (priority Ethiopia); New Guinea, adjacent islands within Melanesia and Aboriginal Northern Australia.  

Activities: 

TCF will focus grant making on the interface between natural environments and human cultures, primarily working with indigenous peoples and communities, and the landscapes with which their cultures, histories and artistic expression are so connected. TCF will support their own internal processes of creativity and renewal. The objective is to help clarify the relationships between culture and environment and to strengthen the world's capacity to maintain cultural and biological creativity and diversity.

Project example(s): 

The Fund will be operational after October 1st 2003.

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Other themes: 

Environmental education, biodiversity and habitat protection, cultural issues.

Other activities: Awareness raising and public education.

Geographic concentration:

Africa: Ethiopia
Asia, Near East & Newly Independent States: e.g. Iran, Tadjikistan, Turkey
Central America: Mexico
Pacific: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

(information collected 08/2003)

Background: 

CISP (Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli or International Committee for the Development of Peoples) is an Italian NGO established in 1983. It acts in the international cooperation field and in the fight against social exclusion. 

Activities: 

CISP carries out development, rehabilitation and humanitarian programmes as well as projects of applied research in about 30 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Project example(s): 

Access to water and institutional capacity building in Mudug and Galgaduud Regions, Ethiopia. 

Institutional support and rural development in Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia.

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Other themes: 

Rural development, food security (agriculture, fishing, aquaculture and small-scale animal husbandry), poverty alleviation, rural and urban health, education and training, natural resources and environmental management, drinking water and sanitation, and support of the peace process.

Other activities: Emergency and humanitarian aid.

Geographic concentration:

Africa: Algeria=Sahara, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania

Asia: China=Tibet, Lebanon, Palestine, Vietnam

Latin America & Caribbean: Argentine, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

South Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Hercegowina, Kosovo

(information collected 08/2003)

Background:

The concept of protection and sustainable use of natural resources, combined with the promotion of capacities of the rural population to realise their personal and economic potentials in a participatory manner, is the core aspect of development philosophy of the Entwicklungswerkstatt Austria - Development Workshop Austria (EWA).
The overall aim of EWA's commitment is the support of self-help activities through the provision and transfer of know-how and methods for personal and vocational development and the support of project partners and the local population in order to develop financial instruments and management capacities.

Activities:

EWA has specialised in regional development programs in the Sahel in West Africa. The projects are planned and carried out in cooperation with grass-root organisations, farmer and artisan cooperatives, and other NGOs. The main focus lies on sustainable use of natural resources, conservation of the ecological equilibrium, diversification of income generation and the promotion of "rural artisans".

Project example(s):

EWA is involved in the implementation of a total of 10 projects in Burkina Faso and in Senegal. Two different project types are implemented, i.e. promotion of artisans and appropriate technology on the one hand, and protection and sustainable management of the natural resources water, soil and vegetation on the other hand.

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Other themes:
Agricultural issues (animal husbandry, horticulture, permaculture), agro-forestry, income generating activities, micro-business development, natural resources management, desertification, appropiate technology, rural infrastructure, water management, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities: Information dissemination

Geographical concentration:
Africa: Burkina Faso, Senegal

(information collected 08/2003)

Background:
Eco Himal was established in 1992 and is an international NGOs with headquarters in Salzburg, Austria and a regional office in Kathmandu, Nepal. Eco Himal has The sister branches in Italy and the UK. They are independent from each other, but in some projects they join forces and work together..

Activities:
Eco Himal works mainly with local grass roots initiatives and village community groups to achieve a sustainable improvement in the living conditions for the local population. Intensive cooperation with the village communities, the empowerment of women and comprehensive educational programs should enable the local people to take the development of their village, region or country into their own hands.

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Other themes:
Rural development, alternative energy (small-scale hydropower, solar energy), poverty alleviation, biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, eco-tourism.

Other activities:
Cultural cooperation and preservation of the cultural heritage, information dissemination

Geographic concentration:
Asia: China=Tibet, Nepal

(information collected 08/2003)

Background:
First Peoples Worldwide, established in 1980, is the international department of the First Nations Development Institute.  The mission of FPW is to promote indigenous determination and control of assets by strengthening indigenous communities through sharing of knowledge of both needs and resources.

Activities:
FPW takes an active role in sustaining both the land and the culture of indigenous peoples by: facilitating and fostering the equitable participation of indigenous peoples in the resolution of environmental, legal, and economic issues; financial and technical assistance to strengthen and facilitate indigenous-controlled, culturally appropriate development projects, programs, and intermediaries; advocating indigenous self-governance.

Project example(s):
Speaking Up: Negotiation Skills for Latin American Indigenous Communities (Peru, Ecuador and Nicaragua): the program is designed to strengthen the ability of indigenous communities to negotiate agreements that will acknowledge and protect their rights and promote their interests so they benefit economically - without losing socially or culturally - if they chose to enter into such agreements.

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Other themes:
Environmental conservation, education, cultural issues, human and land rights.

Other activities:
Building an indigenous network, information clearinghouse, and databank that includes information on indigenous self-governance and indigenous land rights.

Closely connected to FPW's commitment to networking and sharing of information, is the development of an indigenous fellowship program.

Geographic concentration:
Africa: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa

Asia: Philippines

Latin America: Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru

(information collected 04/2003)

Background:
The Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen der Schweiz (HEKS/EPER=Entraide Protestante Suisse) was founded as an instrument for church relief work of the Swiss protestant churches in 1945. This large and important donor-organisation supports a very large quantity of projects all over the world

Activities:
HEKS provides emergency relief worldwide, and fights the causes of hunger and social misery. Its main aim is to sustainably improve living conditions so that they may also benefit the generations to come. 

Project example(s): 

Bolivia, highlands of Mizque, CENDA-project: support of indigenous peasant communities with an extensive education- and training programme.

Brazil: institutional support of the MST, the movement of landless people.

Senegal: organisational support to the 'Mouvement des Acteurs de la Vallée' (MAV) in its coordination efforts of 21 farmer organisations representing 567 villages. 

India: build-up of the SABALA woman empowerment network (Karnataka).

Grant information:

Grants range between 500 and 500.000 Swiss Francs depending on the scale and outreach of the project.  

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Other themes:
Food sovereignty, rural development, organic agriculture, natural resources management, afforestation, poverty reduction, peace work, human rights, youth education, micro-credit schemes, soil preservation, land rights, empowerment of women, drinking water and sanitation, etc.

Other activities: 

Emergency and humanitarian aid, fellowships, adoption schemes.

Geographic concentration:
Africa: Burkina Faso, Dem. Rep. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe
Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam
Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haïti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay
Central and Eastern Europe incl. The Balkans: Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Rep., Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Ukraine
'Near East': Armenia, Lebanon, Palestine Authority, Turkey

(information checked  04/2003)

Background:
The Institute for Cooperation in Development Projects (ICEP) is an Austrian development cooperation NGO (the name in German is: Institut zur Cooperation bei Entwicklungs-Projekten) which was founded in 1996. Though non-denominational it is inspired by the Catholic social teachings. ICEP’s aim is to be a professional partner in the carrying out of development projects. ICEP sees itself as a "social enterprise”: it combines its sense of solidarity with entrepreneurship. For ICEP, professional development work means making use of the available funds as efficiently as possible in service of the needy in the developing countries

Activities:
ICEP supports development projects which are well-defined, vocationally-orientated and benefit the truly needful in developing countries.

ICEP promotes educational and vocational programmes; it supports projects, through which people are helped to widen their entrepreneurial initiative; it invests in the construction and expansion of training centres; it promotes the provision of education in the areas of nutrition, health and hygiene.

Project example(s):
ICEP supports projects which focus on training and vocational education; e.g. the ACODEP-project in Nicaragua to promote small businesses in the field of eco-tourism; the IMANI Job Creation project in Nairobi; the Helping Rural Women project in Kenya; the CEDES Mobile Education project for women and youth in Guatemala.

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Other Themes:
Micro business development, eco-tourism, education, health care, gender issues, urban issues, vocational training.

Other activities:
Micro-projects: With this type of project ICEP supports partner organisations to implement small projects fast and without bureaucratic hassle.

Geographic Concentration:
Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Central America: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Grant information:

Large projects and programmes around € 50.000 usually for a 2 year period. Microprojects with a budget between about € 2.000 and € 10.000

(information collected in 01/2003)

Background:
The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), founded in 1991, is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides training, technical assistance, and financial support to communities. Since 1991 ISC has managed more than 45 international projects in 14 countries with support from individual donors, private foundations, and the U.S. Government..

Activities:
Community Action: citizen participation is the cornerstone of every community action project. 

Environment: ISC works on a variety of environmental projects and environmental education. 

Civil Society: Focusing on capacity-building of NGOs and affiliated organisations. Another innovative way to make NGOs stronger is partnering with them to spearhead Local Environmental Action Planning projects, or LEAPS, in their communities. 

Education: ISC focuses on environmental, economic, and social concerns, and the need to address all three to succeed. 

Business Development: ISC always integrates economic development with its environmental and educational programs.

Project example(s):
Aimed at building the capacity of Ukrainian organizations to help citizens more effectively engage in political and economic decisionmaking, ISC and its partners are implementing a four-year, nationwide program in Ukraine. The Ukraine Citizen Action Network, or UCAN program, is helping Ukrainian citizens take responsibility for shaping their own future.

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Other themes:
Rural development, infrastructure, micro-business development, alternative energy, environmental education, pollution, recycling, protection of biodiversity, afforestation, community development, urban issues.

Other activities:
ISC's Special Opportunities Fund supports strategic and innovative activities, leveraging wider results with modest investments. With just $3,000, the community of Labunista, Macedonia built a sewage collection system saving dozens of lives a year.

ROLL awards grants ($29,000 on average) to help communities, NGOs, government agencies, and businesses adapt proven environmental techniques.

ISC's business development program awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

Geographic concentration:
Central and East Europe and Balkans: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Rep., Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine 

Far East: Russia=Siberia

Grant information:

All grants are restricted to in-country organizations. ISC in Vermont cannot accept proposals. For further information on grant application requirements, please contact the appropriate ISC offices.

(information collected in 04/2002)

Background:
The Iroko Foundation was established in 1999 to assist Africa's NGOs or charities in their goal to support communities who recognise that well managed forests and wildlife are essential for their own livelihoods.

Activities:
Iroko supports projects aimed at supporting village efforts to manage and conserve their community forests and wildlife through: Community management of forests and wildlife; Income generating activities compatible with forest conservation (these may include agro-allied cottage industries and the management, cultivation, harvesting and marketing of economic forest products); Environmental education and training for communities, NGOs and government bodies (such as National Parks and forestry departments); Strengthening the effectiveness of partners by giving them support with: strategic planning, project and organisational management, fundraising and technical expertise.

Project example(s):
Cercopan Trees for Tomorrow Project - Establishment of a city medicinal garden, tree nursery and environmental education centre, Calabar, Nigeria. Ekuri Initiative - Sustainable management of the Ekuri Forests by the Ekuri community, Nigeria.

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Other themes:
Income generating activities, community development, eco-tourism, environmental education, afforestation, conservation, non-timber forest products.

Other activities:
Advocacy and international networking.

Geographic concentration:
Africa=Nigeria

Grant information: Small funder!!

(information collected in 08-2003)

Background:
Kerkinactie was founded in 1995; it is the joint organisation of the Uniting Protestant Churches and ten oecumenical oriented churches and organisations in the Netherlands. 

Activities:
Kerkinactie supports structural projects in the field of agriculture and environment, food security, health-care and human rights. Central elements are poverty reduction and environmental conservation. Kerkinactie supports local churches, women's organizations, trade unions and human rights organizations. Institutional capacity building of partner organizations is an integrated part of all projects. Kerkincatie prefers longterm cooperation in order to inspire and help each other.

Project example(s):
Argentine: Support of the indigenous Wichi Matacos in the province of Salta: Community development, support for the juridical struggle for their land rights and embursements for the Mataco youth. 

Pakistan: Support for the Doctorwala Agricultural Centre an organisation for small-scale agriculture and health care.

Rwanda: Support of the rehabilitation projects of the Mwana Ukundwa Foundation: Health care, education & vocational training.

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Other themes:
Agricultural issues and food security, poverty reduction, income generating activities, environmental education, human rights, indigenous people and land rights, community development, education, health care, gender issues, youth projects, vocational training, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities:
Emergency aid, Missionary Programme (including health-care and educational projects), Children's Programme.

Geographic concentration:
Africa: Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Dem. Rep. Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

Asia and Pacific: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand 

Latin America and Caribbean: Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay 

Central and East Europe & the Balkans: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Rep., Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine Kaukasus & Central and Near Asia: Armenia, Iran, Kyrgyz Rep., Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Syria

Background:
The services of the Latin America Community Assistance Foundation, which was founded in 1992 have expanded far beyond the original basic medical and dental care for the poor. Nowadays the LACA Foundation directs its energies at alleviating the needs of the rural poor in Latin America.

Activities:
LACA carries out this mission by concentrating its financial assistance in projects that improve the health, educational and economic opportunities, and the environment for the rural peoples of Latin America.

Project example(s):
In Honduras rural communities need the means to develop employment in the village structure itself, and with LACA's assistance and self-help cooperative project guidance, they are getting it. LACA has also provided funds for educational seminars on ecological and environmental issues for youth in Minas De Oro.

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Other themes:
Rural development, income generating activities, alternative energy, afforestation, community development, education, health care, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities: Emergency aid.

Geographical concentration:
Central America: Honduras (El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico)

Grant information: Small funder!

(information checked 08/2003)

Background:

Mission East was established in 1991. Mission East's fundamental mission is to relieve need and suffering by providing support and by building the capacities of local NGOs.

Activities:
The activities of Mission East include emergency aid as well as development aid, focussing on building the local capacity to help vulnerable people on a long-term basis. The principle of enabling them to help themselves is expressed most clearly by the close co-operation between Mission East and the local communities which are included in all phases of the work.

Project example(s):
Nepal: Organisational support to a local NGO, NASSO, which organises income generating micro-credit projects within agriculture and supports schooling for children from poor families.

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Other themes:
Agricultural issues, food security, poverty reduction, micro-credits, education, health care, minorities, youth projects, vocational and technical training, drinking water and sanitation.

Other activities:
Emergency aid and humanitarian relief.

Geographic concentration:

Asia: Nepal 
Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania

Newly Independent States: Armenia, Tajikistan

(information collected in 07/2003)

Background:
The Norwegian Human Rights Fund was established in 1988 by Norwegian NGOs to protect and promote human rights internationally. The NHRF gives financial support to projects in low- and middle income countries where the human rights situation is particularly difficult, either in general or for specific groups of the population.

Activities:
Grants can be given to projects aiming at one or more of the following objectives: Enhancing the political influence of a target group (advocacy); Strengthening the knowledge and capacity of the target group to act (empowerment); Improving organisational performance and implementation (capacity building).

The fund seeks to support projects on economic, social and cultural rights on a par with civil and political oriented human rights projects.

Project example(s):
India: Janakalyan Welfare Society (Janakalyan): Safeguarding human rights of indigenous tribal communities in Andra Pradesh. India: Women's Education and Employment Development Society (WEEDS): Promoting human rights among poor Dalit women in eleven villages in the Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. Peru: Unión de Comunidades Aymaras (UNCA): Forum: Human and ethnic rights and cultural conciliation of the Aymara communities in the department of Puno.

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Other themes:
Human and labour rights, community development, indigenous people and land rights, women and youth, cultural issues.

Other activities:
General work for peace and democracy is not funded and neither are development aid and/or humanitarian aid given!

Geographic concentration: (*concentration countries)
Africa: Algeria, Dem. Rep. Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Liberia*, Nigeria*, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Asia: India*, Pakistan*, Philippines
Latin America: Colombia*, Peru*
Kaukasus and Middle East: Georgia, Jordania, Syria

Grant information:
The average grant is US$ 11,500 with a maximum of US$ 20,000. Note: organisations with an annual budget above US$ 100,000 fall outside the NHRF's mandate.

(information collected in 07/2003)

Self Help Development International 

Background:
Self Help is the Irish-based development agency, involved in the implementation of long-term development projects in Africa. It was founded in 1984 in response to the Ethiopian famine. Self Help works by helping people to help themselves to recover their independence and self sufficiency. Food aid may be essential in the short term, but in the long term the only way to break the famine cycle is through development.

Activities:
Priority activities of SHDI are:
To assist the rural people themselves in the promotion of development projects which they regard as their own, for the satisfaction of their economic and social needs;
To assist in the strengthening of the organisational, managerial and economic capacity of the rural people;
To assist in increasing effectiveness of the local and higher government organisations to support the initiatives of rural people and to promote their active participation in self-development efforts.

Project example(s):
Kenya: Nakuru: To encourage integrated development by promoting efficient farming, rural enterprise and industrialisation; and social and cultural activities by supporting the development of the capacity of the locals to ensure the sustainability of the development process.

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Other themes:
SHDI implements rural development programmes with components like crop production (seed distribution, irrigation), soil & water conservation (afforestation, natural resources management), livestock development, women's development, health care, education/training.

Other activities: Humanitarian aid

Geographical Concentration:
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda

(information checked 09/2003)

Background:
The Tinker Foundation was created in 1959 by Dr. Edward Larocque Tinker. His lifelong interest in the Iberian tradition in the Old and New Worlds directed the Foundation's overall focus on Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Recently support of projects regarding Antarctica has been added.

Activities:
The Tinker Foundation institutional grants are awarded to organizations and institutions that promote the interchange and exchange of information within the community of those concerned with the affairs of Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Antarctica.
The Foundation funds projects addressing environmental policy, economic policy or governance issues. Projects should have a strong public policy component, offer innovative solutions to problems facing these regions, and incorporate new mechanisms for addressing these programmatic areas. Activities may include, but are not limited to, research projects and conferences related to the Foundation's areas of interest.

Project example(s):

Fundacion Naturaleza para el Futuro - Buenos Aires, Argentina: "Protecting Landscapes and Places of Special Natural and Cultural Value: A Policy Toolbox for Community Development and Democracy in Argentina."

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Other themes:
Environment, civil society, women's development.

Other activities:
Field research grants (only for U.S. institutions).

Geographical concentration:
Latin America: Argentine, Colombia, Mexico

Grant information: 

Grants range from US$2,000 to over US$100,000 

(information checked 09/2003)

Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program

Background:
The Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) works with organizations of India's most excluded and oppressed peoples: women; dalits, so-called "untouchables" who fall outside the caste system; and the adivasis or tribals who are India's indigenous peoples, especially migrant, bonded and landless agricultural laborers.

Activities:
UUHIP provides general operating support, program grants and seed money/startup grants. UUHIP supports organizations, not projects it provides long term financial and other strategic assistance to organizations of those excluded or marginalized on the basis of gender, caste, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or economic exploitation. 

Rather than fund individual projects, UUHIP supports democratically governed poor people's organizations to increase their organized strength, build networks and movements, promote women's leadership, take on controversial issues, gain access to resources, challenge discriminatory social practices, promote government accountability and influence policies, laws and budgets in their favor.

Projects example(s):
UUHIP grants have been used for leadership building, the strengthening of strategic planning, organizing, advocacy and problem solving skills, and the promotion of government accountability. Partners have used funds to organize unions and cooperatives; provide management, technical and legal expertise; to advocate for land, water and forest rights and increases in minimum wages; and to campaign against the practices of untouchability and bonded and child labor.

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Other themes:
Poverty reduction, human and indigenous rights, women's empowerment.

Other activities:
UUHIP provides information, education, networking and other support with an emphasis on filling needs not met from other sources.

Geographical concentration:
Asia=India

Grant information:
Grants range between US$5,000 and US$70,000.

(information collected 07/2003)

Background:
The organisation Weltfriedensdienst, which literally means "World Peace Service," was founded in 1959. In the projects the WFD supports, securing the basis of existence is a main concern. It concentrates on environmental protection, the conservation of natural resources and sustainable development in combination with the support of grass-roots groups and local initiatives in Southern and West Africa.

Activities:
Regarding sustainable development the emphasis lies on agricultural extension, the promotion of co-operatives and small business enterprises, vocational training, securing and conservation of natural resources, strengthening autonomous structures of peasants (so that they can successfully fight against expulsion from their land) and especially the empowerment of women.
WFD understands sustainability not solely as an ecological category. It must also include the just distribution of resources and social justice.

Project example(s):

In Argentine the WFD supports of the Consejo de Organisaciones Aborígenes de Jujuy/COAJ), an organisation of the indigenous Kolla communities. Aim of the project is securing the traditional land rights of the Indigenas. The WFD advices and funds the organisation on matters of information dissemination, networking, campaigning, lobby and advocacy.

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Other themes:
Ecological agriculture, natural resources management, rural development, micro enterprise development, environmental conservation and education, afforestation, indigenous and land rights, education and vocational training, women's empowerment.

Other activities:
Advocacy and campaigning (debt cancellation), peace issues.

Geographical Concentration:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Latin America: Argentine, Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru

Middle East: Palestinian Authority

(information checked 09/2003)

Background:
World Neighbors was founded in 1951 and is a people-to-people nonprofit organization working at the forefront of worldwide efforts to eliminate hunger, disease and poverty in developing countries. 

The mission of World Neighbors is to strengthen the capacity of marginalized communities to meet their basic needs, and to determine and sustain an equitable and inclusive development process. The issue of community and organizational capacity building is central to World Neighbors' work.

Activities:
World Neighbors works with the rural poor to strengthen the ability of individuals and communities to solve their own problems of hunger, poverty and disease.
World Neighbors' programs integrate improved sustainable agriculture (including technical assistance), health issues, environmental conservation, water and sanitation, and income-generating livelihood strategies, including micro-credit and small business development..

Project examples:
Ghana: Program for Strengthening Community Organization and Management Capacity (POSCOM) which strives to help build important capacities that will empower villages to mediate and manage the development process based on their own priorities and to sustain their efforts.
Ecuador: The Bolívar Integrated Development Program aims at the strengthening of
the capacity of rural Quechua families in Bolívar province to improve their health, reproductive health, livelihoods and management of natural resources.
Indonesia: The Sumba Integrated Community Development Program: to strengthen the capacity of marginal communities in the uplands of Sumba with a focus on farmer training activities in the field of soil and water conservation.

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Other themes:
Sustainable agriculture, pastoral issues, health care, environmental conservation, water and sanitation, micro- credits and micro-business development, technical assistance, food sovereignty, indigenous issues, non-timber forest products, appropiate technology, women's empowerment.

Other activities:
Training & education, technical assistance, fund-raising (World Neighbors does not solicit or accept U.S. government funding).

Geographic concentration:
Africa: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda

Asia: India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines

Latin America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexicu, Peru

(information checked 09/2003)

Please Note: All information in this publication has been gathered from public sources, Both ENDS has no control over the content of these sources and can therefore accept no liability over any actions taken as a result of the contents of these sources. If however organisations have objections against publication in the donor newsletter please notify the editor.