Dear GKD Members, In relation to a specific project I am working on (but I will state the matter in more general terms), I am interested in gaining whatever knowledge I can on the following area:
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? Say they are able to develop a well analyzed Business Plan, that makes sense; say they already have the know-how, the experience and the people to set up the activity and manage it successfully. Say they even are able to write a well documented Grant proposal! The 'only' thing they lack is the money! Furthermore, assume they are themselves "reasonably" credible (they have a good past track-record, and a Local Government approval of the project, for what it is worth; or, maybe, a Micro-credit Institution is willing to finance part of the investment, if they could put in the rest of the money, as equity). Under these circumstances, would it be feasible for them to go to Foundations and other grant-givers, say in the US, directly, without having to put an established NGO between themselves and the donors? If yes, how would they go about it? There are ways to know which kind of projects the US and European Foundations and Corporate Donors are supporting. And in which poor (or transition) countries. But I haven't found evidence as to whether Foundations and grant-givers finance local "grassroots" projects directly, or predominantly give to established NGOs, which then implement the projects. Restated: what processes are now available, through which poor local people can get their "grassroots" projects financed by rich country private donors? Where can I find information about this essential matter? Would it be appropriate to start a discussion on this? Thanks for your always interesting discussions and kind support. Arrigo della Gherardesca ItAfrica - Italian African Alliance srl Milano, Italy ------------ ***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/>
