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NGOs Unite for Action against Climate Change

Climate Action Network
The Climate Action Network (CAN) is a worldwide network of over 430 NGOs working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. CAN uses a three-track approach to mitigating climate change: the Kyoto track, which spurs the rapid development of sustainable technologies by industrialized countries; the "Greening" (de-carbonization) track, which supports the rapid introduction of clean, sustainable technologies to developing countries; and the Adaptation track, which assists the most vulnerable countries in anticipating and limiting the unavoidable effects of climate change. CAN has regional offices which coordinate efforts in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Europe, Latin America, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. CAN's website also offers info rmation on policy, as well as access to several newsletters.

Report Offers Advice to Increase Online Donations

Donordigital or "Perfecting Your Page"
Donordigital is a full-service online fundraising, advocacy, and advertising company. Recently, Donordigital worked in partnership with Amnesty International USA to try to improve conversion rates for potential donors who visited the donation page of the Amnesty International website. The partnership and its results are examined in "Perfecting Your Page: Can donation page optimization boost online giving?" The report offers practical advice about how to make donation pages more effective, resulting in more online donations. The report is available for free download on the Donordigital website.

Website Connects Social Entrepreneurs

Social Edge
Social Edge is a global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners in the social benefit sector can network, learn, inspire, and share resources. The website offers online discussions moderated by experts in the field and a variety of blogs, videos, and podcasts, as well as a resources wiki and access to current jobs and opportunities. Social Edge is particularly targeted at social entrepreneurs with limited access to other local resources and practitioners due to the nature of their work (e.g., international development) or their location (e.g., developing countries or rural areas). Social Edge is a program of the Skoll Foundation, whose mission is to advance systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs. Access to Social Edge is available free of charge, and registered members can receive a weekly newsletter highlighting news on social entrepreneurship.

Report Examines the Effects of Climate Change on Project Outcomes

Global Climate Change Program or Adapting to Climate Variability and Change Guidance Manual
USAID's Global Climate Change Program offers Adapting to Climate Variability and Change: A Guidance Manual for Development Planning. This manual seeks to assist planners and stakeholders in understanding how climate change may affect their project outcomes, including projects in the economic sector and other climate-sensitive sectors. The publication focuses on an approach that assesses vulnerability and then explores techniques to identify and implement adaptations, and also to evaluate those adaptations. The manual may be downloaded free of charge from the USAID website.

Conferences and Trainings

Course Explores Interactions between Different Sectors

Intensive Course on Health, Development, and Human Rights
The Initiative for Health and Human Rights at the University of New South Wales is offering the Intensive Course on Health, Development, and Human Rights, which examines the relationships between the different sectors. Previous participants have represented a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including youth work, law, social research, international development, public health, UN policy development, HIV/AIDS program management, general medical practice, architecture, and indigenous policy. This course is particularly suited to staff from inter-governmental and non-governmental agencies. Early registration is available through August 16, 2008. The course will be held December 8-12, 2008, in Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Information and Communication Technology Training Provided

NetHope ICT Skills Building Program
The NetHope ICT Skills Building Program provides technology training and resources to information and communications technology (ICT) staff and program workers at NGOs serving developing countries, with a goal of helping NGOs improve emergency response and enhance organizational effectiveness. The program seeks to keep costs as low as possible for participating organizations, and provides classes in as many languages as possible, depending on availability of curriculum and instructors, to address the needs of a diverse set of regions. A variety of self-paced online training programs are available free through June 2008.

Conference Gathers Partners for the Fight against Disease

Second Conference on TB, HIV/AIDS, and Respiratory Disease
The Second Conference on TB, HIV/AIDS, and Respiratory Disease is sponsored by the Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which works in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The conference, themed "Working Together to Fight against TB, HIV/AIDS, and Respiratory Disease," seeks to disseminate research; share experiences of program implementation, research, and innovation; and generate awareness of the urgency of tackling co-infection. The conference emphasizes partnership building across different sectors. Pre-registration is open through June 30, 2008. The conference takes place December 15-18, 2008, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Funding Opportunities

Awards Honor Those Who Fight Corruption

Transparency International: Integrity Awards
Transparency International (TI) is a global anti-corruption organization with national chapters in approximately 100 countries. TI's Integrity Awards honor individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional courage and outstanding leadership in fighting corruption. The Awards seek to give greater recognition to the efforts of journalists, civil society activists, and government and corporate whistleblowers who work to investigate and unmask corruption, often at great personal risk. Nominations will be accepted until August 31, 2008.

Support Provided for the Montreal Community

Fondation du Grand Montreal (Foundation of Greater Montreal)
Fondation du Grand Montréal (Foundation of Greater Montreal) seeks to help the Montreal, Quebec, Canada, community grow and prosper. Areas of interest include physical and mental health, education, social services, arts and culture, and the environment and sustainable development. Projects must benefit residents of the greater Montreal region, which includes the island of Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil. Grants range up to C $10,000. Letters of intent are due by August 8, 2008.

African Women's Groups Supported

African Women's Development Fund
African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) supports local, national, and regional organizations in Africa working towards women's empowerment. AWDF, through institutional capacity building and program development, seeks to build a culture of learning and partnerships within the African women's movement. AWDF's vision is for African women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality, and respect for women's human rights. AWDF funds women's groups across Africa in the areas of women's human rights, political participation, peace building, health and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, and economic empowerment. AWDF's grant programs include the Main Grants Program; the Small Grants Program, which operates in Ghana; the HIV/AIDS Fund, which seeks to establish a firm link between gender inequality, the low status of women and girls, and its implications for the extreme vulnerability of women; and the Solidarity Fund, which supports the participation of African women in exchange visits, conferences, seminars, and workshops. AWDF has funded over 575 women's organizations in 41 African countries. Grants range from US $1,000 to $50,000, and multi-year grants of up to $120,000 may be made to grantees engaged in strategic work.

Water Programs Supported in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom

Royal Bank of Canada: Blue Water Project
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has a longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability. RBC's Blue Water Project builds on that commitment by fostering a culture of water stewardship. Leadership Grants focus on watershed protection or access to safe drinking water and are available to local, regional, national, or trans-border organizations for projects in any of the countries in which RBC is located, including Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom. Community Action Grants focus on watershed protection and are available to local or community organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Leadership Grants range from C $25,000 to $500,000; applications are due June 30 and March 31, annually. Community Action Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000; applications are accepted throughout the year.

Support Provided for Company Communities

Fluor Corporation Community Involvement and Corporate Contributions
Fluor, one of the world's largest publicly-owned engineering, procurement, construction, and maintenance services companies, supports community organizations in locations around the world where the company has a presence. Areas of interest consist of education, including school/business partnerships and programs that encourage elementary and secondary students to pursue higher education or training (with an emphasis on engineering and construction), improve and enhance math/science curricula, support teacher training in math/science, and encourage mentoring and economic literacy; human services, including food, shelter, and family assistance, as well as emergency relief and youth services; culture with a focus on visual and performing arts, including museums, art education programs, symphonies, community art festivals, arts funds and councils, and public television and radio; and public and civic affairs, including community and economic development organizations, organizations that promote volunteerism, and public policy groups. Fluor considers requests for operating, program, capital, and endowment support. Priority is given to organizations that feature employee volunteer participation. The company has facilities in Canada, Chile, China, India, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. Letters of inquiry are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Foundation Supports Social and Environmental Sustainability

Peacock Foundation
The Peacock Foundation strives for social and environmental sustainability in Europe and around the world. Major areas of interest consist of youth, including prevention programs and extra-curricular activities for youth at risk; health, including prevention and medical research; religion; ethnic, religious, and political minorities; and sports. The Foundation is most interested in helping under-resourced organizations that offer direct services and that involve the people they work with in their planning. Types of support include general and project support, development funding, and capital grants for buildings or equipment. There are no deadlines for applications.

Support Provided to Canadian Catholic Organizations

Ansgar Charitable Foundation
The Ansgar Charitable Foundation supports projects sponsored by Catholic organizations in Canada. The Foundation seeks to foster church renewal, strengthen Catholic education, and provide relief to disadvantaged populations through direct services. The Foundation considers support for conferences and workshops, training opportunities, program development, social service programming, and capacity building. The Foundation considers practical research projects if there is a clearly identified audience who will use the research and assume responsibility for part of its cost. Grants generally range from C $15,000 to $25,000; grants rarely exceed $50,000. Applications are due July 1, 2008.

Grassroots Initiatives Supported

Ananda Foundation
The mission of the Ananda Foundation is to alleviate the suffering of individuals and families in the world's poorest communities through sustainable grassroots initiatives aimed at local empowerment, access to health services, and educational opportunities in an effort to fulfill basic human rights embracing a spirit of compassion and service to humanity. The Foundation supports projects that increase access to basic medical services, improve the health of vulnerable populations, offer educational opportunities for children, and provide shelter for orphans and street children. The Foundation also seeks to combat poverty by supporting empowerment projects through small loans and training for women to facilitate entrepreneurship and foster small business development. The Foundation supports projects in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Grants typically range from US $500 to $5,000. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Foundation Supports Australian Communities

Tattersall's George Adams Foundation
The Tattersall's George Adams Foundation supports and works in partnership with charities and nonprofit organizations that are committed to making a positive impact in Australian communities. The Foundation's areas of interest consist of wellness, including hospitals, aged care, families at risk, people with disabilities, addiction, homelessness, medical research, and mental illness; culture, including music, art, sculpture, live and recorded performance, and exhibitions; and community development. Grants range up to AU $50,000. The application deadline is September 2, 2008.

Support Provided for Information Exchange and Public Policy Initiatives

Tinker Foundation: Institutional Grants
The Tinker Foundation offers Institutional Grants to organizations and institutions that promote the exchange of information within the community of those concerned with the affairs of Spain, Portugal, Ibero-America, and Antarctica. (For the Foundation's purposes, Ibero-America is defined as the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere.) The Foundation funds projects addressing environmental policy, economic policy, and 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. The Foundation encourages collaboration between organizations in the United States and Iberia or Latin America and among institutions in those regions. Previous grants have ranged up to US $140,000. The deadline for application is September 1, 2008.

Indigenous, Environmental, and Animal Welfare Projects Supported

Onaway Trust
The Onaway Trust seeks to relieve poverty and suffering, and is interested in indigenous, environmental, educational, and animal welfare projects. The Trust's central focus is indigenous cultures, and it aims to provide a measure of physical and spiritual uplift by providing seed grants to groups and organizations with self-help and self sufficiency aims. The Foundation also seeks to protect the environment; support children and adults with learning difficulties; assist smaller charities whose aim is to safeguard sick, threatened, or abandoned animals; and offer emergency relief for victims of disaster. The Trust provides support around the world. Grants have ranged from GBP 350 to 10,000. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

U.S. Federal Deadlines

Excerpts from GrantStation’s Listings of Federal Notices

USAID: Ethiopia Annual Program Statement for Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Development Programming
Deadline: June 28 and December 31, 2008
This program operates in Ethiopia and seeks to include people with disabilities into development programming or to work with disabled peoples organizations for better understanding and inclusion. Programs and activities that could be adapted to better involve people with disabilities include, but are not limited to, programs in education, health, government, civil society building, rule of law, HIV/AIDS, and employment opportunities.

National Institutes of Health: Gender, Youth, and HIV Risk
R01 and R21
Deadline: Letters of Intent: June 29, 2008; Full Proposals: July 29, 2008
This program supports the study of the developmental and environmental processes contributing to HIV risk in individuals under the age of 24. The program supports studies focusing on HIV risk in specific settings around the globe where HIV prevalence is high or increasing and relevant environmental contexts are changing rapidly. Applications from non-U.S. organizations will be assessed based on whether the project presents special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations, or environmental conditions that are not readily available in the U.S. or that augment existing U.S. resources.

USAID: Public-Private Alliances Related to Child and Maternal Health in Kosovo
Deadline: June 30 and September 30, 2008
This program supports projects that relate to the health sector in Kosovo, with a focus on improving the health of women and children. The program supports systems strengthening, in-service training, pre-service education, and community outreach, with an overall goal of reducing infant mortality and improving maternal health through enhancement of essential maternal and child health services.

National Institutes of Health: Indo-U.S. Program on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development Research
Deadline: Letters of Intent: June 30, 2008; Full Proposals: July 30, 2008
This program supports collaborative research projects involving U.S. and Indian investigators to enhance maternal and child health, disease prevention, product development, or technology transfer. The program places specific emphasis on the need for more "translational" types of research intended to move beyond basic science and discovery to product development and delivery and improved care for women, infants, and children. An emphasis will also be placed on studies addressing social and behavioral factors affecting prevention, care, and treatment of disease and poor health in women, infants, and children.

USAID: Support of the South African Department of Education
Deadline: Concept Papers: June 30, September 30, and December 30, 2008
This program seeks to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS within the South African education sector and to strengthen the capacity of students, teachers, and education officials to deliver quality education and training. The program seeks to increase the number of schools and students that benefit from peer education programs, extend support to life orientation educators, support orphans and vulnerable children in target high schools and their feeder primary schools, support local universities working on HIV and AIDS with students on their campuses and support their feeder high schools, and offer technical assistance services to the Department of Education to strengthen its internal systems to address HIV and AIDS and other health issues.

USAID: Uganda Stop Malaria Project
Deadline: July 9, 2008
This program seeks to increase coverage and use of key life-saving malaria interventions in support of the Uganda National Malaria Strategy and Control programs. Objectives include improving and implementing malaria prevention programs and diagnosis and treatment activities, and improving national capacity to monitor and evaluate malaria interventions.

USAID: Annual Program Statement for Program for Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER) Stage 3
Deadline: July 11 and September 20, 2008
This program seeks to enhance disaster preparedness and response capacities of vulnerable countries within the Asia region, including the PEER countries of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines and the non-PEER target countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. The program conducts training on three principal courses: the Medical First Responder, Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue, and Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies.

National Institutes of Health: Indo-U.S. Program on Contraception and Reproductive Health Research
Deadline: Letters of Intent: July 11, 2008; Full Proposals: August 11, 2008
This program seeks to build upon previous research cooperation by drawing on the expertise of Indian and U.S. scientists and institutions to promote and support collaborative research that will result in expanded contraceptive options and improved reproductive health. To address shared concerns in contraception and reproductive health, Indian and U.S. scientists will undertake a coordinated program involving participation in collaborative, peer-reviewed research projects designed to achieve enhanced reproductive health, disease prevention, product development, and technology transfer.

USAID: Annual Program Statement for Non-Governmental Organization Security Management Initiatives
Deadline: July 18, 2008
This program seeks to increase the NGO community's awareness of generally-recognized good security practices, build capacity to implement good practices, improve institutional support for comprehensive security management, and promote appropriate collaboration among humanitarian actors. The program encourages creative, innovative, and cutting-edge initiatives.

USAID: Inter-Agency Annual Program Statement: Prevention for At-Risk Populations in High-Prevalence Urban Areas in Ethiopia
Deadline: Concept Papers: July 31, 2008
This program supports the implementation of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Ethiopia. Targeted program areas include the prevention of HIV transmission within targeted populations in urban settings and "hotspots"; the development, implementation, and evaluation of tailored prevention programs for specific populations; and the conduct of rapid and formative monitoring and evaluation of activities to increase the knowledge of risk behaviors and the context for high-risk populations.

USAID: Annual Program Statement: Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Programs and Activities (with Possible Multiple Awards)
Deadline: Concept Papers: May 30, 2008
This program supports conflict mitigation and reconciliation programs and activities that bring together individuals of different ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds from areas of civil conflict and violence in the following countries: Africa: Angola, Burundi, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana (restricted to Northern Ghana), Guinea, Kenya, Mali (restricted to Northern Mali: regions of Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal), Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan (restricted to Blue Nile State, Southern Kordofan, and Abyei), and Uganda; Asia and Near East: Bangladesh, East Timor, Israel, Morocco, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and West Bank/Gaza; Europe and Eurasia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation (restricted to Northern Caucasus), and Tajikistan; and Latin America and the Caribbean: Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

National Institutes of Health: Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program Award
Deadline: Letters of Intent: August 14, 2008; Full Proposals: September 16, 2008
This program supports U.S. and developing country institutions for programs to provide infectious disease (excluding HIV/AIDS) research training to scientists and health professionals in order to build sustainable research capacity in low- and middle-income endemic countries. Developing country institutions may also apply for one-year planning grants to support the development and submission of research training program proposals in the subsequent year.

National Institutes of Health: International Research in Infectious Diseases including AIDS Program
Deadline: Letters of Intent: August 16, 2008; Full Proposals: September 16, 2008
This program provides support to conduct studies and establish collaborative infectious diseases research with investigators and institutions at international sites. The intent is to advance the development of local scientific expertise, build local research infrastructure, and increase collaborative research partnerships. Topics of interest are limited to research on infectious diseases, including emerging infections that are of the greatest public health significance within the applicant country (e.g. tuberculosis; malaria; HIV/AIDS; sexually transmitted diseases; diarrheal, respiratory, and enteric diseases; viral hemorrhagic fevers; viral encephalitides; parasitic diseases; and vector-borne diseases). Development of immunological, microbiological, biostatistical, epidemiological, and clinical research capacity is encouraged.

USAID: Care Services for HIV-Infected Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ethiopia
Deadline: Concept Papers: August 29, 2008
This program supports orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) activities related to HIV prevention and care in high-prevalence, underserved areas of Ethiopia. Program areas include provision of quality, comprehensive, multi-sector coordinated community care for HIV-affected or infected OVC; provision of technical assistance to local OVC programs to create or improve referral systems to and from health facilities, government services, and other community child services; and support for community data collection to monitor progress in OVC well-being and to inform activity implementation and modifications.

USAID: Armenia: Global Development Alliance Annual Program Statement
Deadline: Ongoing. Expires April 30, 2009
This program seeks to build partnerships that mobilize resources, expertise, creative approaches, and technologies that address development issues in Armenia. Focus areas consist of governing justly and democratically, including civic participation and access to info rmation, enhanced political participation, and improved governance and rule of law; investing in people, including healthcare and social protection services; economic growth, including enhanced private-sector capacity, increased access of businesses to financing, and improved policy and systems to foster competitiveness; and cross-cutting initiatives in education and environment, which build on the other focus areas through workforce development, vocational education, secondary education, higher education, environmental mitigation/remediation, solid waste management, and water, air, and ground pollution reduction.

National Institutes of Health: Collaborative HIV/AIDS Studies in the Middle East and North Africa
Deadline: Multiple deadlines. Expires May 8, 2011
This program supports collaborations for exploratory and developmental work on HIV/AIDS in the low- and middle-income countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as defined by the World Bank: Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Specific areas of research include, but are not limited to, epidemiologic studies, prevention research from both biomedical and social/behavioral perspectives, studies of social factors affecting the spread of HIV in the region, and research on women and youth. Collaborations must involve U.S. investigators from a partnering U.S. organization and one or more research teams in the MENA region.

USAID: Cyclone Nargis
USAID has posted on its website a variety of information about humanitarian assistance related to Cyclone Nargis. USAID offers a "How Can I Help?" section with links to information about humanitarian organizations working in the region, as well as a guide to choosing which organizations to support, if you wish to donate to the cause.

Guidance for Submission of Proposals
Also, USAID welcomes concept papers or proposals from interested NGOs that prioritize the following sectors: emergency provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (e.g. provision of potable water and rehabilitation of water systems; provision of sanitation, and hygiene education), emergency health interventions (activities to strengthen health surveillance systems, and communicable and endemic disease prevention and treatment, for example, to contain cholera, dengue fever, and malaria), temporary shelter and other non-food items, and quick-impact income-generation activities (e.g. cash-for-work community rehabilitation projects). Humanitarian protection should be a cross-cutting theme in each sector. Support is prioritized based on NGOs' abilities to make an immediate impact in affected communities in Burma.