[pronut-hiv] Fw: Firelight funding - letter of inquiry deadline: Southern Africa

["Kristof & Stacia Nordin" <nordin@eomw.net>]

ProNut HIV members - This was originally sent to me as an attachment, I've 
attempted to format it as text.  

Please contact Firelight Foundation for 
more information.  Thanks, Stacia


-------From: Jennifer Lentfer <jlentfer@firelightfoundation.org>

Dear colleagues and friends,

Below please find the Firelight Foundation's updated Letter of
Inquiry guidelines for new grantee consideration in March 2007.  As
you may know, Firelight gives one-year grants of $1,000 to $10,000 to
community-based initiatives that work directly and effectively to
support the fundamental needs and rights of children (birth to 21
years) orphaned or otherwise affected by HIV/AIDS. We believe that
grassroots programs arising in direct response to needs within the
local community are often the most effective and this is where our
resources are focused!

Please feel free to share these widely with any CBOs you know of who
would fit our criteria and kindly let me know if you have any
questions.  This information can also be found on our website at:
(http://www.firelightfoundation.org/apply-2006.htm)

I wish you all the best and I thank you, in advance, for helping us
to find new and deserving groups who are doing great work on the
ground to help vulnerable children!

Jennifer Lentfer
Program Officer
Monitoring & Evaluation and Technical Assistance Coordinator
Firelight Foundation
jlentfer@firelightfoundation.org

Many little people in many small places undertaking many modest
actions can transform the world.  -African proverb

-------------------------

 Firelight Foundation Letter of Inquiry 2006
Deadline: October 15, 2006

Funding Criteria
The mission of the Firelight Foundation is to support and advocate for the 
needs and rights of children who are orphaned or affected by HIV/AIDS in 
Sub-Saharan Africa. Firelight strives to increase the resources available to 
grassroots organizations that are strengthening the capacity of families and 
communities to care for children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Every child, 
regardless of race, creed, or country, deserves the promise of a future. We 
give one-year grants of $1,000 to $10,000 to community-based initiatives 
that work directly and effectively to support the fundamental needs and 
rights of children (birth to 21 years) orphaned or otherwise affected by 
HIV/AIDS. We believe that grassroots programs arising in direct response to 
needs within the local community are often the most effective. Firelight 
supports this vital work with initial one-year grants and regrants based on 
funding needs and opportunities for shared learning.

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES: Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, 
and Zimbabwe
The primary geographic focus of our grantmaking is Sub-Saharan Africa. In 
order for us to focus our efforts in an effective and sustained manner, we 
will only accept letters of inquiry in 2006 from seven countries: Lesotho, 
Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We will refuse 
inquiries from other countries unless you have already received a Firelight 
grant or we have asked you for a proposal.

Firelight receives around 300 requests for funding from our 7 focus 
countries each year and awards just over 40 new grants annually. We are not 
able to offer funding to all groups meeting the below criteria.

In selecting the programs to support, the Firelight Foundation looks for:
-       Programs that directly serve the needs of vulnerable children
-       Grassroots responses to needs that raise resources within the 
community
-       Programs that demonstrate strong leadership and community ownership
-       Organizations with a history of effective community action
-       Programs where children take part in decision-making, advocacy, and 
leadership
-       Innovative responses to the situations of children affected by 
HIV/AIDS

Areas of interest include the following programs supporting children 
affected by HIV/AIDS:
-       Programs to enhance or create a supportive environment for childrenâs 
growth and development
-       Primary and secondary education with an holistic approach to 
childrenâs needs
-       Vocational education and skills development
-       Income-generating activities for caregivers and independent orphans
-       Programs that contribute to social and behavioral change
-       Recreational activities/counseling/programs focusing on psychosocial 
support
-       Sexual abuse prevention and treatment
-       Programs that provide leadership opportunities for children and 
youth
-       Respite or residential care/medical treatment for HIV-infected 
children, including palliative and hospice care/home-based programs
-       Programs that are shifting away from the institutionalization of 
children
-       Reintegration of children into the community
-       Permanency planning and related legal aid advocacy
-       Programs that reach marginalized populations and especially 
vulnerable children, including street children, child-headed households, 
disabled children, adolescent girls, or HIV+ babies and children.

Firelight does NOT fund: individuals; scholarships for individual use; 
government entities; organizations or programs designed to influence 
legislation or elect public officials; organizations or programs solely 
intended to generate income or provide charity to individuals; academic or 
medical research; fundraising drives; or endowments. Firelight believes 
strongly in non-discrimination and does not fund programs that limit 
participation based on race, religion, gender, or nationality. We very 
rarely fund US-based organizations or branches of international 
non-governmental organizations.

The Firelight Foundation believes that children develop best when raised 
within families and communities; therefore, we rarely fund orphanages. In 
exceptional cases, there may be compelling reasons why institutional care is 
in the best interest of a child. If you believe this, please explain why. We 
are often asked for food aid, medical care, and housing. We understand the 
urgency of these needs, but we are not a relief agency. If you request such 
assistance, please explain how the planned activities will be undertaken in 
a sustainable and holistic way. Similarly, we receive many requests for 
school fees. Firelight rarely funds requests for school fees alone. If your 
organization seeks such assistance, please describe how your group plans to 
address childrenâs other needs, and what will happen when this one year of 
funding for basic schooling is completed.

Letter of Inquiry
If your organization is a charitable organization working with orphans and 
vulnerable children in Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, 
Zambia or Zimbabwe we invite you to send a letter of inquiry and provide us 
with basic information about your organization. In your letter, please 
explain why your work meets Firelightâs criteria by briefly answering the 
following questions:
1.    Please tell us when and why your group was started, and by whom.
2.    Briefly describe the main activities of your group. Be specific.
3.    Please describe two to three major accomplishments of your group since 
it began.
4.    Describe how your organization is operated (including its management, 
number of paid staff, number of volunteers, and ways that the community 
participates in your work).
5.    What are the activities and goals for which you seek Firelight 
Foundation funding?
6.    How many children, child-headed households, and/or caregivers will you 
reach?
7.    How much money are you requesting in US Dollars? (Remember, Firelight 
only awards grants of $1,000 to $10,000. Greater requests will be declined.) 
Please summarize your proposed budget in broad categories.
8.    What was your organizationâs budget for the most recent financial year 
and what were your sources of funding? Please spell out the names of the 
donor organizations or funding sources and indicate the currency and 
exchange rate used.

Please also include full contact information for your organization, 
including:
-       Contact personâs name and title
-       Name of organization
-       Mailing address (PO Box and street address, if available) and 
location of proposed activities

Please indicate what is the best way to contact you. Include any and all of 
the following: telephone, facsimile,   e-mail address, and/or website 
address.

We accept any kind of written submission. We currently accept applications 
in English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwandan, and Sesotho. Please limit your 
letter to three pages.

The Decision Process
The deadline for receiving letters of inquiry is October 15, 2006. We will 
notify you by November 15, 2006 if we are interested in receiving a full 
proposal from your organization. Because we are a small foundation with 
limited resources, we cannot support all of the qualified organizations that 
submit inquiries. If we decline your request, we will try our best to 
explain why. Funding awards will be made in May 2007.
Please forward all letters of inquiry via mail, fax, or email to:
Firelight Foundation                       Phone +1 831 429 8750
740 Front Street, Suite 380           Facsimile: +1 831 429 2036
Santa Cruz, California 95060 USA      Email: info@firelightfoundation.org