Hello Clients
During my recent visit to St. Lucia, I often heard individuals discussing concerns over sustaining their HIV/AIDS programs in a volatile economic climate. Civil Service Organizations (CSO) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) providing HIV/AIDS services are being called upon to expand their catchment areas as well as enhance the array of services provided to clients. Meanwhile, donor funds from international aids organizations are decreasing every year. As a result, CSOs and NGOs around the world need to embrace differing strategies to access funds.
One such strategy is accessing funds from US-based Philanthropic Organizations. Many HIV/AIDS serving community-based organizations (CBOs) in the U.S. and around the world use the Foundation Center as a tool for resource development. The Foundation Center was "established in 1956 and today supported by close to 600foundations, it is a national nonprofit service organization recognized as the nation's leading authority on organized philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them with tools they can use and information they can trust. Its audiences include grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants; issues a wide variety of print, electronic, and online information resources; conducts and publishes research on trends in foundation growth, giving, and practice; and offers an array of free and affordable educational programs."
CSOs and NGOs operating in the Caribbean region can benefit from programs and services offered by the Foundation Center. One such program is the Cooperating Collection (CC) Global Initiative http://foundationcenter.org/collections/rfp_cc.html.
"The Foundation Center supports a network of more than 400 Cooperating Collections across the country and in several locations around the world. These funding information centers-available to grantseekers at no cost at public, academic, or special libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers-provide access to Foundation Directory Online, the leading grantseeking database on the web, along with a core collection of Foundation Center directories and publications. Cooperating Collections (CCs) also provide a wide selection of supplementary materials and services in areas useful to grantseekers. The CCs also offer educational sessions for the public, including classes on the basics of grantseeking and dialogues with local donors. And they serve as hosts for the Center's fee-based, full-day grantseeker training courses."
I envision a Cooperating Collection in every country in the Caribbean region. A CC could be housed in the National Library, a CSO or NGO, a University, or any Government building that is reasonably accessible to all. CSOs and NGOs can go to a CC center and have access to all of the Foundation Center's resources.
I had an opportunity to visit the Foundation Center in NYC last week and reviewed the CC program with a senior librarian. This program is a great resource and would help Caribbean CSOs and NGOs attract grant funding from US Foundations. Moreover, based on my review of the Foundation Center's grantmakers database, there are a number of US-based Foundations that would grant money to organizations in the Caribbean. CSOs and NGOs in the Caribbean can use a CC to find out about these funding opportunities. I would encourage those interested in learning more to visit the Foundation Center's website http://foundationcenter.org or send me an email asalandy@humandevelopmentgroup.com . I would lend any assistance in filling out the RFP for getting a Cooperating Center started in your country. See the following link for the RFP http://foundationcenter.org/collections/rfp_cc.html
