Global Fundamentals

The Laird Norton Family Foundation’s Global Fundamentals Fund Advisory Committee (FAC) announces an open call for Letters of Interest (LOIs) for funding for projects using market-based approaches to address water and sanitation challenges in the developing world, or for field-advancing, capacity-building efforts in the same areas.  Applicants must be a U.S. 501(c)3 organization providing or supporting active international work.  Please read the following information in its entirety before submitting an LOI.  

Objective

The objective of this open call is to identify strong organizations working in innovative ways to address water and sanitation challenges in the developing world.  We will consider funding programs that 1) use market-based approaches to address water and sanitation challenges, particularly those developing replicable or transferable solutions; or, 2) engage in efforts that advance your organization's field of work or build your organization's internal capacity to offer water and sanitation solutions in new or innovative ways.    

Background

The Foundation’s Global Fundamentals FAC members are committed to improving quality of life in the developing world, with an initial focus on providing clean water and sanitation.  The Committee has adopted a three-pronged approach: developing new water resources; supporting point-of-use technology; and educating people on the impacts of government policy and policy proposals, enforcing laws, and increasing awareness of water and sanitation issues.  The Global Fundamentals Fund Advisory Committee has been recommending grants since 2007.

Grant Amount

Applicants are encouraged to limit funding requests to $20,000 or less, depending on the size of the organization’s operating budget, capacity, infrastructure, and size of the proposed program or project. Organizations with smaller operating budgets or projects would be advised to request lesser amounts. 

Required Criteria 

Programs will not be considered if they do not meet the following criteria:

• Programs must fit our mission to improve the quality of life in the developing world by focusing on clean water and/or sanitation.
• Programs must incorporate evaluation components that show program results; an evaluation plan will be requested if you are invited to submit a full proposal.  The evaluation plan should include information on how you will share lessons learned with others who may want to use your program as a model for new programs.
• Applicants must demonstrate they have the capacity and competence to take on (or continue) their program or project.
• Programs must be locally sustainable.
• Programs must operate in the developing world.  We will not fund programs operating in countries with advanced economies. 

Preferred Criteria 

Priority will be given to:

• Programs that encourage development of additional partnerships and achieve goals with others, such as community organizations, government entities, and foundations, where possible.
• Organizations with a strong local partner or local presence in the country(s) in which they work and can demonstrate a track record of partnering with local organizations.
• Projects that take advantage of organizations’ capabilities to do new, different, or better work than has been done in the past or that help strengthen organizations to allow them to do more.

Application Process

If you believe your program (a) fits our objectives and (b) meets all of the required and at least some of the preferred application criteria, please visit https://www.grantinterface.com/LNFF/Common/LogOn.aspx.   Click “create new account” to register for an account, then select “Global Fundamentals LOI” and fill in an online Letter of Interest (LOI) form.  Only LOIs submitted using the online form will be accepted. LOIs that are mailed, emailed, or faxed will not be accepted.

Timeline

The deadline for submitting Letters of Interest (LOIs) is Friday, April 2, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. PDT. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.  The Global Fundamentals FAC will review all LOIs and will invite selected applicants to submit a full proposal.  Invitations for full proposals will be announced in July 2010.  Full proposals will be due in late August 2010, and grants will be awarded by December 2010. There will be expectations for reporting on expenditure of the grant throughout 2011. 

For additional information and questions, please contact Katie Briggs, kbriggs@lairdnorton.org.

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The Global Fundamentals Fund Advisory Committee seeks to improve the quality of life in developing countries by focusing on clean water and sanitation access, technology, and policy.

It has adopted a three-pronged approach: 

1. developing water and sanitation resources (e.g. wells and springs),
2. supporting point-of-use technology (filters, etc.), and
3. educating people on the impacts of government policy and policy proposals, enforcing laws, and increasing awareness of water and sanitation issues.

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2009 Grants

• A Child's Right (http://www.a-childs-right.org) $48,000
  Installation of six water purification systems at children’s institutions in Nepal, which will provide safe drinking water to more than 7,000 vulnerable children;  organizational capacity building to facilitate growth planning
• Agua Para La Vida (http://www.aplv.org) $18,688
  Drinking water and sanitation programs in Los Pinares, Nicaragua, including a gravity-flow drinking water system, sanitary latrines, hygiene education, and a spring and watershed protection program.  
• ELAW (http://www.elaw.org) $20,000
  General support for ELAW’s work protecting water resources around the world through law and science, helping grassroots advocates secure and protect clean water for poor communities.
• Haiti Outreach (http://www.haitioutreach.org) $15,000
  Drilling one well on La Gonave, Haiti, providing clean water to 500 to 1,000 people.
• International Rural Water Association (http://www.intlruralwater.org) $11,000
  Support for the Circuit Rider Program in El Salvador, a technical assistance and training program which works with communities to assist with operations and management of community water and wastewater systems; and evaluation of nine community water systems by the Salvadoran Circuit Rider with the assistance of U.S.-based Circuit Riders.
• PATH (http://www.path.org) $41,449
  To develop chlorine water quality test strips appropriate for use with drinking water treated using the electrochlorinator (developed with LNFF support in 2008) and to support development of improved latrine platforms (surfaces that connect latrine shelters to the core storage, treatment, and transport components) which could be produced at low cost and modified to address cultural preferences and different waste-management approaches.
• Pulitzer Center (http://www.pulitzercenter.org) $25,000
  General operating support with a focus on the Global Gateway educational initiative which serves as a means to raise awareness and inform citizen action. This grant would primarily be used to improve and expand their Water Gateway (waterwars.pulitzergateway.org), which is an interactive, online space where students and the public can explore reports on critical water issues and nonprofits can spread knowledge of their work.
• Water 1st International (http://www.water1st.org) $50,000
  To support work in Chittagong, Bangladesh, which will provide integrated water, sanitation and hygiene education services to people living in slum settlements in Bangladesh’s second largest city; and to support work in Kalacho Garbi, Ethiopia, to extend an existing water supply system installed by the local government by constructing a distribution pipeline and 8 public taps, bringing the water to an additional 5,000.
• WaterAid (http://www.wateraid.org) $20,000
  Project support for WaterAid’s work in Mali, focused on service delivery and appropriate technologies for water, sanitation, and hygiene; developing and promoting innovative approaches such as rainwater harvesting tanks and community-led total sanitation; running awareness campaigns to empower local citizens to demand their right to water and sanitation; sharing information by way of a Regional Learning Center to provide training, encourage innovation and research, and promote best practices; and working with the government of Mali to ensure commitment to the provision of basic water and sanitation services.
• Waterlines (http://www.waterlines.org) $25,000
  Water, sanitation and hygiene programs in four primary schools in the Bomet District of Kenya, working with a local community health and development organization. These projects include rain-collection tanks and gutters constructed by local artisans, latrine stalls, and hygiene education emphasizing hand washing.

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Water Facts & Statistics - Did you know . . .  ?

In developing countries, one person uses an average of ten liters of water per day.  In the United States, one person uses an average of 75-80 gallons in the same time period. (www.epa.gov) 

Each flush of the toilet uses the same amount of water that one person in the Third World uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking. (www.whrnet.org)

In the past ten years, diarrhea has killed more children worldwide than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II. (Water Aid)

Twelve million people die each year from lack of safe drinking water, including more than 3 million who die from waterborne diseases. (WHO)

Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to poor drinking water and sanitation. (WHO)

1.5 billion people in the world are suffering from parasite infections, which can cause malnutrition, anemia and delayed growth, due to the presence of solid human waste in the environment. Many of these infections could be controlled with improved hygiene, clean water and sanitation. (www.whrnet.org)

The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 6 km (3.75 miles). (www.whrnet.org)