recommendation report on potential funding

Recommendation Report on Potential Funding

Presented for the benefit of

Written by: Omar Scott, Kukena Buzeyi, Marlena Lincoln and Jesse Lewis

Table Of Contents

Introduction ………………………………………………. 3

Research Methods………………………………………… 4

Grant-Awarding Foundations

i. Meyer Memorial Trust……..………………… 5

ii. The Renaissance Foundation………………… 6

iii. Campbell Foundation………………………… 7

iv. A.J. Frank Family Foundation……………….. 8

v. Samuel T. & Mary K. Naito Foundation……. 9

vi. Equity Foundation……………………….…… 10

vii. Portland Rotary Charitable Trust…………… 11

viii. U.S. African Development Foundation……... 12

Conclusion………………………………………………..... 13

Recommendation………………………………………..… 13

References………………………………………………….. 14

Introduction To support EduCongo in finding potential funding, our team has researched eight

foundations that provide funding to non-profit organizations. The following is a list of

the foundations that we have researched.

Meyer Memorial Trust Foundation

The Renaissance Foundation

Campbell Foundation

Samuel T. & Mary K. Naito Foundation

A. J. Frank Family Foundation

The Equity Foundation

Portland Rotary Charitable Trust

African Development Foundation USADF

Each team member researched at least two foundations and gathered information either

from The Oregon Foundation Handbook or the foundation’s website or through direct

contact.

The information gathered about each foundation is divided into five categories:

About the Foundation

Application Process and Contact Information

Funding Trends

Probability of Funding EduCongo

All eight foundations are international and award grants in the area of education and

community development, which is one of EduCongo’s main goals. These eight

foundations have similar values with EduCongo and are more likely to support

EduCongo’s mission. We believe that the Meyer Memorial Trust will be the best choice

as a potential funder for EduCongo and recommend it to EduCongo. Meyer Memorial

Trust is one of the largest foundations in the Country and has more funds available.

Detailed information about the comparison between the eight foundations can be found

under the recommendation section of this report.

Research Methods

In order to gain adequate information about EduCongo’s needs, primary (telephone

conversations) and secondary (information from website) research methods were

implemented. We conducted the following.

We spoke with our teacher, Ms. Gay Monteverde, who wrote grants for

nonprofit organizations to gain research resources for our project. She

recommended that we use the OR Database Book. From this book we gathered a

number of potential funding sources.

Kukena, one of our team members contacted a source at EduCongo for

additional and efficient information about their needs.

We then searched the internet for additional resources that we considered would

meet the requirements necessary to provide funding for an international

nonprofit organization.

From the information in the book and our online research, we gathered a number of

organizations that we thought would be very good sources of funding. We selected

eight of these organizations based on their funding availability. Each team member was

responsible for researching two organizations. These organizations were:

We researched each organization by, first gathering all possible information that

could be found in the OR Database Book. Secondly, our team visited the website

of each organization to determine the nature of the organizations.

We conducted multiple types of primary interviews in order to gain information

about the organizations. The All our secondary research was gathered from the

OR Database Book and online data.

After conducting these interviews, we gathered all the available information and

gained the various means by which EduCongo could go about applying for these

grants.

About Meyer Memorial Trust

The late Fred G. Meyer established the Meyer Memorial Trust (MMT) in 1982. Until

1995, Meyer Memorial Trust was the largest private foundation in the Pacific

Northwest. Now, this foundation is still among the largest 100 foundations in the

United States. Since its creation, MMT has awarded funds to 2,687 organizations that

want to better the community in different focus areas such as arts & culture, education,

human services, public affairs and social benefit.


The first step is to visit MMT online at www.mmt.org/apply to submit an application

regarding EduCongo as an organization. MMT will use a funding finder tool to assess

EduCongo’s eligibility for grants and what type of grant will be awarded. Once

qualified, EduCongo would register with MMT and receive an online account. Then

EduCongo will need to complete and submit the application online. The deadline

depends on the kind of grant an organization qualifies for.

Contact Name Phone Number Email Website

Mr. Doug Stamm (503) 228-5512 [email protected] mmt.org

Funding Trends

From its creation in 1982 until December, 2011, Meyer Memorial Trust has made almost

6,700 awards for more than $554 million to different organizations. The table below is

for the fiscal year 2007.

Number of Grants Total Grant Value Award Range Average Award

406 $27,653,920 $526 - $2 Million $67,301


Even though EduCongo is, an international nonprofit organization, but they are located

here in Portland and they meet MMT requirement because they want to better the

community. MMT is a large foundation and there are significant funds available, which

will increase the chance for EduCongo to get funding.

http://www.mmt.org/apply

About Renaissance Foundation

The Renaissance Foundation was established and incorporated in Portland, Oregon as a

private organization. The foundation’s goal is to make a substantial change in the lives

of people in need. The organization is most geared to enhance areas of education,

human services and environment. Most of the grants distributed by The Renaissance

Foundation are in the Portland Metro area and a few are distributed to National and

International programs.


When applying for the first time, a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) of more than two pages in

length must be submitted. The LOI should be of size 12 font and include the following.

• A description of the program for requested support.

Number and nature of the intended beneficiaries

The anticipated outcomes of the project/program.

• How your organization impacts your community/constituency.

• A brief project/program budget including the amount being requested.

• Name, title and email address of your principal contact.

• A roster of the board of directors.

Contact Name Address Website

Irving J Levin PO Box 80516 Portland, OR 97280-1516 trfwebsite.org

Funding Trends

The Renaissance Foundation has awarded the following since 2003.


32 $400,327 not available $12,510


EduCongo is similar to other organizations that the Renaissance Foundation has

funded. Therefore, the Renaissance Foundation is likely to fund EduCongo. One

advantage for seeking funding from the Renaissance Foundation is that they are

committed to providing funding for international nonprofit organizations. Because of

this commitment, EduCongo has a better chance of receiving funding compared to

other nonprofit organizations that are not internationally based.

The Campbell Foundation

About The Campbell Foundation

The Campbell Foundation, located in Lake Oswego, OR, is a private foundation that

was established in 1998. Their purpose is “to serve the needs of the underprivileged

and disadvantaged. The Foundation provides aid and assistance by supporting

neighborhoods and local communities, schools, service clubs, voluntary organizations

and governmental organizations that are acting to aid the underprivileged. Because of

the needs experienced by many children, it is intended that the Foundation will focus

its efforts on alleviating the needs of underprivileged children.”


To apply, EduCongo would need to submit a detailed letter about how the funds will

be used and what the charitable purpose is. Supporting documentation, such as

EduCongo’s tax exemption determination letter, would also be required. The deadline

to apply is December 1. The letter should be sent to 155 B #320, Lake Oswego, OR

97034.


Ms. Patty Messinger (503) 675-2781 not available not available

Funding Trends

The table below provides information from the fiscal year 12/31/07.


37 $624,753 $500 - $200,000 $16,885


Although The Campbell Foundation allows international organizations to apply, a

majority of the grants are issued to Oregon, their geographical focus. However, there

have been generous amounts of grant money awarded to South Africa. Therefore,

EduCongo would be a great candidate to apply for one of The Campbell Foundation

grants.

The A.J. Frank Family Foundation

About the A.J. Frank Family Foundation

The A.J. Frank Family Foundation is located in Mill City, OR and was established in

1959 with the purpose of general charity, religious and educational purposes. Their

Foundation mainly supports the geography of Oregon but they also award grants

internationally.


In order to apply for these grants, EduCongo would need to contact the Foundation by

letter with a description of their organization, purpose, budget or project and proof of

tax exempt status. The application criteria letter will be mailed upon request.

Recipients will be notified within about a month of the decision being made. Send all

inquirer letters to PO Drawer 79, Mill City, OR 97360.


Mr. Ryan Banning (503) 897-2371 not available not available

Funding Trends

The table below provides information from the fiscal year 9/30/08.


53 $457,395 $100 - $73,600 $8,927


This Foundation would be a good fit for EduCongo because A.J. Frank Family

Foundation offers a substantial amount of grants for educational purposes followed by

religion, and spiritual development.


About Samuel T. & Mary K. Naito Foundation

Samuel T. & Mary K. Naito Foundation became established in 2007 by Samuel Naito

and Mary Naito. The Naito foundation mainly supports organizations that focus on

educational purposes and community improvement.


The application process is not very complicated. This foundation requires any

organization who is applying for a grant to submit a letter with important information.

The good thing is that this foundation does not have a deadline for the grant’s

application.


Mr. Samuel Naito (503) 517-4305 not available not available

Funding Trends

The following table provides information for the fiscal year 2007.


48 $118,400 $200 - $10,000 $2,498


Even though The Naito foundation is not one of the biggest foundations in the Nation,

EduCongo would be likely to receive supporting funds. Samuel T. & Mary K. Naito

Foundation is an international organization for educational purposes, and EduCongo

focuses their effort into educating a community. These two organizations share the

same values of supporting educational causes.

About Equity Foundation

A group of gay and lesbian Oregonians established equity foundation in 1989. They

created this organization with the intention to improve the lives of individuals across

the state of Oregon. They were concerned deeply about hatred, violence, and the

divisiveness that exist in the world today. Equity Foundation strongly supports

Economic Rights Funding. They believe that everyone has the right to an education to

earn a good living regardless of orientation.


The first step in applying is to visit www.equityfoundation.org/granting and download

the application form. After filling out the application form, it has to be mail in to the

organization. There they will review the application and rank the application it with a

score of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest. Application ranked 4 and 3 will be reviewed by

the Board.


not available (503) 231 -5759 [email protected] equityfoundation.org

Funding Trends

Since it was founded in 1989, the Equity Foundation has awarded over 184

organizations. A large percentage of its grants had been for educational purpose.


184 $242,875 $50 - $20,000 $1,365

Probability of funding EduCongo

The probability of Equity Foundation funding the causes of EduCongo is very low

because they do not award grants for international causes at this time. There is a

possibility that EduCongo’s grant request will be approved in the future according to

our contact. Striving to support the education for the less fortunate is one of Equity

foundation’s goals.


About Portland Rotary Charitable Trust

The Rotary Club of Portland is an organization composed of Portland professionals and

businesses whom are dedicated to humanitarian service. The Portland Rotary

Charitable Trust (PRCT) was established in 1950 to offer grants for capital projects that

serve humanitarian causes in several mission areas including a World Community

Service Program.


While the PRCT has worked in collaboration with other Rotary Clubs to award grants

for humanitarian projects across the world, the Rotary Club of Portland does not have a

clear application process for requesting funding for international servicing projects.

Due to this, it is our recommendation that EduCongo begins networking with Portland

Rotary Charitable Trust directly using the contact information below.


Ms. Debra Dunn (503) 228-1542 [email protected] rotarypdx.org

Funding Trends

According to their website, the Rotary Club of Portland has contributed grants in excess

of $5.3 million to community grants for nonprofit projects in local and global

communities. The following funding information summarizes the PRCT’s funding

activities as of fiscal year 2007.


21 $282,694 $1,500 - $68,167 $13,462


EduCongo may find some initial difficulty achieving a grant award through the PRCT.

Funding through the PRCT for international projects often requires that members of the

Rotary Club of Portland network with the Rotary International Foundation. This

complication will require extra efforts in networking with Rotary Club of Portland to

achieve any grant awards for efforts in the District Republic of Congo.

U.S. African Development Foundation

About United States African Development Foundation (USADF)

The African Development Foundation Act of 1980, also known as “the ADF Act”,

established the USADF. The USADF provides large sums of funding to achieve its

directive in providing support to community organizations that benefit under-served

African communities. The USADF works directly with all capital projects for the grants

it awards. At this time, the USADF is only providing grants actively to some African

nations not including Congo. Therefore, EduCongo is not currently eligible for funding

through ASADF.

Application Process

If the USADF begins operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, EduCongo

would be able to apply online at www.usadf.gov.


Ms. Debra Dunn (202) 673-3916 [email protected] usadf.gov

Funding trends

The USADF provides grants of up to $250,000 to community groups and small

enterprises that benefit under served and marginalized groups in Africa. There is no

readily available average award information because funding figures differ significantly

between each African nation the USADF supports.


420 $63 Million $50,000 - $250,000 not available


The USADF is aligned with nearly all of the missions of EduCongo. However because

there is no office for a representative to the Democratic Republic of Congo at this time,

funding through the USADF is simply impossible until relations from the USADF are

started in Congo. Given that the amount of funding available is so high, it is

recommended that EduCongo pursue lobbying for USADF to begin support in Congo.

Conclusion After completing our research on each of the foundations included in this report, we

have determined that the first five foundations mentioned have high potential for

awarding grants to EduCongo, including the following.

Meyer Memorial Trust Foundation

The Renaissance Foundation

Campbell Foundation


The remaining foundations have similar missions or goals to EduCongo but may have

requirements for grant awards that would prevent EduCongo from receiving a grant

award through them at this time. This list of low potential standing includes the

following foundations.

Equity Foundation


United States African Development Fund

Recommendation Our team has determined that the Meyer Memorial Trust is the most likely candidate

for awarding a grant to EduCongo. Of the available grants EduCongo currently

qualifies for, the total grant value of the Meyer Memorial Trust is much higher when

compared to the other foundations our team has researched as displayed in the

comparison chart below. Therefore, we recommend that EduCongo submit an

application for a grant to the Meyer Memorial Trust by visiting their application

website online at www.mmt.org/apply.

http://www.mmt.org/apply

References

"EduCongo” EduCongo. Web. 12 May 2012.

"Equity Foundation." Equity Foundation. Web. 04 June 2012.

"Home - The Campbell Foundation." The Campbell Foundation. Web. 12 May 2012.

McPherson, Craig. OR Foundation DataBook. 10th ed. Portland: C&D / Craig

McPherson, 2010. Print.

“Meyer Memorial Trust.” Meyer Memorial Trust. Web. 24 May 2012.

"Renaissance Charitable Foundation." Renaissance Charitable Foundation. Web.

12 May 2012.

"The Rotary Club of Portland." The Rotary Club of Portland. Web. 12 May 2012.

"US African Development Foundation -- Fostering Hope, Growth, and Goodwill in

Africa." US African Development Foundation -- Fostering Hope, Growth, and

Goodwill in Africa. Web. 12 May 2012.

recommendation report on potential funding

Documents

naito foundation

frank family foundation

foundation application

oregon foundation handbook

foundations website

secondary information

adequate information

efficient information