EMpower's Grantmaking Focus
EMpower gives grants to improve opportunities for disadvantaged young people (defined by the World Health Organization as ages 10-24) in emerging market countries. Given that in 2005, there are 1.5 billion young people worldwide, constituting about 30% of the populations in developing and EM countries, investing in young people has huge potential to change not only their lives but also their nations.
We believe that the most important resource for the future of any country is its young people. Their health, education, leadership and economic opportunities are critical pillars not only of their wellbeing but also of their communities and country's development.
Portfolios: Education, Health, and Leadership and Livelihoods
We fund grants that fall into three portfolios - education, health and leadership and livelihoods - which we recognize to be interrelated. It is rare that one factor alone impedes youth from reaching their potential. For example, young people who go hungry are more likely to have health problems and to have difficulty concentrating in school; and lack of education impedes future work opportunities and the need to work takes many young people out of school. Many organizations have holistic programs that address young people's multifaceted needs and we at EMpower believe this approach is the key to sustainable change.
EMpower's focus on investing in health, education, leadership and economic opportunities for young people fits squarely with major international agreements on development priorities. EMpower's mission addresses the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which commit the UN community and 191 member states to eight interrelated goals for sustainable development. In particular, our grants will help advance targets set under the following goals:
- Achievement of universal primary education
- Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women
- Improvement in maternal mortality
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Developing a global partnership for development
Geographic Focus
We only make grants to organizations in EM countries, prioritizing those with the greatest need and opportunities to make a difference:
Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam.
EMpower's Approach to Grantmaking
EMpower's grantmaking principles are drawn from best practices in business as well as in international grantmaking. These guide not only the selection of grant recipients but also the ways we manage our own organization. Therefore, we seek partners who, like us, are committed to demonstrate effectiveness, transparency, efficiency, an interest in learning and evaluation, solution-oriented thinking, respect for and integration of the knowledge and perspectives of others, and a partnership approach to work. We work to ensure the most effective, efficient use of resources and to minimize bureaucracy in grant application and decision-making.
EMpower provides "mezzanine" grants, that is, funding for community-based groups with at least several years experience and a track record of tested approaches including effective results. We are interested in helping such organizations scale up their approaches in new geographies, expand their program offerings or develop new approaches. Institutional capacity-building and financial sustainability should be a priority for future work.
EMpower has one remaining grant cycles in FY 2007/2008 which will be in June.
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Information for Grantseekers
EMpower will ONLY consider applications from organizations that fit the following criteria:
- EMpower's issue areas of health, education, and leadership and livelihoods for young people (see EMpower's specific interests and criteria within each portfolio).
- Organizations must be based in one of EMpower's geographic priorities within the emerging market sector: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam.
- These additional criteria:
-A proven track record
-An innovation or bold idea that is feasible
-Clear sense of mission
-Strong, committed leadership
-Effective, dedicated staff
-Interest and willingness to measure results
-Commitment to, knowledge of, and respect in the community served
-Several existing or previous sources of funding
EMpower does not support:
- Emergency or disaster relief
- Individual scholarships
- US based 501(c)(3) organizations
- Programs promoting religious beliefs
- Lobbying or political campaigns
- Land acquisition, construction or major renovation of facilities
- Deficit reduction
- Institutions that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, physical disability or sexual orientation in policy or in practice
Funding:
- EMpower's average annual grant size is $25,000.
- Larger grants generally go to organizations with whom we have an established funding relationship.
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Application and Decision-Making Process
The remaining FY 2007/2008 grant cycle is in June. Decisions on which grants will be presented will be made by May 1st.
Letter of Inquiry
We will only consider applications that meet our grantmaking criteria. Please carefully review the above to determine whether your organization may be eligible. If so, you may submit a letter of inquiry:
Letter of Inquiry instructions in English or Spanish
Please note that only inquiries that meet EMpower's criteria as stated above will receive a response. EMpower will reply to qualified inquiries via email within one month of the date of submission.
NO PHONECALLS PLEASE
Our interest is in keeping the application process as simple and straightforward as possible. The letter of inquiry should be no more than 3 pages total.
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