NGO Consultant

NGO Consultant
Odisha NGO Consultancy Services

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Call for Applications - Vijay Amritraj Foundation (VAF)

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation invites applications and the last dated is 30th August 2014

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation is based on the principles established by Mr. Amritraj, that In Giving We Receive.

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation brings hope, help and healing to the defenseless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance in India.

Driven by our founders firm belief that in giving we receive, the foundation pledges to make a real difference for those throughout India who are most in need of the helping hand of humanity.

Funding Priorities: The Foundations focus is on funding the smaller charities of India who do not have the ability to raise money or awareness for their causes. Charities serving children and adults who face extreme challenges in life; HIV/AIDS, Family Abandonment, and Individuals Ostracized by society for their illness.

What VAF Fund:

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation (VAF) makes grants to approved NGO’s throughout India.

All prospective applicants should fully review the guidelines for the Foundation before making initial contact.

VAF grantmaking is carried out in three ways:


•The VAF requests proposals from charitable organizations in India with which we have been in contact.
•The VAF will accept proposals from charitable organizations in India who are referred by existing grantees and/or VAF Ambassadors.
•The VAF accepts unsolicited requests from charitable organizations in India for projects that fall within our program priorities and guidelines.

Because available funding is limited, letters of inquiry are required for unsolicited programs or projects. Such letters should include a brief description of the project, the funding requested, and the period of time for which the funding is being requested.

Both general-purpose and project-specific requests are considered. In addition, both single and multi-year proposals are acceptable.

What VAF do not Fund

The VAF observes the following limitations:
•No grants or loans to individuals.
•No grants for capital development, research, project replication or endowment unless these activities grow out of work already being funded by the VAF.
•The Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation.
•No grants for religious activities or programs serving specific religious groups or denominations. However, faith-based organizations may submit inquiries if the project falls within our guidelines and serves a broad segment of the population.
•Film and video projects, books, scholarships, and fellowships are rarely funded.

Criteria - How To Apply :

How to Apply

Letters of Inquiry

Please note: Please review our grants guidelines in detail prior to submitting a letter of inquiry.

As noted earlier, unsolicited requests must be made through letters of inquiry. The letter should describe the purpose and objectives of the project, general methodology and total cost of the project. A letter of inquiry enables the Foundation to determine the relevance of the proposed project to the Foundation's work and to provide advice on whether to submit a full proposal.

Full, Formal Proposals

If your letter of inquiry receives a favorable response, please follow this checklist for what should be included in a solicited formal proposal:
•A cover letter, detailing the amount of money requested and the grant period, signed by the individual responsible for signing grant contracts on behalf of the grant applicant.
•A project description, including an explanation of why the project is needed, who will be served and what will be accomplished.
•A documented line-item expense budget and a revenue budget, showing all projected sources of funds for the project over the proposed grant period.
•A plan for financial and/or programmatic sustainability of the project.
•A plan for evaluation of the project's results.
•Before a grant will be approved, U.S. government regulations require us to collect from each applicant, an affidavit and public support schedule to determine equivalence as a tax-exempt institution under U.S. law. VAF staff/Ambassadors will provide the forms as well as assistance in completing them.
•Organizations that receive funding are required to provide quarterly program updates to the Foundation.
•All submitted materials must be in English.

For multiple year funding, applicants must submit copies of their organization's published annual report and audited financial statements before a continuation grant will be approved. If these documents are not available, an eligibility review process will be undertaken by the Foundation for projects of interest.

When to Apply

Applications are accepted year-round, but those received between September 1 and December 31 will be considered only for the following calendar year.

Proposals are reviewed and funded 3 times a year. Reviews take place in January, May, and September. During the review period, prospective grantees are strongly discouraged from contacting the Foundation.

Where to Apply

Send letters of inquiry via email to: info@thevaf.com

THE FOUNDATION'S RESPONSE
VAF will send you an acknowledgment that your letter of inquiry was received. If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly. Please allow up to eight weeks for the Foundation to reply.

If the Foundation decides that your project might qualify for a grant, we will contact you to discuss next steps and what further information is required.

As is now the case with most charities in the United States who make grants to organizations based outside the United States, the Foundation checks the names of foreign based grantees, and the principal officers and directors of such grantees, against one or more lists maintained by the U.S. government, the European Union, and the United Nations, which contain the names determined by such entities to be terrorist organizations or individual terrorists. This process is a result of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, Executive Orders issued by the President, and suggested guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A memorandum on this topic is available upon request.

All material submitted becomes the property of the Foundation. The Foundation sometimes submits inquiries or proposals to confidential outside review.

For further details visit: http://www.vijayamritrajfoundation.org/guidelines.html