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Small and family foundations seeking to increase their return
on charitable investments will find that the Virtual Foundation provides
low cost, risk free and exciting international grant making opportunities
in the areas of sustainable community development, environment and
health.
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Purpose of the Virtual Foundation
The purpose of the Virtual Foundation is to match small scale donors with
reputable Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their projects in
developing countries and to guarantee secure, low cost grant making.
Utilizing a website (http://www.virtualfoundation.org) and Internet
communications, the Virtual Foundation seeks to further the cause of
international philanthropy.
The Virtual Foundation enables small and family
foundations to:
- experiment with international grant making on a small scale;
- make direct grants to NGOs in other countries with little risk of
project failure;
- make small grants ($500-$5,000) that have considerable impact;
- choose specific projects that fit or expand the foundation's
portfolio;
- depend on a network of experienced and trustworthy local/international
grantmakers to supervise grants;
- have the option to receive timely
progress and final reports on-line or through e-mail.
The Virtual Foundation offers these cost saving
advantages:
- small and family foundation board members may review Virtual
Foundation proposals, make funding decisions, and monitor progress without
meeting in a room;
- no need to for an expensive infrastructure usually associated with
making grants abroad;
- savings on administrative expenses through paperless grantmaking;
- only 10% of grant funds are slated for the Virtual Foundation's and
its partner's expenses;
- International grant making to address global problems is more cost
effective abroad than in the US;
- tax deduction and compliance with all IRS regulations are guaranteed
How the Virtual Foundation works
The
Virtual Foundation posts low-cost proposals from NGOs on its website and
allows donors to choose from among listed grant requests. Before posting,
proposals undergo a rigorous internal review process. For complete
on-the-ground quality control, the Virtual Foundation cooperates with its
Consortium Members, and expanding network of experienced and reputable,
country based grant making organizations. Consortium Members solicit,
review and recommend NGO proposals to the Virtual Foundation and agree to
monitor the project once it is funded. Presently, Consortium Members are
located in Central Europe, the Newly Independent States of the Former
Soviet Union, China and Nepal. |
A
sample grant
A Chinese NGO project illustrates the process of Virtual Foundation
website funding. In 1997, the Virtual Foundation Consortium Member in
Beijing received a $750 proposal for an environmental action project from
a group of teachers and their grade school students. The group proposed
to plant saplings in their school yard, take care of them and transplant
them later to locations now bare of trees. The proposal was reviewed by
the Consortium Member and recommended to the Virtual Foundation as a
worthwhile project, submitted by reliable people.
The in-country selection was followed by a triple layered review
process by the Virtual Foundation Technical Director, the Grants Committee
and the Board of ECOLOGIA--founder and managing organization of the
Virtual Foundation. After final approval, the proposal was posted on the
Virtual Foundation website. The amount requested on the website was $825,
reflecting a 10% increase over the NGO request. This standard increase
helps defray some of the administrative costs and is divided equally
between the Consortium Member and the Virtual Foundation. Thanks to
electronic communications, the entire process takes place via email and is
completely meeting free.
The Chinese tree planting proposal was funded by a Pennsylvania church
group focused on environmental issues. Funds provided by the donor group
were quickly wired to the Consortium Member in China and and made
available to the teacher-student group. Members of the donor group have
communicated with the grantees by email and may even visit them one day.
Members of small and family foundations, too, may wish to connect directly
with the NGO they support.
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About ECOLOGIA
ECOLOGIA is an
international environmental organization based in Harford, Pennsylvania.
It has nine years of experience working with NGOs in Central Europe and
the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union. Two years ago,
ECOLOGIA President Randy Kritkausky decided to use the exploding
electronic communications technology for philanthropic purposes and in a
short time raised the funds to develop the Virtual Foundation. Initial and
ongoing support for the Virtual Foundation comes from the Charles Stewart
Mott Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Open Society Institute,
The Trust for Mutual Understanding, Turner Foundation and from private
individuals.
To find out more about the success stories of the
Virtual Foundation, please look at our list of already funded
projects.
The Virtual Foundation Website:
http://www.virtualfoundation.org/
The Virtual Foundation, A Project of ECOLOGIA;
Randy Kritkausky, President, ECOLOGIA
Harford, PA; Tel: 1 888 801 7101
email: ecologia@ecologia.org
Irmgard Hunt, Project Director,
Virtual Foundation, U.S.
Washington, DC; Tel. 202 362 3622
email: iahunt@aol.com
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