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The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) invites proposals for its grant program. The IAF funds the self-help efforts of grassroots groups in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve living conditions of the disadvantaged and the excluded, enhance their capacity for decision-making and self-governance, and develop partnerships with the public sector, business and civil society. The IAF does not identify problems or suggest projects; instead it responds to initiatives presented. Projects are selected for funding on their merits rather than by sector.
IMPORTANT: The IAF only supports projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Proposals may be submitted throughout the year and will be reviewed as they are received. All submissions must conform to the guidelines posted here.
Criteria
The IAF looks for the following in a project it funds:
- innovative solutions to development problems;
- creative use of the community's resources;
- diverse array of community voices in project development and execution;
- substantial beneficiary engagement in:
- the identification of the problem addressed,
- the approach chosen to solve it,
- the design of the project, and
- management and evaluation of activities;
- partnerships with local government, the business community and other civil society organizations;
- potential for strengthening all participating organizations and their partnerships;
- feasibility;
- evidence of eventual sustainability;
- counterpart contributions from the proponent, the beneficiaries and other sources;
- the potential to generate learning;
- measurable results;
- evidence of beneficiaries' enhanced capacity for self-governance.
The following are INELIGIBLE for IAF grants:
- proposals presented or directed by government entities;
- proposals from individuals;
- proposals presented or directed by entities outside the country in which the project is located;
- proposals from groups that do not contribute financial or in-kind resources to the proposed activities;
- proposals associated with political parties or partisan movements;
purely religious or sectarian activities;
- pure research;
welfare projects of any kind, charitable institutions or proposals solely for construction and/or equipment;
- requests for grants under US$25,000 or more than US$400,000;
projects whose objectives do not encourage a shared capacity for self-help.
Procedures
Applications in Spanish, Portuguese, English, French or Haitian Creole are accepted throughout the year. Mailed applications should be sent directly to the Inter-American Foundation, Program Office. The IAF will not accept applications submitted by fax. Applications can be sent via e-mail to proposals@iaf.gov. E-mailed applications must include the country of submission on the subject line.
Note: The proposals mailbox should send an automatic response when the email with your proposal is received. If you do not receive this response, check your spam mailbox. If the response is not found there you may email inquiries@iaf.gov to receive confirmation.
The initial review will take five months and will yield a small number of projects to be analyzed further through site visits. Proponents no longer under consideration will be notified. Depending on the complexity of the project and the number of site visits required, reviews of successful proposals may take up to 12 months.
Please visit the FAQ or contact the foundation representative for your country if you have any questions.
Format
The IAF's application has three required parts:
- Part 1: Cover Sheet. This must be completed with the requested information.
- Part 2: Narrative. Responses to the questions cannot exceed 10 pages double-spaced in 12-point type.
- Part 3: Budget. Follow the model.
IMPORTANT: Proposals that exceed the above parameters will be rejected. Failure to submit all required material results in disqualification.
Click to download the call for proposals summary and the forms in Word.