Lawrence Jones, chairman of the IHEU/HIVOS Grants Committee, has commented on the criteria used to assess the grant applications in the 2006 funding round.
“The IHEU/HIVOS Grant Fund received nearly 50 requests for funding this year from organizations throughout the developing world. With limited monies available, it was impossible to fund all the worthy proposals”, he said.
It is hoped that publication of the grant criteria will assist organizations in future grant applications. An announcement of the 2007 funding round will be made in the New Year.
Main categories
EDUCATION: Does the proposal promote the understanding of humanism to a broad audience?
POLITICAL ACTIVISM: Does the proposal promote separation of religion and state?
HUMAN RIGHTS: Does the proposal promote human rights especially those of women and children?
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Does the proposal support and encourage the participation of youth in the humanist movement?
Criteria
1) Does the proposal support IHEU member organizations in their campaigns and activities?
2) Is the proposal made by an IHEU member organization?
3) Does the proposal benefit people in the developing world of India and Africa?
4) Does the proposal support organized humanist activism?
5) Can the project serve as a model for adoption by other organizations?
6) Is the project self-sustaining beyond the expiration period of the grant?
7) Will the recipient organization’s contribution to the proposed project be significant?
Successful proposals first must fit into one or more of the main categories. Then the seven criteria are used to measure the value of each proposal. A strong affirmative answer to any one of the four broad categories needs to be supported by multiple strong affirmative answers from the seven criteria.