FCRA PROJECTS: THE CONSERVATION, FOOD & HEALTH FOUNDATION FUNDS.

Deadline: December 31, 2013

Incorporated in 1985, the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to promote the conservation of natural resources, improve the production and distribution of food, and improve health in the developing world. The foundation helps build capacity within developing countries in its three areas of interest with grants that support research or projects that solve specific problems.

The foundation supports projects that demonstrate strong local leadership, promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences; develop the capacity of local organizations; and address a particular problem in the field. It prefers to support projects addressing under-funded issues and geographic areas.

Geographic Focus

The foundation’s geographic focus is the developing world. It prefers to support organizations located in developing countries or to developed country organizations whose activities are of direct and immediate benefit to developing countries. The foundation does not consider the states of the former Soviet Union or former Eastern Bloc countries as within its geographic focus.

Fields of Interest

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation supports special projects and programs of non governmental organizations in three primary fields of interest: conservation, food, and health. Examples of areas of interest within these fields follow, but are not meant to be exclusive.

Conservation

• Conservation grants help improve ecological and environmental conditions in the developing world. The foundation supports field research and related research activities, training, and technical assistance efforts that:
• help conserve viable ecosystems and protect biological diversity in developing countries
  train local leaders in conservation and protection of resources, with an emphasis on technical and scientific training

Food
Food grants support focused efforts to improve access to food for consumption in developing countries. Areas of interest include projects that:

• promote or develop specific sustainable agriculture practices with potential to advance science and practice in other countries;
• develop new approaches that address fuel and resource problems related to food production and preparation in developing countries;
• explore and refine innovative education and training interventions for small scale food producers and farmers; and
• advance new approaches to control pests and diseases affecting important food crops of developing countries

Health

The foundation supports public health programs that are preventive rather than curative in nature. It supports research, technical assistance, and training projects that:

• improve public health through community-based efforts that address health promotion, disease prevention, family planning, and reproductive health; and
• increase the understanding and treatment of tropical diseases

Types of Support

The foundation does not provide general operating support. It favors research, training, and technical assistance projects that:

• employ and/or train personnel from developing countries
• are led by organizations with strong records of accomplishments in a particular field and have potential for replication
• focus on regional or cross-boundary issues and opportunities
• feature collaborative partnerships embedded in strong networks
• strengthen local leadership and scientific capacity
• influence public discourse and policy
• focus on prevention rather than remediation
• attract additional support and hold promise for continuation or impact beyond the period of foundation support

Exclusions

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation does not provide support for:

• buildings, land purchase, or vehicles
• quantity purchases of durable medical equipment
• endowments or fundraising activities
• famine or emergency relief
• direct medical care or treatment
• feeding or food distribution programs
• films, videos, or web-site production
• scholarships, fellowships, or travel grants
• conferences
• re-granting through intermediaries
• general operating support, or
• individuals

Eligibility

Ordinarily the foundation limits its support to those organizations that have received a letter of determination of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and are “not a private foundation” under section 509(a).  However, the directors wish to remain open to the possibility of supporting certain equivalents, such as a domestic or foreign governmental unit or agency, or nongovernmental, foreign organization determined to be the equivalent of a 501(c)(3) organization, which can provide secure evidence of its nongovernmental status and charitable purpose.