Right Sharing of World Resources is seeking applications to provide seed grants to small grassroots organizations to implement women-led, income-generating projects.
Right Sharing of World Resources (RSWR) is an independent Quaker not-for-profit organization sharing the abundance of God’s love by working for equity through partnerships around the world.
RSWR gives grants to groups of marginalized women in India to fund individual micro-enterprise projects. Right Sharing’s work is grounded in a sense of stewardship for the world’s material, human, and spiritual resources.
Funding Information
Up to US $5,500 per year, for a maximum of five years. Projects are funded one year at a time and each new proposal must target a new group of women.
What types of projects does RSWR support?
RSWR supports income-generating, self-employment projects for poor women who are members of a self help group. The project must include a revolving loan component. They believe that small scale income-generating projects offer a means of establishing self sufficiency to very poor people. By requiring that the project include a revolving loan program, they can multiple the impact of the grant as the funds are revolved many times to many different women within the community.
Eligibility Criteria
Below is the list of criteria that they use in deciding which proposals to consider:
Project is located in RSWR geographic project area. In India, the RSWR geographic area is the state of Tamil Nadu and the districts of Chittoor, Cuddapah, Anantapur, and Nellore in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
NGOs are no more than 20 years old and have annual budgets of less than $16,500.
Project Coordinators must be women.
Project is for women only. RSWR understands that transgender women are women. The women self-help group members must have been a part of the decision making in determining project activities.
Proposal should include a clear description of the NGO and Women’s Self Help Group:
For women’s self-help groups include, size and makeup of group, history, current activities and current economic circumstances.
For projects in India, also include a short profile of the NGO, and of the NGO director/project coordinator.
For effective group dynamics, they recommend a group size of 20-35. However, different groups have different organizational structures, so explain your group structure if your group is larger than 35.
Indication that the group is able to receive and use money as intended. In India, they must see the latest annual audit.
Group has little or no access to other resources. Annual audited income is less than $16,500 for an NGO in India.
A clear description of the proposed Income Generating Project(s) (IGP).
Note: The projects must be compatible with the principles which guide the work of RSWR: local self-reliance, sustainability, mutual support and accountability.
