The Right Sharing of World Resources is seeking applications for its grant program.
RSWR is a Quaker organization supported primarily by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the United States.
Goals
RSWR has two main goals:
Provide grants for women in the developing world to begin small income-generating businesses so that they may help themselves and their families out of poverty.
Help Quakers in the United States learn about the negative effects of poverty in the developing world and the negative effects of materialism in North America.
Funding Information
Up to US $5,500 for a one year project.
Each group may receive only one grant.
Eligible Projects
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 their grant as the funds are revolved many times to many different women within the community.
Eligibility Criteria
Right Sharing of World Resources gives grants to small, grassroots women’s groups that do not have access to other adequate funding. The grants are for micro-enterprise, self-employment projects. They help with seed money and training so that a group can begin a revolving loan fund for members to take loans to begin their own small businesses. It is important to them that the women work together in self-help groups and use the RSWR resources to help themselves grow into independent and strong groups. Below is the list of criteria that they use in deciding which applications and proposals to consider:
Project is located in RSWR geographic project area. In Sierra Leone, RSWR will accept applications from the entire country. However, projects in the southern and eastern provinces are accepted from July 1 to December 31, and projects in the northern and western provinces are accepted from January 1 to June 30.
Women’s self help groups are no more than 20 years old.
All Project Coordinators and other leaders of the women’s groups must be women. No men may be involved.
Project is for women only and the women self-help group members have been a part of the decision making in determining project activities. They expect the women themselves to be wholly in charge of the projects without involvement of outside persons, including the management of the bank account.
Proposal should include a clear description of the Women’s Self Help Group. Include, size and makeup of group, history, current activities and current economic circumstances.
For effective group dynamics, they recommend a group size of 20-35. However, different groups have different organizational structures, so please 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 Sierra Leone, they must see the group’s end-of-year financial report.
Group has little or no access to other resources. Annual income is less than $4,000.
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.
The Income Generating Projects are viable businesses for the geographic area and have potential to make the women a sustainable living. The proposal should describe an economic plan for each business proposed, including the amount of the loan per woman, the projected monthly gross income, monthly business expenses, loan repayment, and net monthly income projected. They expect the women’s business income to bring them above the World Bank International Poverty Line (currently $1.90 per day) after business expenses, loan repayment, and savings.
