STAY CONNECTED

We are No Longer Accepting Letters of Inquiry or Proposals in 2012

WHERE & WHAT WE FUND

OVERALL FUNDING STRATEGY

Firelight strives to increase the resources available to community-based organizations that are strengthening the capacity of families and communities to care for children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS, and poverty.

Every child, regardless of race, creed, or country, deserves the promise of a future. We currently give initial one-year grants between $1,000 - $9,000 to community-based initiatives that work directly and effectively to support the fundamental needs and rights of children affected by HIV, AIDS, and poverty. We believe that grassroots programs arising in direct response to needs within the local community are often the most effective. Firelight supports this vital work with initial one-year grants and renewal grants based on funding needs and opportunities for shared learning.

Firelight has funding relationships with community-based organizations in: Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

FUNDING CRITERIA FOR OUR GRANTEE-PARTNERS

We fund organizations that demonstrate:

• Direct support and services that meet the needs and rights of vulnerable children.
• Holistic support for children’s development that nurtures children’s voice, leadership, and active participation in decisions that affect their lives.
• Approaches that tap into local support and resources, and that build family and community capacity.
• A history of effective community action that spans at least three years.
• Networking and collaboration with other organizations and relevant government agencies and. Organizations should be known by, or registered with, the District AIDS Coordinating Committee or District Social Welfare Office.relevant government agencies.
• Effective programming with innovative responses to the challenges affecting children’s well-being.
• Sound organizational governance and management systems, including distinct roles between the Board and Director

We fund programs that support:

• Building skills and knowledge of caregivers and youth to develop sustainable livelihoods.
• Addressing barriers that keep children from enrolling and succeeding in school.
• Providing counseling, emotional support, and recreation for children.
• Mobilizing communities to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, and violence against children.
• Supporting families to start gardens that provide better nutrition and regular meals for children.
• Reintegration of children into family and community.
• Legal aid for vulnerable children.
• Local and national level advocacy on child rights.
• Enhance health of children and caregivers, including promoting of HIV/AIDS prevention and access to treatment.

Firelight does NOT fund: individuals; scholarships for individual use; government entities; organizations or programs designed to influence legislation or elect public officials; organizations or programs solely intended to generate income or provide charity to individuals; academic or medical research; fundraising drives; or endowments. Firelight believes strongly in non-discrimination and does not fund programs that limit participation based on race, tribe, religion, gender, or nationality. We very rarely fund US-based organizations or branches of international non-governmental organizations.

Firelight Foundation believes that children develop best when raised within families and communities; therefore, we do not fund the institutionalization of children, i.e. orphanages. We are often asked for food aid, medical care, and housing. We understand the urgency of these needs, but we are not a relief agency. Firelight rarely funds requests for school fees alone. If organizations seeks such assistance, we work with the organization to develop programs that support school fees beyond Firelight funding.

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