Local grants to develop one’s local community
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Çınar Kiper
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 02, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Sabancı Foundation used to keep its philanthropy along more traditional lines, offering scholarships, building schools and hospitals. But its new grant-making program is now offering $1 million to anybody who wishes to improve the conditions of his or her community
As the old Chinese proverb goes, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. But when man does not have the resources to fish, or access to clean water, or is even willing to share with his family, civil society begins playing a vital role in a society's sustainable development, and Turkey's first private grant-making program has come into being.
The Sabancı Foundation used to keep its philanthropy along more traditional lines, offering scholarships, building schools and hospitals. But its new grant-making program is now offering $1 million to anybody who wishes to improve the living conditions of their community.
The Sabancı Foundation’s first foray into grant-making was a joint program with the United Nations for two years giving money to organizations dealing with women's rights. It was during these two years that the foundation researched how it could establish its own independent program of grant-making. Its new program is far more ambitious than the earlier one, which offered 11 grants for around YTL 15,000 each in both 2007 and 2008, now offering grants between YTL 100,000 -300,000 for projects lasting up to 18 months focusing on women's rights, youth rights and rights for the disabled.
It is a difficult undertaking, says Dr. Kumi Naidoo, the honorary president of CIVICUS, the world Alliance for Citizen Participation. "Whether a society can form foundations is not a given. The space given to civil society must never be taken for granted, even amongst the ’defenders of democracy’."
He has visited Turkey many times, bringing his own expertise about what international foundations have done, even meeting then President Süleyman Demirel, where they talked about the reforms in associational law that would pave the way for civil society and foundations. "Since my first visit in 1999, there has been a significant effort," he said.
Turkey's active civil society
President of the global Fund for Woman, the world’s largest grant-making organization focusing on woman’s issues, Kavita N. Ramdas, praised Turkey’s civil society, "You are starting at an advantage, many countries would love to have such a strong civil society ready to participate in a grant making program like the Sabancı foundations." Grant-making foundations are essential, she says, because they allow us to hear the voices of the communities.
And for these foundations to be domesticly funded is even more important, "I feel there is an advantage to having your own money for your own problems. It is telling your country ’thank you, I succeeded in society and benefited because of the support of my country and now I wish to give back.’."
The new grants program began taking applications as of Nov. 20th, and will continue to do so until Jan. 20.
The Sabancı Foundation used to keep its philanthropy along more traditional lines, offering scholarships, building schools and hospitals. But its new grant-making program is now offering $1 million to anybody who wishes to improve the living conditions of their community.
The Sabancı Foundation’s first foray into grant-making was a joint program with the United Nations for two years giving money to organizations dealing with women's rights. It was during these two years that the foundation researched how it could establish its own independent program of grant-making. Its new program is far more ambitious than the earlier one, which offered 11 grants for around YTL 15,000 each in both 2007 and 2008, now offering grants between YTL 100,000 -300,000 for projects lasting up to 18 months focusing on women's rights, youth rights and rights for the disabled.
It is a difficult undertaking, says Dr. Kumi Naidoo, the honorary president of CIVICUS, the world Alliance for Citizen Participation. "Whether a society can form foundations is not a given. The space given to civil society must never be taken for granted, even amongst the ’defenders of democracy’."
He has visited Turkey many times, bringing his own expertise about what international foundations have done, even meeting then President Süleyman Demirel, where they talked about the reforms in associational law that would pave the way for civil society and foundations. "Since my first visit in 1999, there has been a significant effort," he said.
Turkey's active civil society
President of the global Fund for Woman, the world’s largest grant-making organization focusing on woman’s issues, Kavita N. Ramdas, praised Turkey’s civil society, "You are starting at an advantage, many countries would love to have such a strong civil society ready to participate in a grant making program like the Sabancı foundations." Grant-making foundations are essential, she says, because they allow us to hear the voices of the communities.
And for these foundations to be domesticly funded is even more important, "I feel there is an advantage to having your own money for your own problems. It is telling your country ’thank you, I succeeded in society and benefited because of the support of my country and now I wish to give back.’."
The new grants program began taking applications as of Nov. 20th, and will continue to do so until Jan. 20.