For immediate release
July 8, 2011
Contact: Gloria Mayne, gmayne@seaif.org

SIF awards grants to local organizations tackling poverty around the globe

Today, Seattle International Foundation announced $178,800 in grants under its Global Program, created to support and strengthen the international non-profit sector in the Puget Sound area and Washington State.

The grants awarded reflect the tremendous diversity and talent of organizations working in international development in our region. This work ranges from improving maternal health in Ghana, providing water supply and sanitary systems in Bangladesh, supporting education for disadvantaged girls in Brazil, to providing vocational training for indigenous communities in Guatemala.

SIF is proud to announce grants to the following programs:

$15,000 for Amigos de Santa Cruz Foundation to support the second phase of development for the CECAP vocational training center, focusing primarily on indigenous people and women in Santa Cruz, Guatemala.

$12,500 for Bahia Street to fund a comprehensive education program and provide social development support for 60 impoverished girls, as well as family members and community members, in Bahia, Brazil.

$9,800 for the Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Islands Association to fund six healthcare facilities to carry out infrastructure improvement projects and community-initiated health education projects on the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua.

$10,000 to the Burkitt's Lymphoma Kenya Fund to provide chemotherapy drugs for approximately 200 patients, improve the treatment rate by covering transportation and additional costs for patients’ families and provide training for medical personnel.

$15,000 for EarthCorps to provide 6 women leaders from around the world with environmental restoration, community building and volunteer management training through a six month program in Seattle.

$12,500 for the Engineers without Borders (Univ. of Washington) to install new stoves and replace thatch roofs in collaboration with residents and community members in Taconi, Bolivia.

$4,000 for Give2Cuba, a U.S. pooled giving fund, to support anti-poverty and development efforts in Cuba.

$12,500 for Global Visionaries to invest in the organizational capacity of GV staff (particularly Guatemalan staff) in order to scale programs and train staff in Guatemala on best-practices and other management issues.

$10,000 for the Global Women’s Philanthropy Project (housed at the UW Evans School of Public Affairs) to support research, travel and events to facilitate dialogue with donors in China to support the creation of a Washington Women’s Foundation model for women philanthropists.

$12,500 for Literacy Bridge to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health in western Ghana through a low-cost audio device designed to allow illiterate mothers to learn more effectively from local health experts and better adopt new maternal practices.

$10,000 for the Mona Foundation to provide support for the Digital Study Hall to improve education for disadvantaged children in rural and slum schools in India by building and testing a system to help teachers and students to use appropriate technology and local resources.

$10,000 for One Equal Heart Foundation to support Tseltal Mayan women in Mexico and their children by providing nutritional supplements and anti-parasitics, as well as provide training and start-up resources for mothers to create home gardens.

$15,000 for Prosthetics Outreach Foundation to provide orthopedic support to children and other people with disabilities in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, as well as expand new programs in Liberia and Haiti.

$15,000 for the UW Cambodia Social Work Program to establish and sustain the first university level social work program in Cambodia, to train individuals to become skilled professionals, addressing poverty and the consequences of genocide and civil war.

$15,000 for Water First to construct an integrated water supply and sanitation system, and provide hygiene and sanitary education for approximately 200 individuals living in the targeted slum areas of Bangladesh.

SIF has screened and reviewed over 100 Washington State nonprofits working globally, and strives to identify and support high-impact organizations working internationally. Click here to access the general criteria for SIF’s Global Program.

Organizations can stay informed about the work of the Seattle International Foundation through our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and at our website, www.seaif.org.