GRANT-MAKING ORGANIZATIONS
FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
The on-line resources assembled below are intended for a US higher education
audience seeking funding for international programs activities. This also includes some
opportunities for direct grants to institutions from outside of the United States but many
of the organizations below restrict grants to US organizations and individuals.
While not comprehensive of US sources, the links below can serve as a starting point in
identifying potential grant sources and institutional partners.
General Grant Resources
***Denotes especially useful links
Chronicle of Philanthropy
http://www.philanthropy.com/
The newspaper of the nonprofit world. The Web site offers the complete contents of
Chronicle's print edition, an archive of articles from the past two years, and more than
four years' worth of grant listings -- all fully searchable.
***Federal Business Opportunities
https://www.fbo.gov/
The single government point-of-entry for US government procurement opportunities over
$25,000—including especially USAID Request for Proposals. Organizations seeking
grants can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal
contracting community
The Foundation Center
http://www.fdncenter.org/
The Foundation Center’s mission is to collect, organize, and communicate information
on U.S. philanthropy; conduct and facilitate research on trends in the field; provide
education and training on the grantseeking process; and ensure public access to
information and services through the World Wide Web site, print and electronic
publications.
***The Foundation Center: Grants for Foreign & International Programs - 2010
Digital Edition
http://foundationcenter.org/marketplace/catalog/subcategory_gg.jhtml?id=cat620002
This new Grant Guide reveals the scope of current foundation giving in the field. You'll
find descriptions of over 14,800 grants worth in excess of $6 billion from more than 800
foundations. Grants for Foreign & International Programs is essential for identifying
prospective funders for general support or specific projects. 571 pages. $39.95 for
searchable .pdf file.
The Grant Advisor Plus
http://www.grantadvisor.com/
This service is geared toward grantseekers at U.S. colleges and universities. It provides
subscribers with a monthly newsletter and with listings of grant and fellowship opportunities from
government, foundation and NGO sources for their institutions and faculty. A separate
section of the newsletter is devoted to grants for international activities.
***The Grantsmanship Center
http://www.tgci.com/
Links to U.S. and international funding sources.
NonProfitExpert
http://www.nonprofitexpert.com/international.htm
Links to many international donor organizations.
***Michigan State University Grant Resource Listings
http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/privint.htm
An extensive list of online guides and websites for international grant seekers.
Grant Programs for International Higher Education
Higher Education in Development/USAID
http://www.hedprogram.org/
Higher Education in Development (HED) coordinates the efforts of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) to plan and implement development programs with
colleges and universities abroad. Through the Institutional Partnerships program, HED
solicits proposals from U.S. colleges and universities to partner with higher education
institutions in developing countries. These partnerships further USAID strategic
objectives and assist both partnering institutions to apply their expertise collaboratively
to global development challenges.
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs incl Fulbright Programs
--http://exchanges.state.gov/
--http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html
--http://fulbright.state.gov/fulbright/about/whyis/binational-partnerships/fulbright-
commissions
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State
administers grant competitions for a large number of undergraduate, graduate
(Humphrey, Muskie) fellowship programs as well as faculty development programs for
scholars abroad seeking to conduct study and research in the United States.
Institute of International Education
http://www.iie.org
IIE is an independent, nonprofit organization, the Institute is a resource for educators
and institutions worldwide. IIEs goals include: to promote closer educational relations
between the people of the United States and other countries; to increase the number of
students, scholars and professionals who have the opportunity to study, teach and
conduct research outside of their own country and to strengthen and internationalize
institutions of higher learning throughout the world. IIE administers a variety of grant
programs funded through foundations and by the US and other governments.
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs.html
The Fogarty International Center promotes and supports scientific research and training
internationally to reduce disparities in global health. This mission forms the conceptual
basis for current FIC programs related to HIV/AIDS, emerging infectious diseases,
maternal and child health, population research and demographic science, medical
informatics, drug discovery from biodiversity, as well as fellowship programs for young
Americans, with emphasis on underrepresented minorities. The disciplinary fields
described are pursued through a range of funding mechanisms, including institutional
training grants, cooperative agreements, small research grants, fellowships, and
multilateral initiatives involving international organizations.
National Science Foundation – International
http://www.nsf.gov/home/int/start.htm
The NSF supports international research and education through a variety of programs
that include: Fellowships; Travel grants; Summer Institutes; Workshops; Research and
education projects; and Antarctic projects. Depending on program, grants are
available to graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty and institutions.
Boren Awards for International Education
http://www.borenawards.org/
Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S.
undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language
component to their educations. We focus on geographic areas, languages, and fields of
study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.
Population Council Fellowship Program
http://www.popcouncil.org/
The Population Council is an international, nonprofit institution that conducts
research on three fronts: biomedical, social science, and public health. This
research—and the information it produces—helps change the way people think
about problems related to reproductive health and population growth. The
Council offers research grants to individuals and institutions in these areas of research.
Smithsonian Institution
http://www.si.edu/ofg/fellowopp.htm
The Smithsonian Museum offers fellowships and internships in a variety of fields to
university researchers.
US Department of Education, International Programs
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/index.html
The International Education and Foreign Language Studies domestic programs are
designed to strengthen the capability and performance of American education in foreign
languages and in area and international studies. Overseas programs are intended to
improve secondary and postsecondary teaching and research concerning other cultures
and languages, training of specialists, and the American public's general understanding
of the peoples of other countries. Grant opportunities include:
• American Overseas Research Centers
• Business and International Education
• Centers for International Business Education
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
• Fulbright-Hays Training Grants--Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
• Fulbright-Hays Training Grants--Faculty Research Abroad
• Fulbright-Hays Training Grants--Group Projects Abroad
• Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad--Bilateral Projects
• Institute for International Public Policy
• International Research and Studies
• Language Resource Centers
• National Resource Centers
• Technological Innovation and Cooperation for Foreign Information Access
• Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program
US Department of Education, FIPSE
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/fipse/international.html
The Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education offers institutional grants
for international programs in a number of priority areas.
US Institute of Peace
http://www.usip.org/
The United States Institute of Peace offers financial support for research, education and
training, and the dissemination of information on international peace and conflict
resolution. Grants are awarded in regular annual competitions as well as to unsolicited
proposals that meet the Institute’s guidelines. The Institute may provide grant support to
nonprofit organizations and individuals-both U.S. and foreign-including the following:
institutions of post-secondary, community, and secondary education; public and private
education, training or research institutions, and libraries.
Foundations--General
Carnegie Corporation of New York
http://www.carnegie.org
The Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to
promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding." Today, a
percentage of its funds are used for the same purpose in countries other than the U.S.,
with a current emphasis on Commonwealth Africa and Russia and other post-Soviet
states. The Corporation's current grant-making programs include Education,
International Peace and Security, International Development, and Strengthening U.S.
Democracy.
Council on International Exchange of Scholars
http://www.cies.org/
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) administers a variety of
Fulbright Scholar Programs on behalf of the United States Department of State, Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Founded in 1947, CIES is a division of the Institute of
International Education (IIE).
Ford Foundation
http://www.fordfound.org
The New York City-based Ford Foundation, one of the largest U.S. funders of
international programs, focuses its grant-making in three areas: Asset Building and
Community Development, which includes program units in the areas of Economic
Development, Community & Resource Development, and Human Development and
Reproductive Health; Peace and Social Justice, with program units in Human Rights &
International Cooperation and Governance & Civil Society; and Education, Media, Arts &
Culture, with program units in Education, Knowledge & Religion and Media Arts &
Culture.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org
The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the
U.S., places a major focus on helping to improve people's lives through health and
learning and looks for "strategic opportunities to extend the benefits of modern science
and technology to people around the world, especially where poverty serves as an
obstacle to participating in these benefits." The foundation currently supports programs
in the areas of global health, including common diseases, public health, and nutrition in
developing countries; education and life-long learning, including the use of modern
information technology; and family planning and reproductive health efforts in the
developing world.
Hewlett Foundation (William and Flora)
http://www.hewlett.org
Created in 1966 by Hewlett-Packard co-founder Bill Hewlett and his wife Flora "to
promote the well-being of mankind," the Hewlett Foundation today concentrates its
grant-making activities in the areas of conflict resolution, education, environment, family
and community development, performing arts, population, and U.S.-Latin American
relations. Most of its grants are awarded to U.S.-based organizations, so be sure to
check the foundation's Web site for specific program guidelines.
Institute of International Education
http://www.iie.org/
IIE, an independent non-profit organization founded in 1919, is a world leader in the
exchange of people and ideas. IIE administers over 200 programs serving more than
20,000 individuals each year. IIE provides a wide range of services to and manages or
administers programs for many corporations, foundations, government partners, and
international agencies.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
http://www.wkkf.org
The Kellogg Foundation’s international grantmaking initiatives are focused on two
geographic areas of Latin America and the Caribbean and southern Africa to promote
leadership, social, and economic development in those regions. In Latin America and the
Caribbean, the primary focus will be on southern Mexico and Central America. In
Northeastern Brazil, we are providing funding for an endowment to address racial equity
and social inclusion.
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
http://www.macfdn.org
Under the umbrella of its Program on Global Security and Sustainability, the Chicago-
based MacArthur Foundation recognizes the critical importance of three specific global
issues: international peace and security, ecosystems conservation and policy, and
population. A fourth area, Global Challenges, focuses on human rights, the
consequences of economic globalization, and the role of the United States in addressing
these issues. The foundation also makes grants to individuals and organizations and
institutions in the countries of the former Soviet Union through its Initiative in the
Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, elements of which are currently under
review.
National Endowment for Democracy
http://ned.org/
NED is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of
democratic institutions around the world. Each year, with funding from the US Congress,
NED supports more than 1,000 projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are
working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries.
Mellon (Andrew W.) Foundation
http://www.mellon.org/
The Mellon Foundation makes grants in five core areas:
• Higher Education and Scholarship
• Scholarly Communications and Information Technology
• Performing Arts
• Museums and Conservation
• Conservation and the Environment
McKnight Foundation
http://www.mcknight.org
The Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation's international grantmaking seeks "to
empower those who have been limited in the past by a lack of opportunities for self-
sufficiency and to help organizations develop skills and techniques to prevent conflicts or
resolve them peacefully." The foundation makes grants in six countries outside the U.S. -
three in Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe) and three in Southeast Asia (Laos,
Vietnam, and Cambodia).
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
http://www.mott.org
The international grantmaking of the Michigan-based Mott Foundation (representing
about 20 percent of its overall grantmaking) is concentrated in two main areas: Civil
Society and the Environment. In addition to strengthening the fabric of civil society in the
United States, Mott's Civil Society program seeks "to develop and sustain civil society in
two regions of the world in transition from repression to democracy" -- Central/Eastern
Europe and Russia, and South Africa. The foundation's Environment program has three
funding priorities: reform of international finance and trade, conservation of freshwater
ecosystems in North America, and special initiatives in response to unique opportunities
to advance environmental protection in the U.S. and internationally.
Open Society Institute
http://www.soros.org
Devoted to promoting the development of "open societies" around the world, the George
Soros-funded Open Society Institute supports more than 30 autonomous national
foundations, located primarily in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the
former Soviet Union, as well as a range of other initiatives of global significance. These
include initiatives in Belarus, an international landmines project, projects in Burma and
Central Eurasia, and a project dedicated to ending racial discrimination against Romani
(Gypsy) populations in Central and Eastern Europe.
Packard Foundation (David and Lucile)
http://www.packfound.org
Created in 1964 by Silicon Valley legend David Packard and his wife Lucile, the Packard
Foundation provides international grants primarily through its programs in the areas of
conservation, with a primary geographic focus on California, Cascadia, Hawaii, the
Western Pacific, and Mexico; and population with the foundation's international work
focused in Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and
Sudan.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
http://www.rbf.org
The fund's international grantmaking is concentrated in the areas of Sustainable
Resource Use, with a geographic focus on the U.S., East Central Europe, and East Asia;
Global Security (North America, East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southern
Africa); the Nonprofit Sector (Cambodia, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Korea, Malayasia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Thailand,
Vietnam, and the Russian Far East); and South Africa. The fund also operates a
Program for Asian Projects to support initiatives in Asia that embody the spirit of the
Ramon Magsaysay Awards.
Rockefeller Foundation
http://www.rockfound.org
Endowed and chartered by John D. Rockefeller in 1913, the New York City-based
Rockefeller Foundation has from the beginning sought "to identify, and address at their
source, the causes of human suffering and need." The foundation's grantmaking is
organized around integrated programs in food, health, work, creative expression, and
global inclusion to address the daily challenges of the planet's poorest populations and
renew efforts to catalyze positive change through partnerships. While the foundation's
work is administered largely from its New York City headquarters, in the future more of
its activities will originate from its offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, Mexico City, Harare, and
San Francisco.
Social Science Research Council
http://www.ssrc.org/
The Social Science Research Council is an independent, nonprofit international
organization founded in 1923. It nurtures new generations of social scientists, fosters
innovative research, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues
United Nations Foundation
http://www.unfoundation.org
The Ted Turner-funded United Nations Foundation seeks to support the goals and
objectives of the United Nations and its charter in order to promote a more peaceful,
prosperous, and just world, with a special emphasis on the UN's work on behalf of
economic, social, environmental, and humanitarian causes. The foundation is currently
focusing on four of the most pressing challenges facing the world in the 21st century:
children's health; the environment; women and population; and peace, security and
human rights. UNF does not accept unsolicited proposals, but works instead in
collaboration with the UN and its agencies to support a variety of causes and activities.
Links to Grant Agencies Focused on Specific
World Regions
Funders Online (Europe).
http://www.fundersonline.org/
Information on European foundations and corporate giving programs.
German Foundation Index
http://www.stiftungsindex.de/
The German Foundation Index, a comprehensive online resource devoted to German
foundations and philanthropy, offers links to more than 150 German foundations Web
sites, a large number of references to international grantmakers, a German-language
bibliographic database, and advice for grantseekers.
The Grantsmanship Center—Africa
http://www.tgci.com/fundingafrica.shtml
Extensive links to companies and foundations that give grants for programs and
activities relating to Africa.
The Grantsmanship Center—Asia and Oceania
http://www.tgci.com/fundingasia.shtml
Extensive links to companies and foundations that give grants for programs and
activities relating to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The Grantsmanship Center—Europe
http://www.tgci.com/fundingeurope.shtml
Extensive links to companies and foundations that give grants for programs and
activities relating to Europe.
The Grantsmanship Center—Latin America and the Caribbean
http://www.tgci.com/fundingmexico.shtml
Extensive links to companies and foundations that give grants for programs and
activities relating to Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Grantsmanship Center—Middle East
http://www.tgci.com/fundingmideast.shtml
Extensive links to companies and foundations that give grants for programs and
activities relating to the Middle East.
