General News
Disability Rights Fund Announces Letter of Interest Process for Ukraine and India
BOSTON, MA โ The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) is announcing a new letter of interest process for Disabled Personsโ Organizations (DPOs) in Ukraine and India (States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu or the National Capital of Delhi only).
DRF is a grantmaking collaborative between donors and the global disability community which supports the human rights of persons with disabilities. Officially launched in March 2008, DRF empowers DPOs in the Global South, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union to participate in ratification, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD).
DPOs in Ukraine and India have received DRF support since 2009. Now, instead of preparing full proposals as a first step, DPOs from these countries may submit a letter of interest as a first step to determine if their project fits DRF eligibility criteria and priority funding areas. DPOs may apply as a) single organizations or partnerships for 12-month Small Grants and/or b) national DPO-led coalitions for 24-month National Coalition Grants. Grants to single organizations will range from USD 5,000 to 20,000 and will support efforts to build CRPD skills and to develop rights-based advocacy and monitoring on the CRPD. Grants to national DPO-led coalitions will range from USD 30,000 to 50,000 per year (60,000 โ 100,000 over 24 months) and will support advocacy toward ratification of the CRPD, passage of specific legislation to accord with the CRPD, or the production of alternative/parallel reports to UN monitoring mechanisms.
Interested organizations are urged to review the eligibility criteria and letter of interest details posted at the Fundโs website, http://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant . The letter of interest process helps determine fit with DRF criteria and priorities before applicants expend time and resources to put together a full proposal. If eligible, applicants will be requested to submit a full proposal.
Any questions on the letter of interest process should be directed to info@disabilityrightsfund.org. The deadline for receipt of Letters of Interest is January 12, 2012.
In publicizing this LoI process, Director Diana Samarasan said, "With the 2011 International Day of Persons with Disabilities approaching, DRF is excited to announce continuing support to DPOs in Ukraine and India.โ To date, the Fund has given out nearly $7 million to organizations in 20 countries (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Ukraine, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Ghana, Namibia, Uganda, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu). Grants have ranged from USD 5,000 to 100,000 and support CRPD skills-building, local rights advocacy, and national-level CRPD promotion, implementation and monitoring by DPO-led coalitions.
DRFโs donors include the American Jewish World Service, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Leir Foundation, the Open Society Institute, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the United Kingdomโs Department for International Development (DFID)
Source: Disability Rights Fund
Contact: Diana Samarasan, Director
Telephone: 617-261-4593
