Travel Grants for NGOs: Sources of Potential Funding
June 15, 2011 By
Introduction:
fundsforngos.org receives many inquiries about donor funding for NGO travel. This guide will help give direction by summarizing options you can explore to get the travel support you need.
Donor travel grants are not widely available and difficult to identify. There are some tips, tricks, and resources that can help. Very few donors will advertise travel grants outright because it would attract a deluge ofapplications that they don’t have the time or inclination to review. So what can an NGO do?
A range of options
Current Donors
Most donors prefer to fund travel of NGOs they are already supporting – so consider your existing donors first. When applying for funding it is always a smart idea to include travel to conferences, for training, or international meetings into your budget. Add a budget line called “conference participation”, “study travel”, or “networkmeetings” that covers travel costs. Explain in the proposal what this budget line is for: e.g. to attend a specific conference or more generically to strengthen networking. Most donors are flexible how the travel budget is used, as long as it is in support of the programs they support. It is also worth asking whether you can reallocate some of your budget for specific unforeseen travel.
Don’t forget to ask current donors (and their office in the country where you work – e.g. an embassy) if you require support for a one-off event. As long as it supports your program and is cost effective there is no shame in asking. Many donors have budget available for this – e.g. a small grants program or president’s fund that can be used flexibly.
New Donors
Asking new donors with whom you have no prior relationship is less likely to succeed. Still, a well targeted email might do the trick. Look for donors that are not approached very often – the Gates and Ford foundationsget thousands of solicitations so your chances are often better if you focus on less well-known donors that are interested in your subject matter.
Conference Organizers & Vendors providing Travel Grants to NGOs
June 15, 2011 By
Conference/Training Organizers
Ask the organizers of the meeting or training you’d like to attend if travel support is available. Many times organizers have partial or full support available- especially for those participants that bring something extra such as speakers. Some conference venues offer free rooms and other perks to organizers, which is sometimes passed on to participants. Organizers such as the UN or Rockefeller Foundation own venues that can be made available free or at a subsidized rate.
Travel Vendors
Ask travel providers (airlines, hotels) for support, as they often sponsor NGO travelers. Check the corporate social responsibility page or sponsoring pages on their website – or call the local booking office. Some large travel agencies (and even smaller ones) provide reduced rates for NGOs or offer unpublished discounts. Examples of vendors that offer subsidized travel to NGOs include:
Airlines
Hotels
Travel Agents
Humanitarian Travel based in the US delivers discounted International travel to NGOs. (http://www.humanitariantravel.net/travel-services/humanitarian-airfare.html)
Foundations providing Travel Grants to NGOs
June 15, 2011 By
Foundations
Though the list is short and many restrictions may apply, some donors do provide travel support to NGOs. Examples of these include:
Art Moves Africa (AMA) Travel Grants – AMA supports mobility within the African continent by providing the costs of travel, visa and travel insurance for the duration of stay. AMA doesn’t support fees, accommodations, or per-diem. (http://www.artmovesafrica.org/index.php?id=9)
Commonwealth Foundation Civil society responsive grants – These grants are designed to promote international or intercultural exchange, co-operation and sharing of skills, knowledge and ideas between people from developing Commonwealth countries. They support activities such as short training courses, workshops, conferences, festivals, study visits or voter education activities. (http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/Howwedeliver/Grants/Civilsocietyresponsivegrants)
The Schwarzkopf Foundation offers travel grants to enable young Europeans to undertake field trips investigating political and cultural developments in neighboring European countries. (http://www.schwarzkopf-stiftung.de/)
Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Have an officer that administers NGO support transactions, travel support related to project preparation, travel support related to conferences for NGOs already receiving Finnish support ( Note: The support must be requested by a Finnish NGO).
Norway Government Travel support scheme for NGOs / social partners – Some Norwegian Embassies offer travel grants for seminar attendance or project related activities. (http://www.mfa.no)
Web Search
Lastly, search for travel grants on the web. Good search terms include “NGO travel grants”, “NGO travel support”, or “non-profit travel grants”, combined with the region, country, conference, or theme that your NGO is interested in. You’d be surprised at how much information is available.
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This guide was produced in cooperation with Philantropia Inc. – A US based international fundraising firm.
A final word of warning. There have been reports of email scams and fraudulent offers of travel support targeting NGOs. Though many trainings, seminars, and conferences require payment of registration fees, no fee should be charged to receive a travel grant. If you are asked to pay such a fee it almost always is a scam.
fundsforngos.org has prepared a guide that will help prevent NGOs from becoming a victim of such frauds – click HERE to read it.
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