Identifying New Partners in Burma (Myanmar)

The Foundation recently conducted a visit to Burma and Thailand to meet with current grantees and identify new potential grantees.  The Foundation is interested in working with and through monasteries and nunneries to support sustainable community development and innovative projects that help support  the ongoing needs of monasteries and nunneries. We will be working closely with our partners to understand their needs, the context, and how Foundation resources might help transform their lives.

Although Burma has a rich and enchanting culture, the impact of poverty and lack of opportunity due  to years of repressive government throughout the country is clear. Nevertheless, we were wholly inspired by the efforts of many of the leading abbots and nuns we visited to provide for their communities through creative and sustainable initiatives. Most of our meetings with such individuals revealed their enthusiasm and genuine desire for the Foundation to get involved. Our potential programs focus on monastery and nunnery led community development, women’s empowerment, income generation to support operating costs of monasteries and nunneries, and rebuilding middle-income jobs in Cyclone Nargis affected areas.

We were impressed by the creative use of current grant funds and the ideas our partners presented for projects that they wish to undertake to support the expenses of running their monasteries and nunneries in the future and supporting these expenses in sustainable ways. With the Foundation’s resources and vision, and the Burmese peoples’ commitment towards a better future,we are excited about the potential for positive relationships among communities in Burma.

Highlights on Global Grantmaking at the ASF National Conference

From http://philanthrofiles.org/, the Association of Small Foundation‘s Blog

Oct 24 2012

By Mary Beth Gallagher, The William Hinman Foundation

As a global grant maker at the recent ASF 2012 National Conference, it was exciting to meet other foundations engaged in international work. It was valuable to get into detail at key panel discussions on global networking and to explore how to leverage opportunities in global philanthropy.

Below are a few takeaways that will help guide my work at The William Hinman Foundation, which supports community-based development through grantmaking inspired by Buddhist principles. I would also love to keep the conversation going, so feel free to contact me at Gallagher@hinmanfoundation.org.

1. Grant dollars go a lot further when given overseas. Small grants can have a proportionately larger impact when given overseas rather than at home. This is due to the resourcefulness of grantee partners as well as the lower cost of goods and services overseas.

I heard many great stories about programs that creatively used limited resources to increase access to healthcare, address land tenure issues, or increase social entrepreneurship. If it fits within your foundation’s mission, adding an international small grants portfolio could significantly increase the impact of your work.

2. The challenges of giving to a non-501(c)(3) can and should be overcome.With the increasingly global nature of nearly everything we do, our philanthropy should not be the place to draw the line. While it is important to ensure that grants serve a charitable purpose and comply with IRS guidelines, regulations should not prevent interested foundations from giving globally.

Many of the requirements of expenditure responsibility are already best practices of foundations. If, however, you’re doing expenditure responsibility for the first time with global giving – and to make sure you comply with anti-terrorism rules – it is recommended that you work with an experienced global giver or seek legal counsel the first time around. (To find an expert, see the ASF Professional Directory of Foundation Advisors).

3. Creative grantmaking can be even more important when engaged in global giving. International grants can be challenging to monitor due to logistical and travel costs. Many foundations have overcome these difficulties through creative giving and working together.

Some foundations described how they have co-funded projects in order to pool resources and monitoring responsibilities. Others discussed the benefits of working with local or national governments through public-private partnerships. Local partnerships and grantee capacity building can also help to overcome the challenges of international grantmaking.

4. Collaborations and leveraging funds are the way of the future…but how?Almost every panel stressed the importance of collaborating with other small foundations that share your ethos on giving and using social media to increase impact. Whether through partnerships or using online portals to solicit feedback or dollars, there is a clear trend toward working together to maximize social good.

While I am still grappling with how to identify new partners and increase engagement with our existing partners, I love the momentum for collaboration and hope that we can build on that interest with more specificity to help foundations maximize their impact on social good.

Overall, many people I met who were engaged in or exploring the possibility of global grantmaking agreed that we would like to see more charitable dollars directed toward communities overseas, as they can benefit greatly from the flexibility and creativity that is possible through philanthropy. We are eager to share our experiences, both positive and challenging, and be resources for one another.

For more on international grantmaking, see  ASF resources including: Seven Global Grantmaking Myths, International Grantmaking: Opportunities for Small Foundations, and IRS Reduces International Giving Regulations. ASF members can connect with other international grantmakers through the ASF Member Directory.

Other good resources are International Grant Making: Funding with a Global View from GrantCraft and United States International Grantmaking from the Council on Foundations.

ASF member Mary Beth Gallagher is director of programs and operations at The William Hinman Foundation in Washington, DC.

Support Monastic Education and Sustainable Agriculture in Burma

The Hinman Foundation launched an online campaign to help raise funds for one of our partners in Burma and we need your help!

Campaign Overview

We hope to buy a rice milling machine for a Buddhist monastic school to help this school feed itself and generate income for ongoing school costs. If the campaign is successful, the school will be able to buy a rice milling machine, an essential tool for rice cultivation, that will propel their agricultural program and help them become sustainable.  The school grows much of its own food, and needs the tools to maximize and complete the cultivation.  A rice milling machine will dramatically increase this production and generate income for the school’s operating costs.

Monasteries serve as a space for community gathering and spiritual practice, and often also house schools (known as monastic schools) or medical clinics. This monastic school, Su Tawn Pyi, provides a home and education for some of the poorest students in Burma.

What is the role of monastic schools in Burma?

Within the education sector in Burma, monasteries and nunneries are filling a critical gap by providing free education to the poorest of the poor. While primary education is free in Burma, there are associated costs such as the purchase of books and uniforms that people cannot afford. Therefore, a growing number of people rely on the monastic/nunnery schools for their children’s education, and there are now 1,700 monastic schools educating 200,000 students. The monastic schools offer standard government curriculum and courses in Buddhism.

Monasteries and nunneries rely on the community to provide donations for teachers’ salaries, supplies, and improvements to the school.

Why is a monastic school growing rice and how does a milling machine help them?

Because the Buddhist monks and nuns are not paid and education is provided free of charge, the school needs to find alternative ways to provide food and generate resources to pay for operating costs. With a means to generate income, the school leadership can focus its efforts on providing quality education to its students. Improvements in the rice cultivation will allow abbot to devote more time to the community’s spiritual practice and running the school.

This school is located in a fertile area in Thanlyin, Burma and the abbot (head monk) has agricultural expertise. He has shown great leadership and innovation to help this school be more sustainable. He wants his students to understand the importance of being self reliant and is teaching them essential agricultural skills in this living playground. He has slowly accrued acres of land to grow rice that is consumed by the students.  This project not only increases the agricultural capacity of the school but also brings the community together. As the enrollment at Su Tawn Pyi has increased, so has the need, and the abbot believes the rice milling machine will help meet that need.

Rice milling is an essential step after cultivating the rice. The rice milling machine separates the rice kernel from the rice husk, the outermost layer of a rice paddy. The husk must be removed before rice can be eaten. If the school has the equipment to process the rice itself, then it can complete production, save on costs, and generate income.

Please visit our campaign page for more information and to contribute today!  Thank you for your support.