ECOM Foundation Grant Guidelines and Criteria

Types of projects we support:

The ECOM Foundation seeks to support community-based projects and programs that:

• Serve farming populations in coffee, cotton or cocoa growing regions located in a rural or extreme rural area, where social services and resources are sparse; and/or
• Contribute to a better quality of life within the farming communities by integrating social, health, education and/or environmental concerns; and/or
• Strengthen sustainable and profitable management of natural resources; and/or
• Recommend adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural solutions.

The project must have:

• A well-defined plan and its objectives;
• An administrative infrastructure and distribution of responsibilities (board, management and coordination);
• A substantial degree of cooperation within the local community;
• Involvement by volunteer staff from the ECOM Foundation’s local contributing corporations
• A careful and thorough evaluation of the project by being innovative, accountable and cost-effective;
• A plan for sustainability, which preferably includes mechanisms for generating local buy-in/support for future development.

Grant amounts generally range from USD $2,000 to $25,000 per project per year; however, the actual amount and number of awards will depend upon the amount of funding available at the discretion of the Board. Repeat funding is not guaranteed and organizations requesting repeat grants must re-apply for funding through the application process. In most circumstances, repeat grants selected for funding will be funded at decreasing levels to encourage organizations to obtain a diversified funding base.

Thank you for your dedicated work to improving the lives of rural growers and their families!