Requirement of Grant for NGO Library

[SUGANDHA BAJAJ]

Dear Experts and Professionals,

I am working as the Librarian and Documentation Manager at Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, Mumbai. We are an NGO, working in the Health Sector with rich Material and own Publications on the same. We are looking for National/International Grants, to enhance and increase the visibility/usability of the Library.

We shall be grateful if you could provide inputs on the above mentioned.

Kind Regards,

Sugandha.

Librarian-CEHAT.

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Ms. Bajaj,

You may try "PROJECT HOPE", WHO, USAID, ford Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation etc. You check the focus of your organization and depending upon them, you can approach UNICEF or UNFPA as the case may be.

However, as far as I know about CEHAT, it is an well known NGO having generous funding sources to run projects. As such the above names I have mentioned seems to be familiar to you.

But I wonder, why don't you make it a point to retain a portion of "Overhead' of Projects for the Library? You can undertake small projects yourself from the Library. Several Libraries I know undertook Project and kept aside a certain percentage of their Overheads and over the years cumulated the amount to make a CORPUS FUND to help their Libraries.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta     

[SUGANDHA BAJAJ]

Dear Sir,

I acknowledge the response. Yes, we are currently funded by some of the above mentioned and we do have an overhead but we are in the process of the library expansion, physically and technically and may require some funding for it as an independent unit. Hence I was looking for some private/public Library fund providers.

Kind Regards,

Sugandha.

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Ms.Bajal,

Thanks for your response.

You may approach Mahindra& Mahindra Foundation, Ajim Premjee Foundation, Ratan Tata Foundation, Sarala Birla Society among Indian sponsors as they provide funds/scholarship for academic/research activities. You can talk to local British Council Office and Pharmaceutical Industries as well.

Assistance are generally of two types:  Cash or Kind. Generally funders are a bit apprehensive about financial supports but they feel more generous for "kinds" type of  support for obvious reasons.

Now I am narrating the harsh reality. Please don't mind for my writing this.

In real sense, unless & until you are known to the funding bodies both personally as well as professionally, it will be extremely difficult to get funds. They must be knowing your Organization & more importantly YOU;

If they have stake to your organization's activities, there are more chances to get your request considered favorably!! .

For Instance, while you are ordering 50 Thousand boxes of  ORS from a pharmaceutical Company where each box holds 100 sachets, & you ask the company to provide you a photocopier for the Library or 50 Thousand Rupees for Library's development, they will generally opt for a photocopier.

Another instance, say the MD of a Automobile Company is known to you where from you are buying 10 Ambulance. If your Company approach the gentleman for an ad hoc grant, it is highly likely, they will provide you funds. 

So you see, at the one hand it requires influence as well as business relationship and the image of the organization for preliminary selection of funding and the other is by the part of Research funders. From my personal experience I can tell you that during my tenure of service in a premier National Biomedical institute, the JICA (Japan International Co-Operative Assistance) had built up an entire 5 stories building with state of the art laboratory and all requisite infrastructure (machinery, furniture & all). Never-the-less, they paid for training of at least 75 staff to Japan including bothways Airfare & per diem !!. We had a collaborative vaccine development Project funded by JICA.

So you can understand what it takes to get funding from outside. that is why, in my opinion the shortest and the most relevant way is to initiate a project  that attracts funding.

Hope I could explain the issue to your satisfaction.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

[SUGANDHA BAJAJ]

Thank you for the inputs, Sir.

Kind Regards,

Sugandha.