Orchard Foundation Program Areas: (Current for 2009) Please read carefully: Environment program areas have changed. Environment - The foundation funds in the following areas: air quality, global climate change, biodiversity, fresh and coastal waters and forests. Advocacy, principally legal, governmental agencies, and administrative process participation advocacy projects, are strongly encouraged and given preference. The Orchard Foundation favors organizations with a demonstrated competency in specific skills, such as litigation, technology, scientific advocacy, or coalition building. The foundation favors groups with local and national ties, either through networks, chapters or other affiliations. Finally, the foundation favors organizations with a demonstrated strong base of citizen and activist support. Areas not funded: Given that the Orchard Foundation is a very small foundation, it is impossible to fund all projects that fall into our primary environmental program areas. Thus it is easier to list some of the areas which the foundation board is not interested in funding. Those include: general citizen organizing and public awareness-building projects, environmental education projects (for adults or children), ocean fisheries, growth management and sprawl, toxic substances and pollution prevention (as previously funded by the foundation), animal rights, animal hospitals or rehabilitation centers, species specific projects, scientific research, and land acquisition. Please see Application Guidelines (available from the foundation) for more general program limitations. Children, Youth and Families - The foundation funds in two primary areas. Child & Family Advocacy supports projects that promote child welfare at local and state levels by addressing systemic issues, such as funding availability or rights, as opposed to direct service projects. We support projects advocating for reproductive rights for adolescents, in addition to projects aiming for comprehensive sexuality education for middle and high school students. By “advocacy projects” we include those programs that seek to change governmental policies or that educate people to advocate for children as a group. We do not fund projects in which individuals are taught to advocate for their own children. Literacy supports programs designed to encourage and teach reading and make it convenient. Family Literacy projects will be considered however the foundation is primarily interested in funding projects specifically aimed at children. Projects that include a tutoring component, preferably using volunteer or peer tutors, are given preference. Funded projects will be more than book “give-away” programs. Areas not funded: Given that the Orchard Foundation is a very small foundation, it is impossible to fund all projects that fall into the Children, Youth & Families category. Thus it is easier to list some of the areas which the foundation board is not interested in funding. These areas include: children enrichment projects (as previously funded by the foundation), adult literacy programs, parenting skills and support programs (as previously funded by the foundation), direct pregnancy prevention programs (as previously funded by the foundation), violence prevention, and or projects that focus on specific diseases or conditions. Please see Application Guidelines (available from the foundation) for more general program limitations. Campaign Finance Reform – The foundation funds statewide efforts to implement effective campaign finance reform. The Orchard Foundation favors organizations that have already done the necessary research into their state’s ‘money in politics’ situation and are ready to develop and advocate for the implementation of statewide reforms. Concept Letters and proposals for this funding area are done on an invitation-only basis. A further note: Total funding available for these three program areas has been approximately $475,000 annually. This figure can and will fluctuate greatly. Other monies disbursed by the foundation are done on a designated giving basis only. These are at the discretion of the trustees and no correspondence concerning them will be considered. Executive Director Orchard Foundation P.O. Box 2587 So. Portland, ME 04116 phone: (207) 799-0686 orchard@maine.rr.com www.orchardfoundation.org Printed Application Guidelines (current for 2009) are also available. Click here to return to the home page: Home |