The Burma Project, established by the Open Society Institute in 1994, is dedicated to increasing international awareness of conditions in Burma and helping the country make the transition from a closed to an open society. To this end, the Burma Project prioritizes projects targeting marginalized communities including ethnic minorities, women and youth.
Recent activities in Burma have included support for grantees that provide uncensored images and news about the country to people living inside and outside of Burma. The initiative has also helped activists call public attention to the regime’s efforts to entrench its rule through flawed referendums, an illegal constitution, and repression and imprisonment of political opponents. The initiative has addressed the regime’s incapacity to respond to public emergencies such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008 by supporting groups that provide food and medical supplies.
The following are the Burma Project’s current grantmaking priorities:
– Advocacy efforts that promote change in Burma;
– Documentation of rights abuses that complement advocacy efforts;
– Community empowerment and skills training that aim to strengthen civil society inside Burma and along its borders;
– Support for media and information dissemination to people inside Burma, the diaspora, and the international community.
Organizations requesting funding for their projects must submit:
A. Basic information required by (Online Application System) OAS: name of organization, address, telephone, fax, email, website, organization type, description of organization, tax determination status (if you are based in the US), title of project, project summary, project budget, organization budget, requested amount, previous OSI support, funds support obtained or requested from other sources, project start and end dates. Please note that OAS has space limitations for certain fields so keep answers brief. Attached is an application form which includes all the questions you must complete in OAS.
B. A narrative proposal: please describe your organization, the project’s goals, justification, objectives, activities, outcome, and sustainability. The Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative does not require that you use a particular format but an optional narrative proposal template is attached in the grant application form
C. An itemized budget: please attach an itemized budget using the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative budget template which asks for the total project costs, the amount requested from OSI, and the amounts secured and requested from other donors. Line items in the budget should clearly match the activities described in the narrative proposal. A narrative budget justification is encouraged.
An organization may submit one application to the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative per year. Applicants seeking funding for more than one project should include all funding requests in one proposal. The Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative makes grants for a period of up to 12 months. Applicants who seek funding for more than 12 months must apply yearly.
The Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative proposal application deadlines are January 15 and July 15. OAS begins accepting proposals one month prior to each deadline and closes at midnight (ET) the day of the deadline.
For more information and details, please visit this link.
