Grant Guidelines

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation is based on the principles established by Mr. Amritraj, that In Giving We Receive.

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation brings hope, help and healing to the defenseless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance in India.

Driven by our founders firm belief that in giving we receive, the foundation pledges to make a real difference for those throughout India who are most in need of the helping hand of humanity.

Funding Priorities

The Foundations focus is on funding the smaller charities of India who do not have the ability to raise money or awareness for their causes. Charities serving children and adults who face extreme challenges in life; HIV/AIDS, Family Abandonment, and Individuals Ostracized by society for their illness.

What we Fund

The Vijay Amritraj Foundation (VAF) makes grants to approved NGO’s throughout India.

All prospective applicants should fully review the guidelines for the Foundation before making initial contact.

Our grantmaking is carried out in three ways:

The VAF requests proposals from charitable organizations in India with which we have been in contact.
The VAF will accept proposals from charitable organizations in India who are referred by existing grantees and/or VAF Ambassadors.
The VAF accepts unsolicited requests from charitable organizations in India for projects that fall within our program priorities and guidelines.

Because available funding is limited, letters of inquiry are required for unsolicited programs or projects. Such letters should include a brief description of the project, the funding requested, and the period of time for which the funding is being requested.

Both general-purpose and project-specific requests are considered. In addition, both single and multi-year proposals are acceptable.

What we do not Fund

The VAF observes the following limitations:

No grants or loans to individuals.
No grants for capital development, research, project replication or endowment unless these activities grow out of work already being funded by the VAF.
The Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation.
No grants for religious activities or programs serving specific religious groups or denominations. However, faith-based organizations may submit inquiries if the project falls within our guidelines and serves a broad segment of the population.
Film and video projects, books, scholarships, and fellowships are rarely funded.

How to Apply

Letters of Inquiry

Please note: Please review our grants guidelines in detail prior to submitting a letter of inquiry.

As noted earlier, unsolicited requests must be made through letters of inquiry. The letter should describe the purpose and objectives of the project, general methodology and total cost of the project. A letter of inquiry enables the Foundation to determine the relevance of the proposed project to the Foundation's work and to provide advice on whether to submit a full proposal.

Full, Formal Proposals

If your letter of inquiry receives a favorable response, please follow this checklist for what should be included in a solicited formal proposal:

A cover letter, detailing the amount of money requested and the grant period, signed by the individual responsible for signing grant contracts on behalf of the grant applicant.
A project description, including an explanation of why the project is needed, who will be served and what will be accomplished.
A documented line-item expense budget and a revenue budget, showing all projected sources of funds for the project over the proposed grant period.
A plan for financial and/or programmatic sustainability of the project.
A plan for evaluation of the project's results.
Before a grant will be approved, U.S. government regulations require us to collect from each applicant, an affidavit and public support schedule to determine equivalence as a tax-exempt institution under U.S. law. VAF staff/Ambassadors will provide the forms as well as assistance in completing them.
Organizations that receive funding are required to provide quarterly program updates to the Foundation.
All submitted materials must be in English.

For multiple year funding, applicants must submit copies of their organization's published annual report and audited financial statements before a continuation grant will be approved. If these documents are not available, an eligibility review process will be undertaken by the Foundation for projects of interest.

When to Apply

Applications are accepted year-round, but those received between September 1 and December 31 will be considered only for the following calendar year.

Proposals are reviewed and funded 3 times a year. Reviews take place in January, May, and September. During the review period, prospective grantees are strongly discouraged from contacting the Foundation.

Where to Apply

Send letters of inquiry via email to: info@thevaf.com

THE FOUNDATION'S RESPONSE
We will send you an acknowledgment that your letter of inquiry was received. If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly. Please allow up to eight weeks for the Foundation to reply.

If the Foundation decides that your project might qualify for a grant, we will contact you to discuss next steps and what further information is required.

As is now the case with most charities in the United States who make grants to organizations based outside the United States, the Foundation checks the names of foreign based grantees, and the principal officers and directors of such grantees, against one or more lists maintained by the U.S. government, the European Union, and the United Nations, which contain the names determined by such entities to be terrorist organizations or individual terrorists. This process is a result of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, Executive Orders issued by the President, and suggested guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A memorandum on this topic is available upon request.

AAll material submitted becomes the property of the Foundation. The Foundation sometimes submits inquiries or proposals to confidential outside review.

Letter of Inquiry - Cover Sheet

In order to expedite a letter of inquiry it is important that it include a cover sheet with the following information:

Information regarding who will carry out the work
Name of your organization (and acronym if commonly used)
Name of parent organization, if any
Name of chief executive officer or person holding similar position
Organization’s address (and courier address if different)
Organization’s phone number, fax number, and e-mail address, if any
Name and title of the principal contact person, if different from the above
Address (and courier address if different), phone number, and fax number of principal contact
E-mail address of principal contact
Web address, if any.

Letter of Inquiry - Format

There is no set format, but letters of inquiry generally include the following:

Name or topic of the proposed project or work to be done
A brief statement (two or three sentences) of the purpose and nature of the proposed work
The significance of the issue addressed by the project
How the work will address the issue
How the issue relates to your organization, and why your organization is qualified to undertake the project
Geographic area where the work will take place
Time period for which funding is requested
Information about those who will be helped by and interested in the work and how you will communicate with them
Amount of funding requested from the VAF and the project/programs total cost (estimates are acceptable).

The US Patriot Act

Pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order 13224 and the USA PATRIOT Act, the Vijay Amritraj Foundation requires all organizations doing re-granting with VAF funds to check the terrorism watch lists issued by the U.S. government and to refrain from providing financial or material support to any listed individual or organizations. (See your VAF grant agreement for this requirement).

The list-checking requirement applies to our grantees – in the United States and abroad – that make their own grants to other individuals or organizations, using proceeds of the VAF grant. As explained in the “Distinguishing between ‘grants’ and ‘contract services’” section, grantees who only subcontract with VAF funds are generally not required to list-check their contractors.

This section of the Grants Kit also contains a brief background on the counter-terrorism measures adopted after September 11, 2001, our compliance procedures, what re-grantors need to do, further resources and software products to enable compliance, frequently asked questions, and a glossary of terms.

Because of the manner in which the lists are created and maintained and the similarity in names or portions thereof, the Foundation recognizes there can be mistakes on the list or the list-checking can create false positives. The Foundation is committed to working with its grantees to address any issues that may arise during the list-checking process.

If you have any questions about the Foundation's process or your responsibility under the terms of the Grant Agreement, grantees should contact the Foundation or their appointed VAF Ambassador.

Remember that this area is complex and rapidly evolving. While we intend to update this section of the Grant Kit from time to time, this area - and the VAF’s own compliance procedures and requirements - may change without being promptly reflected in the Grant Kit

Grantee VAF USA Patriot Act Compliance Requirements

What re-granting organizations need to do

Re-granting: The redistribution of grant funds from VAF to support one or more organizations or hire services.

We ask organizations re-granting or subcontracting with VAF funds to comply with the provisions of the Executive Order and PATRIOT Act by:

· Cross-checking contact and organization information in their grants databases or grants listings with the official terrorism watch list; and

· Adopting changes [see step 5 below] to your grant agreements with your grantees.

Step by step list-checking process for grantees
1.	For each grantee, check the organization name and address, primary project contact name, and primary organization contact name with the official terrorism watch list. (Available through the VAF) The primary organization contact should be the individual that signs your grant agreement.
2.	Review with VAF staff/Ambassador the official terrorism watch list -- The Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List -- prior to each funding receipt.
3.	If there is evidence or concern that an organization is noncompliant, the organization must perform due diligence. This may include, but is not limited to, (1) confirming the organization’s name and address by checking its governing documents, registration document, or (2) confirming the individual’s name, address, and identification number (if any) by checking his/her passport, driver’s license, or other identification.
4.	Any matches should likewise be reviewed and documented. A hold should be placed on the pending transaction with the sub-grantee, and staff should contact the organization and VAF to seek clarification.
5.	We recommend that any grant agreement include prohibitions against violence or terrorist activities and re-granting.
6.	Permit the VAF to have access to your files and records for the purpose of verifying and documenting your organization's list-checking procedures.