International Grantmaking

Funding with a Global View


 

Buy Guide
Download PDF

In this guide, grantmakers describe the benefits and challenges of bringing a global perspective to their work. The guide explains the regulations that govern cross-border grantmaking and shares the experiences of funders who have coped with working across geographic and cultural divides. It also weighs the merits of working through intermediaries and funding directly outside the United States.
 

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Why grantmakers fund internationally
  • Dealing with distance and cultural difference
  • Understanding the role of intermediaries
  • Bringing a global "lens" to your work at home
     
A CLOSER LOOK

Nine grantmakers and experts discuss the advantages and tradeoffs of using international intermediaries.
 

SAMPLE QUOTES

"You have to realize you're a guest in a foreign country, even as a grant maker. Every country has its own values, traditions, and needs. Poor performances tend to happen when Americans don't look for those differences."

- A grantmaker recalling the important role cultural difference can play
 

"[The intermediary organization] provides an instant connection from their office to the surrounding community. It's almost like a field office. We're able to work jointly on projects, but with different funders and different nonprofits. They help us on environment projects throughout [the region]. They go to more remote places than our staff can do easily, and they know individuals better than our staff would. They also bring expertise in working with local nonprofits and nonprofit laws."

- A community foundation progam officer describing the benefits of a local partner in cross-border grantmaking
 

"It's not just Minnesota reaching out to the world - the world has come to Minnesota, too. People are here from Ethiopia to Somalia to Laos; the list goes on and on. Why are they here? Globalization, wars, changing economies. 'International' is not just people far away; it's recent arrivals from all parts of the world."

— The director of a women's fund reflecting on the global lens she uses in her work