Our Work Internationally
Approximately 25% of unrestricted income is given to relief agencies for the relief of poverty and ill-health, and the fostering of opportunities for young people in the developing world
Our standard international grant is £1,000. Due to the volume of applications, we usually have to put a cut-off on further applications from about 10 weeks before each meeting. It is important therefore to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
As a small foundation we sympathise with other small organisations who lack the resources for major fundraising campaigns. Our donation policy tends to favour such organisations.
Whilst recognising that real need exists in even the wealthiest of countries, our policy tends to avoid giving grants to developed countries, including Eastern Europe and to BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). The emphasis is therefore towards Africa, poorer parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and the poorer countries of Asia.
The trustees have a strong preference to give grants where work is self-sustaining. Organisations that ask their beneficiaries to involve and educate other needy people will stand a better chance of obtaining a grant.
Organisations re-applying within 12 months of receipt of their last grant are unlikely to be successful.
Approximately nine months after receiving a grant, we ask organisations to complete an electronic evaluation form to identify if and how the funding has taken forward the work of the organisation. This also allows the Trustees to find out how many beneficiaries have been helped and by this means gauge the “value for money” that the grant has provided
ABF Flagship Grants - Investing in initiative and change -
Every three years we select a number of organisations to become our International Flagship partners where funding is typically between £12,000 and £24,000 for each recipient over a three year period. Here are some of our current flagships projects.
ACET/Shining Star - we will support a project to help vulnerable young women get out of prostitution and recover from sexual abuse in southern Zimbabwe. ACET is the UK based ‘partner’ for Shining Star in Zimbabwe. They spoke about very practical kinds of help (counselling as well as skill and capabilities for work to support themselves). We were impressed that they also seek to influence other organisations with the need for more action on these issues, collaboration on how to do it, and do not pretend to be trying to fix it all themselves. They are also honest about sticking with the women for more time - not just ‘fixing’ them and moving them on.
Tiyeni- this grant will help to secure the capacity to assess, validate and communicate their approaches to improving soil conservation, increasing harvest yields, and working with others to change agricultural methods in Malawi - a country that has suffered from inappropriate use of land for cash-cropping (mainly tobacco) with disastrous impacts on lives and livelihoods for decades. See report of our visit in 2019 - Tiyeni
Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) - are pursuing tried and tested approaches for increasing farm yields, improved methods, community organisation, and more equal participation of women. Ripple Effect will use our contribution to do this kind of work in western Kenya having worked effectively in a neighbouring location.
Pump Aid/Beyond Water - we will be contributing to the sustaining and growth of entrepreneurs that provide repair services for household water pumps on a commercial basis. This is an important example of how a social enterprise can replace grant-giving/handout approaches in the interests of a more viable way of ensuring that people have equipment that continues to work well and generates livelihoods. Duncan March (our contact) says: "Despite the challenges of the last year or so, the fact that we're able to further develop the entrepreneur-based approach is a testament to the team in Malawi and commitment of our supporters." See report of our visit in 2019 – Pump Aid
Our recent Visits
Our visit to Pump Aid in 2023