Over the last month we have been exceedingly busy developing grant applications for the Climate Adaptations in Mountain Basins In the Andean Region (CAMBIAR) Program. CAMBIAR, which in Spanish means “to change”, is the name that has been chosen to describe the program between the Greater Austin Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, The Mountain Institute, and the Tres Cuencas Commonwealth.
Our grant writing work started with our creation of a Joint Development Strategy (download our Joint Development Strategy Template here). The Strategy helps partner organizations understand each other’s fundraising experience and policies. Then it analyzes identified grant opportunities with these considerations.
After meeting with partner organizations and finalizing our Joint Development Strategy, we identified five grants for our first round of applications. CAMBIAR, being a program which includes an American non-profit organization, an international non-governmental organization, and a local government entity, is potentially eligible for a wide range of funding opportunities. Our first round of grants reflects this diversity and includes applications to the European Commission, USAID, and private and public foundations.
The most rewarding part of the grant writing process so far has been working with the Tres Cuencas Commonwealth and the Campesina Community of Huasta to develop and submit applications. The Tres Cuencas Commonwealth, one of the partners in the MOU, is a newly formed local government entity dedicated to helping its 25 member municipalities adapt to the challenges of climate change. Campesina communities, like the one in Huasta, were formed throughout Peru in the late 1960s to redistribute land and resources to historically marginalized Quechua peoples. The Campesina Community of Huasta represents 140 families that collectively manage hundreds of hectares of land. Both the Commonwealth and Campesina Community are exceedingly eager to make the program successful and have each taken the lead on one of the first round applications.
James and Taylor in Lima to submit an application to the European Commission with Fidel Rodriguez Rivera, the Manager of the Mancomunidad Municipal Tres Cuencas.
In the next month we should start receiving feedback and will be able to make plans for a second round of applications. In the meantime we are taking a short vacation to the Amazon. Keep your fingers crossed for us!