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The Forgotten International - Our Giving Criteria
The Forgotten International attempts to assist people, programs and special initiatives which seek to lift or move people out of poverty. We specifically seek to serve the poorest of the poor, primarily women and children, who happen to live in one of the poorest countries in the world. We do this either by providing scholarships or small grants, humanitarian supplies, or assistance with capital improvement projects to people who need it the most. Before doing so however, we always ask ourselves a series of questions:
- Is the project or people who are in need of help located in one of the poorest countries in the world? If not, is there some compelling reason why we should help them anyway.
- Is the project or group seeking assistance a locally recognized NGO or U.S.-based nonprofit organization? If not, is there some other way we can help?
- Does the project help to lift people, primarily women and children, out of poverty, if not immediately then at least to a measurable extent in the near future?
- Is the project that is being proposed small? Does the organization have limited resources, contacts, and the wherewithal to get the needed help elsewhere, or if we didn't help them would their immediate needs simply go unmet?
- Is the organization trustworthy and does it have a small committed staff? Is there an inspiring and trustworthy leader associated with their work? Are they open to being visited and monitored as to their expenditures? Will we be able to measure whatever success we might have on a target population? And, are we getting value for our investment?
- Is the help we are considering to provide such that it will make a real difference in the lives of a significant number of people?
- Is the country in which the work is proposed safe to travel to? If the work involves a capital improvement project, is the land secure?
- Finally, we must also consider how much of The Forgotten International's time, resources and funds are being requested or are in fact needed to accomplish our objective. Can we afford it, or do we have a specific funder that might help? After considering all of the questions above, if the program meets all or mostly all of the criteria, then the request will be considered seriously, along with other priorities and requests.