The Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants Programme is now accepting applications for the 16th edition of the initiative, seeking to provide funding to ongoing environmental projects in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
This year, Ford is awarding a total of $120,000, the highest total grant amount to be awarded in its history, the company said in a statement.
Individuals or organisations with ongoing projects focused on conservation engineering, environmental education or natural environment have been invited to apply for funding via www.me.ford.com from July 10 until August 21.
The ongoing projects must be located in Qatar, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE or Yemen.
In the past 15 years, the grants programme has helped grassroots-level projects dedicated to environmental causes in the GCC and Levant, and in 2015 the programme was expanded to include North Africa, the statement said.
“From personal advocacy to wider, more organised groups, we are witnessing a rise in action among the communities to embrace the cause of the environment. We are happy to help sustain these noble projects and encourage the public and NGOs to apply,” said Jacques Brent, president, Ford Middle East & Africa.
Nearly $1.5mn has been provided since 2000 to help fund a total of 194 projects in the Mena region, the statement added.
The grants programme has received support from various government and non-government environmental authorities from around the Middle East, including Unesco Doha, World Wide Fund for Nature, Emirates Wildlife Society and Arab Forum for Environment & Development.
Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges consisting of academics and leaders from regional environmental organisations.
They look for initiatives that demonstrate a well-defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximising available resources and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programmes and services.
