Abya Yala Fund

For Indigenous Self-Development in South & Meso America

1997-98 Proposal Guidelines    español

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Proposal Guidelines

What is Abya Yala Fund

Abya Yala Fund (AYF) was created by and for Indigenous Peoples from Central and South America and Mexico. Abya Yala is a Kuna (Panama) word meaning Continent of Life which includes all of the Americas. Abya Yala has become a universal concept for Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and stands for unity and belonging.

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Mission

The mission of Abya Yala Fund (AYF) is to strengthen the self-reliance of the original nations of Abya Yala - from an indigenous perspective and through our own models - by supporting Indigenous Peoples' priorities, initiatives and processes.  AYF provides training, grants and technical assistance for self-development projects that originate in and are controlled by indigenous communities and organizations.

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Areas of interest

AYF assists sustainable self development projects which address a wide variety of issues. Areas of focus during 1996-1998 include:

• The Environment - biodiversity; natural resource management; cultural, spiritual and ecological survival;
• Organizational Development - education and training for autonomy; communications technology; project management;
• Models of Alternative Indigenous Development - education about and support of sustainable, egalitarian and traditional development models that address economic, social and political realities.

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Project Criteria

Projects which AYF funds and/or offers technical assistance should:

• reflect the interests and philosophical principles stated above
• be collective endeavors which positively impact the entire community
• have non-profit status or equivalency within their country of operation.

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Project Selection

Grants and/or technical assistance will be made to organizations from all countries of the American subcontinent which match the above criteria and themes.

In general, proposals should include:

• Summary of the proposal
• Introduction to your organization
• Rationale for project/Statement of need
• Vision or Mission Statement
• Goals
• Objectives
• Plan of action
• Methods of project evaluation
• Budgets- organizational and project
• Appendices: Board of directors (optional); Staff (optional); Description of project participants; Financial statements from previous year; Letters of support; Articles written by and/or about your organization or community.

Proposal writing guide - English | Español

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Application Procedure

Letters of inquiry are welcome. Full proposal deadlines are June 1 and December 1. Applicants will be notified four months after each deadline (October 1 and April 1), if chosen for AYF's docket.

Letter of Inquiry guide -English | Español

Correspondence should be sent to:

Background

Responding to the need for Indigenous Peoples to realize our own community development initiatives, indigenous leaders from throughout the Americas gathered in 1994, in Oakland, California, to create the Abya Yala Fund (AYF). AYF is the first foundation to be founded and run by Indigenous Peoples from Central and South America and Mexico.

Abya Yala Fund emerged out of the historical indigenous responses to the problems confronting our communities. Indigenous leaders had long identified the urgent need for a permanent network to promote international understanding of and advocacy for issues of indigenous communities in the South, as well as to improve communications among these communities.

The idea of creating an indigenous foundation rooted in our vision and for the direct benefit of our people gained momentum through numerous gatherings since 1990. During the international Commemoration of 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance in 1992 Indigenous Peoples from across the Americas came together with a heightened feeling of unity and a sense of the work necessary to accomplish our goals. We decided that we must represent ourselves directly to funders in order to receive financing relevant to our reality and needs.

This represents and important step in the evolution of our communities and organizations as a prerequisite for our survival and well being. In addition, the unique Indigenous approach to development based on principles of harmony with all beings, community cohesion, and respectful care for nature provides the world with valuable tools and a vision for addressing the threat to human survival which recent Homo Sapiens have created.

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