International Friends of Belize is committed to improving the education, health, and environment of Belizean communities through educational scholarships and small project grants.

The scholarship application for this year can be found by clicking on the picture of rice 'n beans, below.  If your school is on the list of participating schools, and you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please click on the rice 'n beans, print the form and follow the directions to complete the application.  Good luck!

IFOB was born when a small group of friends passed a hat around to collect donations for a scholarship fund for Belizean students.  Since 2005, IFOB has granted need-based scholarships to dozens of secondary school students, in all corners of Belize, enabling deserving and hardworking youth to stay in school and pursue their ambitions.

IFOB also provides grants for innovative, grass-roots initiatives to improve the health, education, and environment of Belizean communities.  These grants fill a critical gap by funding small activities which go unnoticed by large donors, and which are planned and implemented by locals, to strengthen their own communities.

In the past five years, the small group of friends who created IFOB has expanded and grown, but the spirit remains the same -- we still collectively throw a few dollars in the IFOB hat each year, and (thanks to the all-volunteer staff) nearly every cent goes directly to the needy students and community initiatives that IFOB funds.

If you would like to contribute to IFOB, every dollar is appreciated.  If you want to help, but have more time than money, get in touch and find out how you can give our volunteer staff a hand.  Many thanks for your interest and support.

2010 marks the fourth year of IFOB's Community Grants program.  Over $6,000 has been awarded thus far, funding a dozen grassroots endeavors in all corners of Belize to improve the education, health, and environment of local communities.

IFOB typically awards three grants each year, assisting local initiatives to achieve great impact with small amounts of funding.  And since IFOB is completely volunteer-run, nearly every cent our supporters donate go straight to the programs we fund.

IFOB will soon be announcing the deadline for the next round of grant applications.  In the mean time, click on "read more" to learn more about past grant recipients.