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.

2009 Grant Recipients

United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM)

Project: HIV Prevention through Action and Youth Leadership

Amount: US$962

Purpose: IFOB funding is assisting UNIBAM to conduct targeted HIV and reproductive health interventions with 40 young people from Belmopan, Dangriga, and Orange Walk.  This grant will fund transportation and catering for the peer educators, as well as refurbishment of a building for use for the training.  IFOB support will contribute to HIV prevention education for 40 youth leaders.

Plenty Belize

Project: Seed Bank for the Farmers of Toledo

Amount: US$1,000

Purpose: IFOB funding will be used to purchase equipment for drying and preservation of seeds, including a solar refrigerator, containers for seed storage.  The grant will also fund training for farmers, in the practice of sowing and saving seed.

Website: http://www.plenty.org/Belize-overview.html

San Juan Bosco RC School

Project: Reading is Fun

Amount: US$555

Purpose: IFOB's Community Grant program will fund after-school reading programs, including materials and equipment for bilingual education.  The program will be open to the school's 322 students, between the ages of 5-15.  This area, in the village of Cowpen, is in great need of English language materials and training.  With IFOB funding, the after-school program will undertake community outreach, through the children, to promote the importance of bilingual education.

2008 Grant Recipients

Sacred Heart Junior College and St Ignatius High School Environmental Clubs

Project: Macal River Clean-up

Amount: US$997

Purpose: The Macal River, up and downstream from Santa Elena and San Ignacio towns, is perpetually in need of clean-up and garbage collection along its banks. The after-school Environmental Clubs – including St Ignatius High School and Sacred Heart Junior College -  were funded to ‘adopt’ this portion of the river, doing regular clean-up activities as part of the clubs’ activity calendars.  The clubs were funded to conduct monthly clean-ups with an additional clean-up scheduled following the annual La Ruta Maya canoe race (every March).  Funding from International Friends of Belize contributed to purchasing garbage bags, canoe rentals, lunches, 2 banners (with the club names and IFOB logo displayed), and fuel for vehicles to deliver garbage to the city dump on the days of the scheduled clean-ups.

San Marcos Village Council

Project: San Marcos Community Center and Health Outpost Improvements

Amount: US$1,000

Purpose: The village of San Marcos was heavily damaged by hurricane Iris in 2001.  The village school serves as the primary hurricane shelter, but is not large enough to shelter all 578 village residents.  The Community Center, which houses the village Health Post, could shelter the rest of the residents, but lacks proper facilities.   While intended to serve as a community building and hurricane shelter, latrine facilities were never constructed.  The Health Post has operated for two years without bathroom facilities or a sink for visiting doctors to wash their hands.  Due to a regular increase in population the school has become overcrowded.  The Community Center is now functioning as the Standard III classroom and serves 27 students on a daily basis. IFOB funding was used to improve the facilities for future emergencies and regular use by children.

San Jose Succotz Health Committee

Project: Library Furnishing Project

Amount: US$1,000

Purpose: The Succotz Health Committee teamed up with a local non-profit, ProBelize Service Corps, to construct a multi-purpose community building.  The primary purpose of the facility is to serve as a library for the children of Succotz, lending books and providing space to tutor children with  homework. It will also serve as a health post during clinical outreaches for vaccinations or pre-natal clinics, and provide shelter during hurricanes. While the Succotz Health Committee and ProBelize successfully mobilized materials to construct this multi-purpose facility, they still lacked bookshelves, tables, and chairs, and hence could not operate as a proper library facility.  IFOB funding was used to provide these basic furnishings.