Frequently Asked Questions

THE BASICS

  1. When was the International Association of Women founded and by whom?
  2. What is your mission?
  3. Is International Association of Women the only foundation of this type?
  4. Why are you focused on women?
  5. WHERE DOES MY MONEY GO?

  6. Is my donation tax-deductible?
  7. How much of your income goes to grants & programs?
  8. Where does the rest of the money go?
  9. Can I designate my donation to a specific organization?
  10. Why doesn't all of your income just go to grants?
  11. Is all that extra work worth it?
  12. Isn't your overhead rather high?
  13. Do you pay your Board of Directors?
  14. Why should I give when you get money from big foundations?
  15. I don't have money to give. What else can I do to help?
  16. GRANTGIVING

  17. How do groups find you?
  18. How do you pick the groups you support?
  19. How do you monitor the grants you give?
  20. Why don't you give grants in the United States?

THE BASICS

1) When was International Association of Women founded and by whom?

The International Association of Women was founded in Youngstown Ohio by Saroj B singh, They identified a lack of resources for women's human rights causes worldwide as a key barrier to the improvement in the status of women. They decided to establish a new foundation to raise money for women's human rights organizations around the world. (For more history, see the International Association of Women, Celebrating 3 Years, 2003-2006)

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2) What is your mission?

Our mission is to advance women's human rights by making grants to women and other women's groups that work to gain freedom from poverty, violence and discrimination.

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3) Is International Association of Women the only foundation of this type?

We are the only foundation in the US that awards grants to women's rights groups all over the world. We are not the largest in the world but we are largest in the world with this mission.

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4) Why are you focused on women?

Investing in women is the single most effective antidote to the world's pressing problems: war, poverty, disease. Women play a special role in society by contributing not only to family wellbeing, but to community wellbeing as a whole. Our experience and many credible studies show that when women earn more, they are more likely than men to reinvest their income in the family. When women become educated, they make healthier reproductive choices and seek education for their daughters.

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WHERE DOES MY MONEY GO?

5) Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes, when you make a donation to the International Association of Women without receiving goods or services in return, you can deduct it from your taxes. We will provide you with a letter showing the amount of your tax-exempt donation. We are non profit 501-c3 in the united states.

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6) How much of your income goes to grants & programs?

78% of the money we raise each year goes to grants and program services. That includes funds that we put directly into the hands of women's groups abroad. It also includes costs for translations of proposals (to ensure that all applicants get a fair shake), travel to underserved regions to learn about emerging groups and the salaries of program staff conduct thorough grant reviews and make recommendations. We invest in due diligence to ensure that your donor dollars are well spent.

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7) Where does the rest of the money go?

Of the remaining 22% of our budget, 7% is costs for overall administration and 16% are costs for fundraising. We invest resources in fundraising so that we can raise more money each year to award more grants. We have succeeded in awarding more and more grants every year since our founding. The last two years in a row we have increased our grantmaking by 15% annually. We limit our costs by maintaining only one office rather than setting up offices all over the world.

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8) Can I designate my donation to a specific organization?

According to US tax laws, you may not designate your donation to be given to a specific women's organization abroad. You can, however, restrict a donation of $1,000 or more for an interest area of your choice, such as women's economic independence, stopping violence, advancing girls' education, etc. We will ensure that your donation goes to women's groups working on that issue. You can also designate your donation to go to a specific population or region. Restricted gifts must be outlined in writing. International Association of women allocates 15% of the gift for programmatic and administrative costs.

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9) Why doesn't all of your income just go to grants?

Giving small grants takes a lot of effort. If we had $1 million and gave it all to one group, we would only work with one program, review one budget and write one check. At the International Association of women Fund, $1 million will provide about 90 grants! (Our average grant size is $8,800). That means our staff will have reviewed about 350 proposals, contacted dozens of advisors, prepared 90 contracts, written checks or wires for 90 organizations and checked to see if the money arrived in 90 countries! We can't give grants in a respectful way without the infrastructure to do so. Program services constitute the many activities we engage in to get the money into the right hands in faraway places.

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10) Is all that extra work worth it?

Small grants to grassroots groups working for equality and justice prove to be one of the most effective uses of financial resources. They deliver support to the people who know how to solve their own problems at the community level. Small grants are given directly to local women leaders who know how to get things done. International Association of women to award grants in a timely and flexible way.

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11) Isn't your overhead rather high?

No. Our program expense to total expense ratio is 78%. Within the field of philanthropy, certain standards exist and we exceed the standards. These institutions recommend that the program expense to total expense ratio be between 60 and 65%. Also, America's largest independent evaluator of charities, Charity Navigator, gave the International Association of women top rating for being "exceptional" in fiscal management.

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12) Do you pay your Board of Directors?

No, they volunteer their time, as do the 120 volunteer advisors located all over the world.

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13) Why should I give when you get money from big foundations?

We couldn't do this work without individual contributions like yours. Donations from individuals account for nearly one third of our annual income. When we work together small donations add up. $10 will purchase a textbook for an Afghan girl once denied an education under the Taliban. $50 will enable a women's cooperative in El Salvador to purchase industrial cookware for their new restaurant. We believe that real philanthropy means each and every one of can make a difference.

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14) I don't have money to give. What else can I do to help?

You can get involved by educating your friends and family about the status of women's human rights and the work of the Global Fund for Women. Wherever you live, on any day of the year, you can host a house party or event - click here for more information.
If you live in Youngstown ohio, and know a foreign language, you can translate proposals or correspondence from prospective grantees or do administrative tasks in our offices. Go here to learn more.

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GRANTGIVING

15) How do groups find you?

Groups find us through word-of-mouth, the Internet search engine and outreach travel by staff members.

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16) How do you pick the groups you support?

We rely on a broad network of 120 advisors located all over the world. We travel to different areas and meet all type of people They are scholars, activists, leaders and other professionals working to improve women's human rights. We have a distinctly international Board of Directors who lends their advice and expertise to our grant review process. We also listen to the recommendations International Association of women grantees on the ground.

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17) How do you monitor the grants you give?

Grantee organizations are required to send a final narrative and financial report at the end of a grant period that summarizes their successes and challenges. Program officers review the final reports. We also take advantage of opportunities to visit a region and see firsthand how groups are doing. In certain cases, we will raise money from a foundation to specifically evaluate a particular program, such as girls' education.

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18) Why don't you give grants in the United States?

We do help women in united states. Most of these women are from different culture, , nations,and have language warriors.They do not get equal employment opportunity. The International Association of women help them.
Financial resources are vastly limited across the developing world and, in comparison, far more available in the US. We prioritize requests from groups in the many parts of the world where small amounts of money go a long way.

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