Program Guidelines for Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam
Program Goal and Strategies
Inquiry
Instructions
This document provides
information to help determine if
your organization fits within our
grantmaking guidelines for work
in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-
nam, and to help you prepare to
submit an initial inquiry.
v protect and strengthen local livelihoods:
Application
Overview
1. Review these program
guidelines.
2. Familiarize yourself with
our online grant application
process at www.mcknight.
org/instructions.
3. Visit the Southeast Asia
section of our website and
follow the links to start a
new application.
v
Deadlines
Inquiries Board
Received Consideration
June 1 November
November 1 May
NOTE: The online application system
is accessible for four weeks prior
to deadline. Board consideration is
pending full proposal invitation.
v Organizations must have a keen understand-
Questions?
Please visit www.mcknight.org,
email us at info@mcknight.org,
or call us at +1 612-333-4220.
Through community building and empower-
ment, our goal is to strengthen local institu-
tions and initiatives that sustain and improve
the livelihoods of the most vulnerable
people in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In
2009, the Southeast Asia program granted
approximately US$1.8 million.
In this work, we employ three strategies to
1. We support efforts to increase self-
determination for indigenous and ethnic
minority communities.
2. We support efforts to increase commu-
nity resource rights related to rural land,
forests, rivers and coastal resources, as well
as — in some cases — urban housing and
other resources.
3. We support balanced approaches
toward better management of natural
resources in ways that support both local
communities and biodiversity conservation.
Initiatives that are comprehensive or employ
more than one of McKnight’s strategies are
of particular interest. The program also con-
siders emerging or innovative initiatives with
potential to advance our program goals.
Support may be given to targeted policy or
advocacy projects that are directly rooted
in the challenges, opportunities, and threats
facing marginalized people and communities.
ing of relevant issues through direct work in
at least one of our three strategies.
We are especially interested in supporting
organizations that:
• promote indigenous leadership and ca-
pacity building within their organizations
and communities;
• are locally based and governed (interna-
tional NGOs with strong local partner-
ships working to strengthen local capaci-
ties can also be considered);
• have high standards of governance and
financial accountability, and work with
local communities in a participatory and
accountable manner;
• work in a collaborative manner with
other organizations and initiatives;
• maximize impact by making use of
existing local resources and people, and
minimize or exclude out-of-country
management or overhead costs (such
costs should never exceed seven percent
of the request amount);
• have emerging or innovative approaches
with potential for broad impact; and
• combine McKnight support with other
resources or co-funding so that orga-
nizations and projects are not overly
dependent on our long-term support.
Geographic Focus
To maximize program effectiveness and
support collaboration among grantees, most
grantmaking focuses on country-specific
geographic regions: southern Laos; Cambo-
dia’s northeast, Tonle Sap, and Phnom Penh;
and Vietnam’s northern highlands. McKnight
will also consider funding coastal areas in
Vietnam and Cambodia.
How to Apply
If your organization’s work fits our funding
strategies, you can familiarize yourself
with our online grant application process

The McKnight
Foundation
Founded in 1953 and indepen-
dently endowed by William and
Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-
based family foundation had as-
sets of approximately $1.8 billion
and granted about $98 million in
2009. McKnight makes grants in
support of children and youth,
region and communities, the en-
vironment, the arts, neuroscience
research, and select international
at www.mcknight.org/instructions. When
you’re ready to submit an initial inquiry, visit
the Southeast Asia program area of our
website and follow the links to start a new
application.
We will respond via email within 45 days
of receiving your inquiry, either to decline
funding or to provide instructions to submit
a full proposal online.
If your organization is invited and submits
a full proposal, a McKnight representative
will contact you to discuss your request. The
representative and McKnight program staff
What We Don’t Fund
Our grantmaking in Cambodia, Laos, and
Vietnam will not support lobbying (see
note below); internal resettlement activities;
conferences and most types of scholarships;
projects focused primarily on facility con-
struction; research, training or other proj-
ects not directly linked to our key program
strategies; organizations that proselytize or
discriminate on religious grounds; or wildlife
and biodiversity conservation projects with-
out strong community linkages and benefits.

efforts. McKnight subscribes to
the Minnesota Council on Founda-
tions’ “Principles for Minnesota
Grantmakers.”
v
will review the proposal and make a recom-
mendation to the Foundation’s board of
directors for the final funding decision.

The board considers proposals twice each

year. From the date of the initial inquiry
deadline to final board decision, the process Questions?
v usually requires six months. Please visit www.mcknight.org,
email us at info@mcknight.org,
or call us at +1 612-333-4220.
Eligibility and Types of Support

We provide planning, operating, and project

Mission grants. Local and international NGOs work-
ing in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam may
The McKnight Foundation, a apply for funding. Grants are made for one- Note on lobbying
Minnesota-based family founda- or two-year periods, with the possibility of The Foundation may consider funding requests for advocacy
tion, seeks to improve the quality renewal. Average grant size is US$45,000 per efforts. However, the Foundation will not fund efforts to carry
of life for present and future on propaganda, to attempt to influence legislation or the
year and are currently limited to a maximum outcome of any public election, or to carry on, directly or
generations. Through grant-
of two years. indirectly, any voter registration drive.
making, coalition-building, and
encouragement of strategic policy
reform, we use our resources to
attend, unite, and empower those
we serve.

In mid-2009, The McKnight Foundation refined its grantmaking strategies

for Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In addition to strengthening our commit-
ment to specific regions of each country, we no longer fund efforts for long-term
v
economic self-sufficiency of landmine/unexploded ordnance survivors and their
families; or rural development, income generation projects, or other training
not directly related to our three main program strategies.

Program Contact
Jane Maland Cady, Ph.D.
International Program Director
The McKnight Foundation
710 South Second Street #400
Minneapolis, MN 55401
USA
tel: +1 612-333-4220
fax: +1 612-332-3833
jmalandcady@mcknight.org Tell us what you think about our application process at www.mcknight.org/survey.
www.mcknight.org
May 2010