Banyan Tree Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Banyan Tree Foundation offers global development grants for economic opportunity and access to education, particularly for children and girls.
IP TAKE: Banyan Tree tends to offer multi-year grants, which is good for current grantees, but can make it tough for would-be grantees trying to get a foot in the door. The foundation lacks transparency and does not maintain a website, which restricts information about its guidelines. An address and phone number are provided below, but it will be difficult to get on Banyan Tree’s radar.
PROFILE: Located in Washington, D.C., the Banyan Tree Foundation should not be confused with the Banyan Tree Global Foundation in Singapore. Banyan Tree typically supports education in Africa and South Asia, and seeks to increase education opportunities in marginalized populations. Banyan prioritizes children and girls; it also funds organizations that provide educational opportunities for other vulnerable populations, such as prisoners and rural pastoralists.
Grants for Global Development and Women and Girls
The main focus of Banyan Trees international giving seems to be educational access and opportunity for children living in developing and impoverished regions, especially programs that promote education for girls and economic opportunity for women. While the Banyan Tree Foundation has no stated geographical limitations, its grantmaking generally centers around Africa and South Asia—particularly the nations of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Nepal. It also funds organizations based in the United States whose work touches on these regions of interest. Grantees include International Rescue Committee, Save the Children Foundation, Kenya Community Development Foundation, Afar Pastoralist Development Association, Nepal Youth Foundation, Forum for African Women Educationalists, and Women Educational Researchers of Kenya.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $50,000 to $350,000 for multi-year periods, but it is not unusual for Banyan to award a handful of grants in the range of $400,000 to $1 million. This funder does not have stated areas of interest but it seems to prioritize organizations working in the United States, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Nepal.
The Banyan Tree Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding or grant applications, preferring instead to seek out potential grantees.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Banyan Tree Foundation
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1200
Washington, D.C., 20006
(202) 466-5910