Non-profit-making conservation and environmental causes in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Levant countries will once again be eligible to apply for vital funding from the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants, it was announced today.
The initiative—which rewards local volunteers with cash grants—marks its fourth year in the GCC and its third straight year in the Levant, with the continued support of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Jim Benintende, managing director of Ford Middle East, said: “The Ford Grants continue to play a significant role in raising the profile and importance of environmental conservation in our region. Ford Middle East is proud to recognize the many local volunteers across the GCC and Levant countries who are doing such tremendous work to preserve the region's vast heritage and natural beauty.”
Last year, 13 applicants from all nine GCC and Levant countries received grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Ford Motor Company has donated a total of nearly a quarter of a million dollars since the Grants began in the Middle East in 2000.
Since the launch, the GCC/Levant Ford Grants have been recognized and supported by WWF's UAE chapter, which has helped to spotlight the hard work of dedicated environmentalists and conservationists across the region.
WWF recently made its official entry into the region following the launch of its conservation office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it runs bio-diversity conservation projects. Ford Middle East is a founding member of WWF's Corporate Club in the UAE.
Criteria for applying for Ford Grants are unchanged. The program is open to small-scale, non-profit-making groups and individuals in the GCC and Levant that are implementing ongoing projects related to the natural environment, environmental education, conservation engineering, or the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.
Previous Ford Grants recipients in the region include whale and dolphin researchers in Oman, turtle conservationists in Kuwait, botanical researchers in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, and educational campaigners in the UAE.
“The Ford Grants represent a pioneer project in the Middle East as little coordinated work to protect and sustain the environment takes place in the region outside the public sector,” said Andy Acho, worldwide director of Ford Motor Company’s Environmental Outreach and Strategy Office.
“Cash donations, rather than the more usual gifts in kind, allow volunteer groups to allocate resources as they choose and where they’re most needed,” Acho added. “Successful environmental and conservation awareness is all about sustainability. The fact that many volunteer groups have received grants from Ford more than once shows that our message is getting across.”
To apply for funding from the Ford Grants this year, participants are invited to visit the purpose-built website www.ford-environmentalgrants.com and download an application form (available in English and Arabic).
As in previous years, an independent judging panel, made up of government environmental specialists and academics, will choose the recipients. The deadline for entries is September 4, 2003.
Ford Motor Company, which has its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, is the world's second largest automaker, with approximately 335,000 employees in 200 markets across six continents. Its automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz.
Ford Motor Company’s history in the Middle East goes back more than 50 years. The company’s local dealers operate more than 40 facilities in the GCC and directly employ more than 3,500 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals. Ford Motor Company celebrates its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
