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International Nonviolence Training Fund
Grant Guidelines

(Updated October 8, 2009)

The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute funds projects which promote the principles and practice of nonviolent social change through grantmaking programs including the International Nonviolence Training Fund (INTF). The INTF was created in 1994 by a group of concerned donors with the aim of specifically supporting nonviolence trainings. (For information about our other grantmaking programs, please see the grants page on our website at http://www.ajmuste.org/ajgrants.html.)

Decisions on INTF grants are guided by the INTF Advisory Committee--composed of several experienced trainers associated with the Muste Institute--and are ratified by the Muste Institute Board of Directors.

Nonviolence trainings seek to help people develop and improve the skills they need to confront systemic injustice through organized, principled, nonviolent action. Trainings promote the exchange of ideas, information, and strategies, through which activists can become more effective at using nonviolent action in their struggles.

INTF GRANTMAKING PRIORITIES

The INTF supports nonviolence training outside the United States, and within Native nations in the US.  

The maximum grant amount is US$3,000.

Projects eligible for support include:

• those which build capacity and leadership among people engaged in nonviolent struggles;
• those which prepare participants for specific nonviolent actions or campaigns;
• those geared to "training the trainers," in order to expand and multiply nonviolence training throughout a targeted community.

Preference is given to:

• projects which involve trainers from the local area or region, where such trainers are available.
• groups which are small, community-based and have less access to funding from other sources.

We also look seriously at gender balance within the training team and for the projected participants.

The INTF does not fund:

• trainings which are geared primarily toward resolving conflicts between individuals, building life skills or job skills, or achieving personal empowerment or economic independence.
• conflict resolution or violence reduction programs which do not directly promote activism for social justice.
• scholarships or other funding for people to travel abroad to attend courses or training sessions.
• trainings with budgets over US$50,000, or organizations with annual budgets over US$500,000.

The Muste Institute can and does directly fund organizations which do not have their own 501(c)3 non-profit tax-exempt status, and/or which are not incorporated. The only time we require a fiscal sponsor is if the organization does not have its own bank account; we cannot issue checks to individuals. If you cannot receive a grant from us directly (with the grant check made out to the name of your organization), please indicate this in your proposal and include information about your fiscal sponsor, including a letter indicating the sponsor's tax-exempt status and some basic information such as a brochure or brief annual report.

WHEN TO APPLY TO THE INTF

The next deadlines for proposals for the International Nonviolence Training Fund are December 4, 2009; March 4, 2010; September 3, 2010; and December 3, 2010. Proposals must be received in our office on the deadline day.

The review and decision process takes approximately four months.

The INTF does not consider proposals for trainings which will have already taken place by the time our decision is made, so we urge you to apply at least four to five months before your training is set to begin, especially if you need preparation time for the training after notification of the grant decision.

Groups which receive INTF grants must generally wait two years before applying again to the INTF. (This is so we can expand the number of groups we support, and to encourage groups to look elsewhere for funding.)

HOW TO APPLY TO THE INTF

Please read these guidelines carefully and review our rosters of past grants on our website before applying to the Muste Institute for funding. If you are still uncertain about whether your project fits within our grantmaking priorities, you may contact our office well before the deadline to inquire. If you choose to do this, please start by sending a brief plain text description of your project via email to intf@ajmuste.org — if you don't hear back within two weeks, you are welcome to follow up with another email.

To submit a proposal, fill out completely:

- the INTF Grant Application Form: http://ajmuste.org/INTFGrantApplicationForm.doc

Email the completed form (preferably in MS Word or RTF format) with all required attachments to intf@ajmuste.org with the subject line “INTF:” followed by the name of your group.

NOTE: If you are awarded a grant, you will have to provide a complete financial accounting for all funds received from the Muste Institute, demonstrating that they were used in accord with the grant agreement. This accounting is due as soon as the money is spent or within six months, whichever comes first. If funds from a grant remain unspent after six months, you must submit an updated accounting every six months until the complete grant is spent. This financial accounting should be accompanied by copies of materials produced with Institute funds, and a brief narrative report on the project.