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KUWAIT: The Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants program extends the deadline to receive application for funding for on-going environmental projects to September 11, 2016. The 16th edition of the initiative will provide funding to on-going environmental projects in the Middle East and North Africa awarding a total of US$120,000 - the highest total grant amount to be awarded in its history.

Individuals or organizations with on-going projects focused on conservation engineering, environmental education or natural environment are invited to apply for funding via www.me.ford.com until September 11, 2016.

The Grants program has helped 194 grassroots-level projects dedicated to environmental causes in the GCC and Levant with total Grants amounting to US$1.5 million. The on-going projects must be located in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE or Yemen.

Program history

In its 15 years of existence, the Ford Grants have supported projects that promote capacity building, species conservation, protection of natural resources and educating the youth in environment protection. The Grants is one of the largest corporate initiatives of its kind in the region, created to empower individuals and non-profit groups that are donating their time and efforts to preserve the environmental well-being of their communities.

Since its inception, the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants program has received support from various governmental and non-governmental environmental authorities from around the Middle East, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Emirates Wildlife Society, the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED) and UNESCO Doha.

Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges consisting of academics and leaders from regional environmental organizations. The judges are seasoned environmentalists or academicians from the region carefully selected based on geographical coverage, age and gender equality. They look for initiatives that demonstrate a well-defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximizing available resources, and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programs and services.