Background to the 1 % Fund
How did it start?
In 1960, the United Nations asked developed countries to give 1% of their GNP for development funding. It wasn’t a success. Very few nations wanted to reserve this amount of money for developing countries.
However, in 1984 Finland started their own 1% fund and this inspired a group of volunteers in Thailand to start donating 1% of their monthly stipend towards a fund that supports small-scale grassroots projects. These projects aim to improve the lives of families and communities in Thailand.
What are the objectives of the fund?
The objectives of the Fund are:
- To support small-scale grassroots projects
- To assist Thai individuals and groups to obtain funding
- To encourage people the world over to start similar funding schemes
- To encourage individuals to contribute to the fund
The fund aims to meet these objectives by awarding grants of upto 20,000 baht to individuals and organisations based in Thailand.
Who can apply for funding?
The projects are various and they are assessed in terms of clearly defined criteria: sustainability, improved gender relations and a positive impact on the environment. But most importantly, the decision to apply for the funding must be made by the people themselves within the local community.
In the last five years, 38 projects have been funded up to a maximum of 20,000 baht (around 450 euro) per project, including the reuse and sale of second hand goods for AIDS orphans in Chiang Mai.
How is the fund administered?
The administrative committee for the fund is made up of VSO volunteers. These committee members are elected by contributing volunteers currently working in Thailand. Committee members receive no income for their work, so the administrative costs of the fund are practically nil.
All project proposals are submitted to the committee for approval. CUSO and VSO volunteers possess both language and development skills, which places them in an ideal position to assess and support micro development projects according to the fund’s guidelines.
All grantees are required to submit financial and narrative reports and the committee tries to arrange visits to project sites to help groups develop proposals, implement projects and evaluate results.
Eligibility criteria are listed on the apply page. Official guidelines for the fund can downloaded here.
