Funding Vulnerable Communities Across the Globe
Over the years, Brooke USA has funded the work of our sister organization, Brooke: Action for Working Horses and Donkeys. Brooke is the leading international animal welfare charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys, and mules. Through Brooke’s work, we know that our donors’ funds are put to great use as they equip local people with the knowledge and skills to give their horse, donkey, or mule a better life.
Brooke USA mainly supports the work of Brooke in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and the Caribbean. Brooke USA also supports other organizations in countries and regions where Brooke does not have a presence and there is evidence of need.
Brooke USA also accepts unsolicited proposals from other organizations across the globe and in the United States that fit our eligibility and selection criteria and whose work addresses one of our four thematic focus areas. We take monitoring and evaluating our grantee organizations very seriously and we foster respectful and transparent partnerships. We select organizations after thorough review by our Board of Directors and require appropriate project-specific reporting.
Eligibility Criteria:
Brooke USA selects our grantee partners based on their demonstrated potential to provide solutions to the needs of vulnerable working equines and the people they serve and generate significant improvements in their lives.
Brooke USA makes grants only to nonprofit organizations that share its mission of significantly improving the welfare of working equines and their owners. Grant opportunities support programs and projects that improve the care of working equines and improve the livelihoods of owners and/or users.
Priority is given to programs with the broadest reach and to those that work toward self-sustainability within the targeted communities. Programs must demonstrate meaningful scale, efficient use of resources, and measurable welfare impact. Grant proposals must clearly justify the expected number of equines to be directly benefited. Preference is given to multi-year programs, between 3 to 5 years, with an option to extend support if necessary.
Organizations in Good Standing:
NPOs applying for funding are expected to conduct their operations in a lawful and transparent manner and to ensure that grant funds are not used for illegal activities. Brooke USA will consider funding requests from NGOs/NPOs in “good standing” defined as follows:
The NPO has been operating for at least 2 years.
The NPO has a duly elected Board of Directors and staff and/or volunteers to carry out its mission.
The NPO has fully complied with the laws, registrations and reporting requirements governing its operations.
The NPO must sign a declaration that it complies with applicable anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations.
Grant Limitations:
Grants are not made:
To organizations that discriminate against certain groups or individuals based on race, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation or disability;
For influencing legislation and/or elections; for political candidates or campaigns;
For political issues, anywhere in the world;
To individuals;
For temporary exhibits, travel, surveys, films or publishing activities;
For endowment funds;
For fundraising dinners or events; or
For religious programs.
Grant Process:
Brooke USA has a simple but comprehensive grant application process:
Letter of Inquiry: A brief Letter of Inquiry (usually 1-2 pages) sent to Brooke USA’s Program Manager to introduce the NPO and proposed project. Letters of Inquiry are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. All the elements that the LOI must contain can be downloaded via the link on this page.
Full Grant Proposal: Should the Letter of Inquiry be of interest, Brooke USA’s Program Manager will arrange for a one-on-one meeting and share information on the requirements of a full Grant Proposal. The Grant Proposal template is available on this page. Grant proposals are submitted to the Board of Directors for approval two times a year - in June and December. Proposals must be submitted in final form to the Program Manager prior to May 10 and November 10.
Selection Guidelines:
Beyond the basic eligibility criteria, Brooke USA uses the following selection guidelines in identifying partnering organizations.
Impact: We prioritize organizations that can use the requested funds to reach the greatest number of animals and people.
Geography: We prefer geographic diversity when selecting grantees and strive to ensure a variety of communities across the globe benefit from our support.
Project Type: We look for program diversity when selecting grantees and strive to fund a variety of innovative programs in the following areas - capacity building, sustainability programming, female empowerment, and international advocacy.
Reputation and Referral: We prioritize organizations that are recognized and trusted. We also value our previous experience with grantee organizations.
Capable Management: Prospective grantee partners must have systems and processes for responsible management of funds, and they must be able to meet Brooke USA’s reporting requirements.
Organizational Need: We prefer to fund organizations with limited access to alternative funding sources.
Potential for Sustainability: We prioritize organizations that have a strategy for ensuring the long-term sustainability of their programs through development and partnerships, community involvement, income-generating activities, or other creative measures. Preference will be given to organizations that aim to continue their programmatic work beyond the lifetimes of the Brooke USA grant.
Grant Reporting and Evaluation:
Funded organizations are required to provide both a mid-term and end-of-year report. The first is due six months from approval of the grant, and the second one is due six months later. Due dates are established in the Grant Agreement letter. Upon completion of the project, Brooke USA requires a comprehensive final report. Brooke USA provides a detailed grant management manual with required forms and examples to facilitate all reporting.