Local Contribution: The community must contribute or raise at least 25% of the total cost. To date, the average local contribution has been more than 66%. A large portion of the contribution has been community members’ sweat equity in the project.  Communities may also assess monthly maintenance contributions and raise other funds to support the project.

 

Sustainability: Each project must demonstrate that it is sustainable. This is both a Peace Corps and a Community Challenge Fund goal. The projects are designed for sustainability.  The water projects, for example, require household assessments toward a maintenance and replacement reserve fund.  Health and sanitation projects include a community health education component.

 

Donor Contributions: To jump start the Challenge Fund, two Returned Dominican Republic Peace Corps Volunteers and their family members contributed almost $130,000 as a match for all donations up to that amount.  By 2009, this match had been met by large and small donations from individuals and families throughout the U.S.  As of December 2010, almost $275,000 had been raised.  Contributions made throughout the year are essential and provide the resources to reach our goal of assisting approximately 10 projects a year.  

 

100% of Donor Contributions go for Project Costs: All funds contributed by donors are used for project costs (materials and technical labor). There is no overhead charged to the project.

 

Peace Corps Volunteers:  Peace Corps Volunteers are key to the successful delivery of CCF support to local communities.  PCV's work with community leaders to define, plan, and implement projects.  They oversee the Challenge Funds allocated to a specific project, assuring they are used for intended purposes.  They also work with the community to assess the results of the project and provide project photos and a final report to the CCF.  Peace Corps involvement in the project results in no cost to the project or to the Challenge Fund.

Peace Corps Volunteers work with local community leaders to identify needs and priorities. The Volunteer then works with the community to plan and organize the project, calling in Peace Corps technical staff as needed (for example to test water quality). If found to be feasible, the project is planned and local funding is committed.  An application for CCF funding for up to $2,500 per grant is prepared and reviewed by a Peace Corps staff/Volunteer committee. Carefully planned, high-need projects are recommended to the Peace Corps Country Director.  The Director recommends projects to the Community Challenge Fund.  The CCF Project Committee reviews and approves projects which meet the program criteria.  Once approved, funds are released to Peace Corps Dominican Republic and eventually to the Peace Corps Volunteer to purchase materials. The Volunteer assists the community during construction and monitors the project and funds. The Volunteer takes pictures and provides a final report on the project.   

Donations to the Community Challenge Fund are considered tax deductible contributions under the 501C3 non-profit organization designation of the Friends of the Dominican Republic.  Contributions to the Fund that are not used immediately for projects are put to work in low-risk investments. Profits from these investments are used to sustain the fund for future projects.  As funds are committed for local projects in Dominican communities , they are dispersed to Peace Corps Dominican Republic for approved projects.  No administrative fees or charges are taken by Friends of the Dominican Republic or, of course, the Peace Corps.  All donations go 100% to project costs.

A key goal of the Fund is to make the program sustainable.  Approximately $200,000 of the donations made up to 2009, have been placed in an invested sustaining fund to assure that the program can continue provide assistance indefinitely.  Through conservative, low-risk investments, these funds should generate enough income to award five $2,500 grants annually for an indefinite period of time. However, the need in the Dominican Republic is so great that FDR has set a goal of funding 10 projects a year.  Therefore additional donations throughout the year are needed to make this level of assistance sustainable.  

 

For further information on how you can help or about the Challenge Fund, please contact:

John Epler, Challenge Fund Project Manager

Phone:  206-723-5376

Email:   johnepler@comcast.net

Make checks payable to:

“Community Challenge Fund”

Forward your tax-deductible donations to:

Treasurer, Friends of the Dominican Republic

4512 Park Road

Alexandria, VA 22312

Please include your address and e-mail address for acknowledgement and, if you are a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, indicate year and country of service.

Contribution levels:

Co-Founder              $3,500     Project Maker           $2,000

Project Partner         $1,000     Project Supporter     $200

Project Contributor   $Other

If you prefer to make annual donations to sustain the program, indicate the annual contribution and period of years. 

Several donors have made contributions in honor of others for events such as weddings, birthdays or memorials by indicating the name and address of the person to be honored.  In the first two years, more than $7,000 has been donated by this method. Letters are sent to the donor and the honoree acknowledging the donation.

Service clubs and small family foundations have provided funds by “adopting” a project or providing general contributions. 

Bequests, estate planning, and donations of stocks, bonds, or other property are new ways that can be used to assure the sustainability of the Fund. 

For those with employer matching funds, please forward appropriate forms to your employer. Please contact John if you wish to explore one of these options.