August 2010 - 8
CONTENTS
Fellow News
Vipin Thekkekalathil Receives Ford Fellowship
Vipin Thekkekalathil, Associate Director of Youth Venture
in India, was a recipient of a 2010 Ford Motor Company
International Fellowship. During the intensive three-week
residency, Ford Fellows take classes in areas including
nonprofit management strategy and leadership training at
Columbia University’s Picker Center for Executive
Education. The academic curriculum is complemented by
visits to model nonprofits in New York City and meetings
with academic, business, and government leaders. He was
“terrific” according to Alison Gardy, Director of
International Relations, who runs the program.
Awards/Funding
Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships
Deadline: August 1, 2010
The Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships (AFPF) is an
American non-profit, non-governmental organization that
gives developing-world journalists the opportunity to work
as reporters in American newsrooms. The program, which
runs from mid-March to September, is offered annually to
approximately ten professional print journalists between
the ages of 25 and 35. Find more information here.
Graça Machel Scholarships
Deadline: August 10, 2010
The key aim of the Graça Machel Scholarship Programme
is to help provide the female human resources necessary
for economic, social and cultural development in the
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Fellow News
Awards & Funding
Conferences
Information for Fellows
Networking & Communication Tools
Changemakers®
Volunteers, Interns, Partners
Ashoka Fellow Alex Freyre Fights for Same-Sex
Marriage in Argentina
Argentina has became the first country in Latin America to
approve a civil law that allows same-sex marriage,
including: full marital rights, adoption and inheritance. This
achievement in equal rights was enabled by the everlasting
battle lead by Alex Freyre, Ashoka Fellow. He works to
influence public policy, create new policy, and train a
growing network of citizen organizations and community
groups.
Southern African region and to develop an educated and
skilled workforce that can benefit the wider community.
The scholarship is for female students from Angola,
Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe studying in
South Africa. Read about this and other opportunities
here.
Open Meadows Foundation Offers Funding for
Projects to Benefit Women and Girls
Deadline: August 14, 2010
Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded to nonprofits
working on projects designed and implemented by women
and girls to promote equality, environmental justice, and
financial success for women around the globe. Read more.
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The 2010 SEED Awards
Deadline: August 16, 2010
The SEED Initiative, founded by UNEP, UNDP and IUCN,
and supported by the European Union, Germany, India, the
Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, the UK and the USA,
identifies and supports promising small scale social and
environmental entrepreneurs around the globe,
entrepreneurs that while working towards a greener
economy also tackle poverty, marginalisation and social
exclusion. This year there is a focus on Africa. Visit the
International Institute for International Development
website here.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria
Deadline: August 20, 2010
The Fund will give priority to proposals from countries and
regions with the greatest need, based on highest burden of
disease and the least ability to bring financial resources to
address the problems of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Proposals from countries and regions with a high potential
for risk will also be considered. Learn more.
Open Society Institute
Deadline: September 7, 2010
The Open Society Fellowship supports outstanding
individuals from around the world. The fellowship enables
innovative professionals—including journalists, activists,
academics, and practitioners—to work on projects that
inspire meaningful public debate, shape public policy, and
generate intellectual ferment within the Open Society
Institute. The fellowship focuses on the following
categories: National Security and the Open Society;
Citizenship, Membership and Marginalization; Strategies
and Tools for Advocacy and Citizen Engagement;
Understanding Authoritarianism; Open Category. Find the
Open Society Fellowship guidelines here.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Provides Grants
to Improve Lives of Children
Deadline: September 7, 2010 (Letter of Inquiry)
Grants will be awarded to nonprofits working to improve
the health and well being of children under the age of 21
through national and global programs. The RMHC Board of
Trustees is most interested in national and international
organizations that have a specific program related to
children's health and well-being. Learn more here.
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August 2010 - 8
United States Institute of Peace Senior Fellowships
Deadline: September 8, 2010
The Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace
awards Senior Fellowships to enable outstanding scholars,
policy makers, journalists, and other professionals from
around the world to conduct research at the U.S. Institute
of Peace on important issues concerning international
conflict and peace. Learn more here.
The Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Deadline: September 22, 2010
The Graduate Center of The City University of New York
is accepting applications for the spring 2011 Emerging
Leaders International Fellows Program and U.S. Diversity
Fellowship (28 February - 27 May, 2011). The programs
are designed to help build Third-Sector capacity in the
Fellows’ home countries. The research topic for both
programs is community foundations; other topics in the
field of philanthropy will be considered. For details
including eligibility requirements, application guidelines and
links to the online applications visit: www.philanthropy.org.
The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
Deadline: annually September 15
The Tyler Prize is the premier award honoring significant
achievements in environmental science and environmental
protection. Through their work Tyler Laureates have
focused worldwide attention on environmental problems
by their discoveries and the solutions. Read more.
Green Awards
Deadline: September 30, 2010
The Green Awards were set up to recognise and reward
creative work that communicates the importance of
corporate social responsibility, sustainable development,
and ethical best practice.
UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize
Deadline: September 30, 2010
If you have Fellows in mind that you would like to
nominate for this important award, please email their
names to nominate@ashoka.org within the next few days.
It is awarded annually to leading environmentalists and
recognizes the work of these individuals at the global level.
The Prize will be awarded solely to "individuals who have
made outstanding global contributions to the management
and protection of the environment.” It is one of the
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world's most valuable environmental prizes. Ashoka should
receive nominations well in advance of September 30. For
more information, click here.
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
Deadline: No deadlines
As the only international women’s fund in the world
designed to respond on short notice, UAF collaborates
with women activists in three primary contexts: peace
building in situations of armed conflict, escalating violence,
or politically volatile environments; potentially precedent-
setting legal and legislative actions; and protection of
women human rights defenders. UAF exists to enable
women to mobilize and act within these brief windows of
opportunity. For more information, click here.

Conferences
Global Maternal Health Conference 2010
New Delhi, India // August 30-September 1, 2010 (Registration begins July 15, 2010)
The Global Maternal Health Conference 2010 aims to build on the existing momentum around MDG5 to coalesce and
catalyze the maternal health field. Lessons learned, neglected issues, and innovative thinking will be the underpinnings of the
conference, and the anticipated outcome is increased consensus around the evidence, programs and advocacy needed to
improve maternal health. For more information about conference themes, click here. For registration information, click
here.

Forum for African Investigative Reporters

Johannesburg South Africa // November 1-3, 2010 (Now accepting applications)
The Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR) is a professional association of investigative journalists in Africa. Its
mission is to enhance, deepen and build investigative journalism as a profession throughout the continent. FAIR is now
receiving applications from investigative journalists all over Africa to attend FAIR's planned conferences for 2010. Journalists
who want to showcase their investigative work and engage in a dialogue with colleagues on the increase and promotion of
investigative journalism practice in Africa are encouraged to apply. Find details here.

Information for Fellows

Women's Contribution to Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean
Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID):The structural pattern of inequalities between women and men is
often determined by two key elements: their levels of participation in politics and decision-making processes; and their
contributions to the economy (both paid and unpaid). This contribution is calling for universal access to social protection of
women's empowerment and well-being, and to foster shared responsibility for unpaid work between men and women. For
more information, click here.

Trueque Amazónico (Amazonian Exchange), Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru

Tour operators and indigenous communities involved in ecotourism in the Amazon met with researchers in 2003 to share
experiences and form alliances. "These are three cases in the Amazon with true community participation." Learn more
here.

Defining and Uniting the Global Ecotourism Movement through Improved Communication
by Antonis B. Petropoulos
A May 2007 presentation that advocates giving individual ecotourism practitioners, academics, and enthusiasts
communication tools to foster transparency and knowledge diffusion, and stresses the role of bi-directional communication

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in strengthening the independence of the ecotourism movement and preserving its core values—i.e., providing a social
service rather than selling something. Learn more here.

Networking & Communication Tools Fellows Only

New Functionality in LinkedIn Ashoka Fellows Group
Are you an Ashoka Fellow using the professional social network LinkedIn? If you haven’t yet joined the group just for
Ashoka Fellows—you should! New functionality makes having a discussion even easier. Join at http://bit.ly/FellowsLI

Changemakers®
Competition: Strong Communities: Engaging Citizens, Strengthening Place, Inspiring Change
Ashoka’s Changemakers and CommunityMatters are looking for effective, innovative solutions that demonstrate how
citizens can connect and steer change to build stronger communities. Submit your solutions, or nominate a project, in this
competition to make your community a vital, enduring place by August 11. Eight of the competition finalists will be invited
to attend the CommunityMatters ’10 Conference in Denver, October 5-8, 2010. For more information, please visit
http://www.changemakers.com/strongcommunities.

Competition: The G-20 SME Finance Challenge

The Group of 20 and Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, are looking for the best
models worldwide for public-private partnerships that catalyze finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Submit
your solutions, or nominate a project, in the G-20 SME Finance Challenge to unlock private finance for small and medium
enterprises by August 25. Up to 15 winners will be invited to the November 2010 G-20 Summit in Korea to be recognized
for their innovative ideas. Winners will then be connected with donors and investors at an SME conference in Germany. Go
to http://www.changemakers.com/SME-Finance.

Competition: Patients| Choices| Empowerment

Ashoka’s Changemakers and the Amgen Foundation are launching the “Patients| Choices| Empowerment” competition to
find solutions to improve health outcomes globally. Submit your inspiring and innovative solutions or nominate a project by
September 29. The three winners of this competition will each receive a cash prize of US$10,000. For more information,
please visit http://www.Changemakers.com/empower-patient.

Competition: Property Rights: Identity, Dignity & Opportunity for All

Ashoka’s Changemakers and the Omidyar Network are launching the “Property Rights: Identity, Dignity & Opportunity for
All” competition to find ways to strengthen property rights in order to give people the incentive and ability to invest in
their land, earn income from their property, and build long-term security for their families. The competition launches on
August 18, 2010. The three winners of this competition will each receive a cash prize of $50,000. For more information,
please visit www.Changemakers.com/property-rights.

Vote: Enter Your Solution for Building the Field of Social Business
Check out the solutions that build the emerging field of social business in the Leveraging Business for Social Change
Changemakers competition. You can vote for the top three entries until August 11, 2010. The three entries that receive
the most votes will each earn a prize of USD $5,000. Go to http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/socialbusiness.

Vote: Changing Lives Through Football

Select your favorite solutions that use football (soccer) to strengthen community, increase development, and drive social
change in the Changing Lives Through Football competition, hosted by Nike and Changemakers.com. You can vote for the

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top three entries between until August 18, 2010. Six winners are eligible to win a total of $90,000 in prizes. Go to
http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/football.

Winners Announced: Strengthen and Improve Communities

See the three winning ideas to strengthen and improve communities in Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Connecticut or Massachusetts in the Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change competition,
hosted by Green Mountain Coffee and Ashoka's Changemakers. The three winners are awarded prizes totaling USD
$50,000. For more information, please visit http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/Revelation.

Volunteers, Interns, Partners Fellows Only

Volunteers
Need help with Strategic Planning? Fundraising?
Translation? Volunteers can help! In-person assistance?
Virtual help? Volunteer teams? Let us know what you
need, and we‘ll help you find what you‘re looking for!
Please give specific details regarding your plans for using a
volunteer and information about what type of work they‘ll
be doing, special skills required, time-frame,
accommodations available, etc. Email Beth Inabinett at
volunteers@ashoka.org.

Interns
Would you like to advertise for an intern on the Ashoka
Volunteer website? Many capable undergraduate and
graduate students are visiting the website looking for a way
to get involved and gain experience in their field of study,
especially over the summer. Contact Beth Inabinett for an
Intern Request Form at binabinett@ashoka.org.

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