Right Sharing of World Resources – Kenya: Seed Grants for Women’s Micro-Credit Projects

Published October 13, 2022 · Updated October 9, 2022

RSWR is a Quaker organization supported primarily by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the United States. RSWR has two main goals: 1) Provide grants for women in the developing world to begin small income- generating businesses so that they may help themselves and their families out of poverty. 2) Help Quakers in the United States learn about the negative effects of poverty in the developing world and the negative effects of materialism in North America.

Eligible Projects

RSWR supports income-generating, self-employment projects for poor women who are members of a self help group. The project must include a revolving loan component. We believe that small scale income-generating projects offer a means of establishing self sufficiency to very poor people. By requiring that the project include a revolving loan program, we can multiple the impact of our grant as the funds are revolved to different women within the community.

Project Partners

Burdens of materialism and poverty affect all peoples, in the developing and developed world. The projects RSWR
supports in the developing world build awareness and capacity in the beneficiaries as well as assisting them by providing employment alternatives so that they can move out of poverty. Likewise, RSWR strives to provide awareness building and alternatives for lifestyle changes for Quakers in the United States as we seek God’s leading in our lives. RSWR believes that we have much to learn from one another as we work together in partnership.

Eligible Applicants

In Kenya, all groups must be self-directed by the women beneficiaries themselves. The leadership and management must come from within the group. The group cannot be formed or managed by outside coordinators. Groups should be less than 20 years old and have an annual budget of less than $4,000.

Focus Areas

RSWR focuses its funding in Kenya in the districts of: 1. Siaya County, 2. Kisumu County, 3. Homa Bay County, 4.
Migori County. 5. Kisii County. 6. Nyamira County, 7. Vihiga County, 8. Kakamega County, 9. Bungoma County, 10.
Busia County, 11. Nandi County, 12. Trans Nzoi County, 13. Uasin-Gishu County.

Size of Grants

Up to US $5,500 for a one year project. Each group may receive only one grant.

How to Apply for RSWR Grants

An officer of the group may write an email to RSWR and ask for an application form, which the group can fill out and
return. Write to: kenya-applications@rswr.org. Or, you may write up a proposal describing your project and send it in. Your group and your application or proposal must fit the RSWR criteria below. RSWR has two funding cycles.

There is a deadline for each cycle, May 31 and November 30. We strongly recommend that applications or proposals be received by us at least a month in advance of these deadlines so that there is time for revisions if necessary. If we receive an application or proposal after the deadline, we cannot consider it until the next funding cycle. In addition to your application or proposal, send your group’s last annual financial report. It does not need to be audited. Just have the treasurer prepare a report for us.

Send your Application or proposal to: kenya-applications@rswr.org.

For all details: https://rswr.org/proposal-criteria-and-guidelines