Southeast Asia Frequently Asked Questions
The following are frequently asked questions about applying for Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative grants.
How do I apply to the Burma Project / Southeast Asia Initiative?
What if I have problems with OAS?
What should I include in my application?
Can I apply to more than one program at OSI at the same time?
What if my English isn’t fluent?
How long before I know whether our proposal is accepted or declined?
How long before my organization receives the grant payment?
Why does it take so long to receive the grant payment?
How do I apply for a scholarship?
How do I apply to the Burma Project / Southeast Asia Initiative?
It is important to know which program you should apply to for a grant. If your proposal is focused on or related to Burma, please submit your proposal to the Burma Project. Please review our grant guidelines carefully. View the Burma Project guidelines at www.soros.org/initiatives/bpsai/focus_areas/burma/guidelines.
If your proposal is focused on one or more Southeast Asian countries other than Burma or Indonesia, please submit your proposal to the Southeast Asia Initiative. View the Southeast Asia Initiative guidelines at www.soros.org/initiatives/bpsai/focus_areas/sea/guidelines.
If your proposal is focused on or related to Indonesia, please consult the website of OSI partner organization Yayasan Tifa at www.tifafoundation.org/english/profile/ for more information about their grantgiving programs. A one-page concept paper and a budget summary for projects that don’t fall under Tifa’s mandate may be submitted to the Southeast Asia Initiative.
Both programs accept grant proposals twice a year. Deadlines are midnight USA Eastern Standard time on July 15 and January 15. Please submit your proposal through the Online Application System (OAS) at https://oas.soros.org/oas/. OSI cannot submit your application for you.
OAS will be enabled to receive proposals about a month before each deadline, between June 15–July 15, and December 15–January 15. OSI recommends that you apply early, in case you havetechnicalproblems or need to resubmit information.OAS allows you towork on and save a partial application and submit it only when you are finished. Please note that we cannot see your applicationuntil it is fully submitted. You should receive an automated email acknowledgement whenyour applicationhas been successfully submitted.If not, then your application was probably submitted incorrectly. If you think you have submitted your application, but did not receive an acknowledgement, please email burma@sorosny.org.
What if I have problems with OAS?
If you have problemssubmitting your proposal online, review the instructions by clicking on the “?” button in the top right-hand corner of the OAS homepage. If you need technical assistance or would like to submit feedback on OAS, please email grants@sorosny.org and copy burma@sorosny.org.
What should I include in my application?
The Online Application System (OAS) is a simple information-collecting database that allows you to fill in all the information needed to make a decision on your grant proposal.This includes contact and organizational information, summary of project, project start and end dates,and amount requested. OSI also requires you to submit in OAS an electronic version of your proposal and budget.
Proposals should be not exceed 10 pages in length. Please include the following information in all proposals:
- Contact Name: organization's name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address.
- Organization Description: a short history of your organization, an explanation of your general purpose or mission, and a list of board and staff members.
- Please mail brochures and/or annual reports. If your organizationsis recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service, please include a copy of your tax determination letter (this is for U.S.-based organizations only).
- Statement of Purpose: the significance of your proposed project including the main goal(s) and beneficiaries of the project. Also list any partners with whom you will collaborate during the project.
- Plan of Action: an explanation of how the project will be implemented; a description of specific activities; personnel involved; and a description of how the project will be managed and evaluated. Projects that include publications must include a brief advocacy strategy and distribution plans.
- Time-Frame: start and end dates for the project.
- Detailed Budget: a line-item budget in U.S. dollars for the time frame of the project. Include expenses that will be cost-shared by the organization. You must list all other potential and/or secured funding sources for your organization. A brief explanation of the budget is also helpful.
You can submit only one application per grant cycle; if seeking funding for multiple projects, please include them in one proposal.
Can I apply to more than one program at OSI at the same time?
OSI recommends that you do not apply to both the Burma Project and the Southeast Asia Initiative during the same grant round. Doing so will not in any way increase the likelihood of your organization receiving a grant.
However, some organizations may wish to apply to other grantgiving programs at OSI, in addition to the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative. For more information on those programs, please visit the Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships section. Please keep in mind that each OSI grantmaking program has its own application deadline, review, and processing procedures; please check with each program before submitting an application. Also keep in mind that OSI programs share information about grantees. If you are applying to the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative, but are also considering applying to another OSI program, please let us know by emailing burma@sorosny.org. Be assured that we will also share proposals that we receive with other OSI programs.
What if my English isn’t fluent?
Please make every effort to produce a well-written, coherent proposal.
How long before I know whether our proposal is accepted or declined?
You will be notified through the email address you provided in OAS by September 30 and March 30. It is therefore very important that your organization plan accordingly.
The process takes time because in addition to our internal reviewing, we confidentiallyvet all grants with outside experts who make recommendations on their assessment of the projects. Burma Project has a small Advisory Board for this purpose. In addition, we often conduct site visits or telephone interviews to get a stronger understanding of your project’s goals. Last year Burma Project received 175 grant inquiries and the Southeast Asia Initiative received 90.
How long before my organization receives the grant payment?
If your organization has been awarded a grant, it will take approximately 1 to 2 months to receive payment.You will first receive an e-mail that your grant has been approved. Two to three weeks later you will receive a grant letter. Once you sign and fax back the grant letter, it could take another three weeks for the money to arrive in your bank account.
Why does it take so long to receive the grant payment?
There are many legal processes set up for your and our protection that require both paperwork and time. The sooner you return your signed grant letter, the sooner you will receive the grant payment.
Grant Tracker is a system created to help grantees do the following: request a copy of a grant letter; update contact and payment information; submit and monitor the status of narrative and financial reports due on a grant; access financial and narrative reporting templates. You can view Grant Tracker and sign up for an account by visiting www.soros.org/grants/manage.
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of Grant Tracker and sign up if you receive a grant.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
The Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative does not provide scholarships. Scholarships for Burmese students are offered by OSI’s Scholarship Programs. Guidelines for the Supplementary Grant Program–Burma are available at www.soros.org/initiatives/scholarship/focus_areas/supplementary_burma/guidelines.
