The Foundations focus is on funding the smaller charities of India who do not have the ability to raise money or awareness for their causes. Charities serving children and adults who face extreme challenges in life; HIV/AIDS, Family Abandonment, and Individuals Ostracized by society for their illness.
All prospective applicants should fully review the guidelines for the Foundation before making initial contact.
Our grantmaking is carried out in three ways:
The VAF requests proposals from charitable organizations in India with which we have been in contact.
The VAF will accept proposals from charitable organizations in India who are referred by existing grantees and/or VAF Ambassadors.
The VAF accepts unsolicited requests from charitable organizations in India for projects that fall within our program priorities and guidelines
Because available funding is limited, letters of inquiry are required for unsolicited programs or projects. Such letters should include a brief description of the project, the funding requested, and the period of time for which the funding is being requested.
Both general-purpose and project-specific requests are considered. In addition, both single and multi-year proposals are acceptable.
The VAF observes the following limitations:
No grants or loans to individuals.
No grants for capital development, research, project replication or endowment unless these activities grow out of work already being funded by the VAF.
The Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation.
No grants for religious activities or programs serving specific religious groups or denominations. However, faith-based organizations may submit inquiries if the project falls within our guidelines and serves a broad segment of the population.
Film and video projects, books, scholarships, and fellowships are rarely funded.
Applications are accepted year-round, but those received between September 1 and December 31 will be considered only for the following calendar year.
Proposals are reviewed and funded 3 times a year. Reviews take place in January, May, and September. During the review period, prospective grantees are strongly discouraged from contacting the Foundation.
Send letters of inquiry via email to: info@thevaf.com
THE FOUNDATION'S RESPONSE We will send you an acknowledgment that your letter of inquiry was received. If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly. Please allow up to eight weeks for the Foundation to reply. If the Foundation decides that your project might qualify for a grant, we will contact you to discuss next steps and what further information is required. As is now the case with most charities in the United States who make grants to organizations based outside the United States, the Foundation checks the names of foreign based grantees, and the principal officers and directors of such grantees, against one or more lists maintained by the U.S. government, the European Union, and the United Nations, which contain the names determined by such entities to be terrorist organizations or individual terrorists. This process is a result of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, Executive Orders issued by the President, and suggested guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A memorandum on this topic is available upon request. All material submitted becomes the property of the Foundation. The Foundation sometimes submits inquiries or proposals to confidential outside review.
Download the Grant Guidelines doc. (PDF)
Letter of Inquiry - Cover Sheet
In order to expedite a letter of inquiry it is important that it include a cover sheet with the following information:
Information regarding who will carry out the work.
Name of your organization (and acronym if commonly used).
Name of parent organization, if any.
Name of chief executive officer or person holding similar position.
Organization’s address (and courier address if different).
Organization’s phone number, fax number, and e-mail address, if any.
Name and title of the principal contact person, if different from the above.
Address (and courier address if different), phone number, and fax number of principal contact.
E-mail address of principal contact.
Web address, if any.