Funding Process

The Posterus Foundation has developed a formalized process to ensure that donor funds are being channelled to those education projects that will have the greatest impact on students, teachers and communities. Through clearly defined criteria for project consideration, due diligence, monitoring and evaluation, Posterus aims to make the entire grantmaking process as transparent as possible for all parties.

Criteria

Posterus has built a track record of funding projects that have the following characteristics:

• Clear fit with Posterus’ education development mission
• Total requested amount between $3,000 and $5,000
• Distinct, infrastructure-related investments (note: Posterus typically does not fund operational expenses or ongoing project costs)
• Opportunity for follow-on projects with a long-term vision
• Realistic timeline for completion (typically six months or less)
• Organization charity status (local or US) or partner with appropriate registration

If you have a project that fits these criteria, please fill out our project proposal form.

Below are project proposals for Posterus’ initial beneficiary organization:

• Farm of Hope – Kiliba, DR Congo (January 2007)
• Farm of Hope – Kiliba, DR Congo (October 2007)

As of September 2007, each potential project request Posterus receives is filtered through our initial project proposal form. Below are project proposals for:

• Macchi Education Center – Tobati, Paraguay (June 2007)
• Mackenzie School – Ndola, Zambia (April 2009)
• Utter Bakchar School – Utter Bakchar, Bangladesh (November 2009)
• Jilore Vijana Resource Center – Jilore, Kenya (March 2011)

Diligence

After Posterus determines that a project meets the above minimum criteria, we use the following due diligence metrics to make certain that the project will be completed on time, by the right people and with the right funds. In particular, we look at:

• Organizational profile
• Social impact
• Management profile
• Project delivery profile
• Project budgets
• Post-project maintenance
• Security
• Communication and monitoring capacity
• Overall risk assessment

Posterus uses our customized Grantee Risk Assessment—developed in 2008 in collaboration with a group of non-profit consultants affiliated with the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University—to determine if a project meets the above criteria and diligence requirements. Click on the links below to find Grantee Risk Assessment forms for the following projects:

• Mackenzie School Grantee Risk Assessment
• Utter Bakchar Grantee Risk Assessment
• JVRC Kenya Grantee Risk Assessment

Monitoring

After Posterus funds a project and construction or purchases are completed, we aim to conduct follow-up visits. Site visits are conducted either by a Posterus member or by a third-party representative. In keeping with our promise to pass as much of each donor’s dollar on to the communities we serve, Posterus selects the lowest-cost alternative to monitoring and evaluation that delivers transparent feedback.

To date, Posterus or a Posterus representative have visited the following communities:

• Tobati, Paraguay (Ayo Omojola, March 2008)
  • Read Ayo’s report from Tobati here
  • View pictures from Ayo’s visit here
• Kiliba, Democratic Republic of Congo (Nicole Weir, June 2008)
  • Read Nicole’s report from Kiliba here
  • View pictures from Nicole’s visit here
• Ndola, Zambia (Don Mangowa, November 2009)
  • Read Don’s report from Ndola here
  • View pictures from Don’s visit here (includes additional monitoring photos from IRFF)