China Philanthropy News
April 19, 2006
Issue 001
Click here for PDF version of this publication
China Philanthropy News is produced by Grantmaker Without Borders (Gw/oB) as a service to grantmakers and donors interested in philanthropic engagement with China. For more information on Grantmakers Without Borders, visit www.gwob.net. To suggest a posting or to subscribe or unsubscribe to China Philanthropy News, send an email to jizhi@gwob.net.
CONTENTS
EDITOR'S NOTE:
With the publication of China Philanthropy News, Gw/oB launches China Initiative
NEWS
1) Philanthropy within China needs to grow, Chinese government declares
2) Orphanages may receive better tax benefits
3) Academicians plot route to greener economy
4) China looks to "Western concept" to educate youth about sex
RESOURCES
5) Report: "Whose miracle? How China's workers are paying the price for its economic boom"
6) Study: "Rural and Urban Dynamics and Poverty: Evidence from China and India"
EVENTS
7) Conference: "Challenges and Possibilities in Gender Equity Education"
CHINA GRANTMAKER PROFILE
8) Zigen Fund
EDITOR'S NOTE:
With the publication of China Philanthropy News, Gw/oB launches China Initiative
Grantmakers Without Borders (Gw/oB) is pleased to announce the formal launch of a China Initiative with the publication of this inaugural edition of China Philanthropy News.
Last November, Gw/oB held a series of daylong conferences, in San Francisco, New York and Chicago, on the philanthropic landscape in China. The response to these conferences was overwhelmingly positive. Participants encouraged Gw/oB to continue serving as a resource for foundations and individual donors interested in philanthropic engagement in China.
With a grant from a supportive Gw/oB member, Gw/oB is now able to do so. We've created a paid China Internship, securing the assistance of a talented student to help us move the China Initiative forward. Several activities are planned for the immediate future:
- China Philanthropy News will be published twice per month. It will feature news from the field, resources, event listings and other information of interest to China grantmakers. Each edition will also feature a profile of a China grantmaker, providing valuable insights into this challenging philanthropic arena from experienced practitioners.
- Gw/oB's website will begin featuring expanded China coverage, with additional information and resources not contained in China Philanthropy News.
- Gw/oB will soon announce the launch of several China Giving Circles. We'll partner with the Clarence Foundation to gather groups of donors together to learn about China and pool financial and human resources to make grants in China.
You'll learn more about these and other efforts in future editions of China Philanthropy News. In the meantime, we welcome your comments and feedback on this e-newsletter and on Gw/oB's China Initiative.
We hope you enjoy this inaugural edition of China Philanthropy News!
with best wishes,
John Harvey
Executive Director, Grantmakers Without Borders
NEWS
1) Philanthropy within China needs to grow, Chinese government declares
As China becomes richer but more divided, government officials are calling on the country's growing affluent class to give something back to the tens of millions of Chinese citizens still living on less than a dollar a day. In a recent report calling for greater corporate generosity, the state-controlled China Daily noted that just 1% of the country's 10 million companies had given to charity in 2005. Some private donors are stepping in with their own good works. Huang Rulun, the founder of the Jinyuan property and investment group, was China's top giver in 2005, donating $34.8 million to school building and poverty alleviation projects. Rupert Hoogewerf, a British compiler of an annual ranking of China's top philanthropists (www.hurun.net), notes that philanthropy is "still an immature industry in China," but predicts that the number of wealthy donors like Mr. Huang will continue to grow. (Guardian (UK), January 10, 2006; for full-text article go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1682832,00.html.)
2) Orphanages may receive better tax benefits
China's Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, Li Liguo, has announced the possibility of better tax benefits for charities and agencies dealing with orphanages and orphaned children. The new policies may also create preferential tax benefits for donors to these charities. (China CSR, January 6, 2006; for full text article go to http://www.chinacsr.com/2006/01/06/new-tax-exemptions-may-aid-chinas-orphanages.)
3) Academicians plot route to greener economy
A combination of technical innovation, institutional reform and price and tax mechanisms, backed up by greater public consultation and participation, could enable China to become a "resource-efficient and environment-friendly society" by 2020. This according to a group of Chinese Academy of Science scholars who published a 400-page "China 2006 Sustainable Development Strategy" at the end of February. Scholars argue that China must move beyond end-of-pipe pollution abatement and control to create resource efficiency and pollution prevention strategies for the whole production, consumption, and recycling chain. The report is available in Chinese and can be bought online at: www.sciencep.com/sciencep/publish/bookdetails.php?searchingbookid=15487. (China Development Brief, March 24, 2006; for more information go to http://www.chinadevelopmentbrief.com/node/516.)
4) China looks to "Western concept" to educate youth about sex
China Family Planning Association, China's largest reproductive health NGO, has announced that it will begin utilizing a youth education methodology developed by PATH, a U.S.-based public health NGO. China now has more than 300 million youth who have reached puberty, and about 20 million become sexually mature each year. Education on sex and reproductive health in China has been virtually non-existent, as traditionally there were cultural taboos and people rarely discussed sex publicly. The Association and PATH have just concluded a five-year sex education pilot program in 12 municipalities and two villages in China. The Association now plans to expand the program throughout China. For more information go to http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/28/content_4356231.htm.
RESOURCES
5) Report: "Whose miracle? How China's workers are paying the price for its economic boom"
This report examines the rapid economic growth of China and argues that this boom has occurred on the backs of the people it was supposed to benefit. It seeks to debunk the myth that everyone's a winner in China's transition from a slumbering rural economy to a manufacturing powerhouse. The report also demonstrates that China's rise in inequality is among the fastest seen, while its trend of social exclusion is historically unprecedented for China. Available at http://www.eldis.org/cf/search/disp/DocDisplay.cfm?Doc=DOC12194&Resource=f1csr
6) Study: "Rural and Urban Dynamics and Poverty: Evidence from China and India"
This study examines the relationship between the rural and urban sectors in China and India. The authors find that, though the policy bias toward urban areas has diminished somewhat in both countries, continued action to redress urban bias is crucial for both countries. Available at http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20542
EVENTS
7) Conference: "Challenges and Possibilities in Gender Equity Education"
Second International Conference in the Asia-Pacific Region
June 22 to 24, 2006
Taipo, Hong Kong
For more: www.civicus.org/new/event_info.asp?id=312
Scholars, educators, NGO representatives and students from around the Asia-Pacific region will share thoughts, research findings and experiences on issues related to gender equity education. Speakers will discuss issues concerning sexualities, femininities and masculinities, curriculum and teaching, education policy and reform, and citizenship.
CHINA GRANTMAKER PROFILE
10) Zigen Fund
Overview
Founded in New York in 1988 by a group of Chinese-Americans, Zigen Fund is dedicated to educational, social and economic development in impoverished regions in China. The founders of Zigen are deeply concerned about social inequality in China and hope to promote sustainable rural development by "nurturing the roots" - the meaning of "Zigen" in Chinese.
Zigen Fund makes small grants to remote villages in Southwest, North and central China in two main areas: rural education and village development. Rural education grants include funding for scholarships for rural children, school site improvement, life enhancement (nutrition and sanitation), extra-curriculum cultural enrichment, and training of local teachers. Village development projects focus on health care (paramedic training, local sanitation facilities, and basic medical services), adult education (culture and the environment), green village technologies (bio-gas, wood-saving stoves and hydro power), and women centers.
In the future, Zigen expects to focus on training to improve the quality of rural education, health care and village development. Zigen may also expand its programs on advocacy and building public awareness of philanthropy in China.
Project Management
Projects funded by Zigen are managed by a small staff and supported by a wide network of volunteers and coordinators both in China and the U.S. Several sister organizations, including China Zigen Association for Rural Education and Development, share the same mission and principles with Zigen and collaborate together in fundraising and project support in China.
A project funded by Zigen is first conceived and initiated by local villagers. Zigen staff will conduct field trips to the project site and talk to local school administrators, students, parents, officials from the educational bureau, villagers, village leaders, and officers up to county level. Needs, project feasibility and project management are assessed and discussed. Grants are only awarded if Zigen sees it as a right fit for the project site and if the community has sufficient capacity to implement the project.
Over the years, Zigen has found that the key to success of a rural project lies in local enthusiasm and participation. Projects are best managed if local people take initiative in the development and management of the project. Significant mutual trust is needed to let local partners take over responsibility for project implementation. Zigen attaches great importance to the maintenance of long- term relationship and realizes that such relationship can only start from small projects. As trust between Zigen and local partners grows, opportunities often come for more and larger projects.
One thing Zigen has found most challenging is how to work and communicate with the local government and maintain good relationships. For most Chinese government officials, "NGO" is still a new concept, and the process of NGO development is characterized as a mutual learning curve for both NGOs and the government. Many government officials have mixed feeling toward their cooperation with NGOs, especially those supported by foreign funding. Zigen finds it critical to understand Chinese government's policies, local culture and local needs in order to build good relationships with local officials and gain their trust. Furthermore, as local governments are normally constrained by budgetary and human resources, Zigen projects are designed in ways that do not add burden to local government. Successful cooperation is achieved by mutual understanding and working toward a goal shared by all stakeholders.
Recommendations for Grantmakers to China
For those who are interested in making grants to China, Zigen has several recommendations: Work hard to find the right people and organizations to partner with on the ground. Be fully aware of Chinese government's policies. Be sure to carry with you an understanding of the local culture and local needs. For first-time grant makers, Zigen suggests working with organizations that have already worked in China, starting with small grants first. As knowledge, experience and contacts grow, new grantmakers can over time become more independent, while also increasing the size of their grants.
Contact Information:
The Zigen Fund
38-27 217th Street
Bayside, NY 11361
www.zigen.org
zigen@zigen.org
(718) 233-2722
ABOUT GRANTMAKERS WITHOUT BORDERS
Grantmakers Without Borders is a philanthropic network dedicated to increasing funding for international social justice and environmental sustainability. Our members, presently numbering more than 400 individuals, include trustees and staff of private and public foundations, individual donors, and other allies in philanthropy. Grantmakers Without Borders taps into this wealth of resources to encourage globally minded grantmaking and provide learning opportunities for global donors. For those new to the field, we provide peer-to-peer guidance on international grantmaking. For current international funders, we offer a space for continued learning and community. In all our efforts, Grantmakers Without Borders is committed to the ideals of justice, equity, peace, democracy, and respect for the environment. We value and respect the wisdom and experience of local communities in all their diversity, and we are dedicated to amplifying the voice of the global South in international philanthropy. Founded in 2000, Grantmakers Without Borders is a project of the Tides Center.
Grantmakers Without Borders - Headquarters
PO Box 181282
Boston, MA 02118
P: (617) 794-2253
F: (617) 266-0497
Grantmakers Without Borders - West Coast
1009 General Kennedy Ave #2
San Francisco, CA 94129
P: (415) 730-0367
E: gwob@gwob.net
W: www.gwob.net
back to top
Grantmakers Without Borders PO Box 181282 Boston, MA 02118
Phone 617.794.2253 Fax 617.266.0497
Copyright © 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
For more information contact us at GwoB@gwob.net
Please report any problems with this site to the webmaven
|
