The Fondo Quisqueya is a non-profit foundation whose goal is to provide grants for educational and training for low income Dominicans in the Dominican Republic. The focus to date has been on vocational training.
Awards
Awards have been given to a diverse group of recipients for needs as varied as a course in motorcycle mechanics, to training in bartending. The Fondo has been able to help with training in everything from accounting to beekeeping. Grants have helped people in agriculture and the environment, and in the arts and the sciences.
The first grant was given in November of l988. To date over RD$114,000 in grants have been given out to over 46 recipients. Most of the awards have been for small amounts of less than US$100 (equilavent), but have filled a critical need that the recipient could not have met through other means. Approximately US$15,000 is available for grants.
Non-Profit Status and Organizational Structure
Fondo Quisqueya is a 501(c)(3) organization, incorporated in the State of Virginia. There is a 14 member Board of Directors that meets periodically, and a committee in the Dominican Republic that reviews and approves small grant requests.
Financial and Other Information
A complete financial report is available from the Fondo. Ten percent of the funds are set aside as an endowment. The Foundation publishes a newsletter reporting on events of the Foundation and soliciting funds.
Background
In l987, former Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic decided to establish a foundation to provide assistance for non-traditional educational needs. The thought was that the grants or scholarships would be for small amounts to fill needs that clearly could not be met by other funding sources. Fundraising for the Foundation actually began at the initial meeting in the Dominican republic and has continued ever since.
Fondo Application Procedures
Applications are submitted to a committee in the Dominican Republis and a 14 member Board of Directors that meets periodically. Each recipient is required to have a sponsor - a person who vouches for the recipient and certifies the need for the requested grant. This sponsor is generally a Peace Corps Volunteer.
President: Minor Anderson
Vice President: B.J. Warren
Treasurer: Louis Ferrand
Secretary: Dennis Zaenger
FONDO QUISQUEYA ADDRESS
Post Office Box 6628
Falls Church, VA 22040-6628
The Fondo and 35th Anniversary Peace Corps Reunion took place on February 14-17, l997. A highlight of the weekend was a reception at the presidential palace hosted by President Leonel Fernandez. The President cited the numerous contributions made by Peace Corps Volunteers in the Cominican Republic over the years, as well as the importance of having returned Peace Corps Volunteers from the Dominican Republic in such places as the US Senate, the World Bank, and other institutions of note. Fondo Quisqueya President Minor Anderson presented President Fernandez with a reunion T-shirt and with a book about the U.S. signed by each of the Fondo members attending the reunion. Peace Corps Director Michael Hirsh presented President Fernandez with a letter from Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan.
Other events included a reception at the Peace Corps Office, lunch at a local typical Dominican restaurant where Fondo and alumni Peace Corps volunteers took current volunteers to lunch and learned about their programs, a visit to a local beach, a visit to the Peace Corrps training center, and an excellent overview of the current Peace Corps Programs in the DR. A recipient of a Fondo grant described how his grant enabled him to help others.
Additional events included an address by U.S. Ambassador Dona J. HJrinak on US foreign policy in the Americas. The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Jaime David Fernandez Mirabel, then spoke about the development plans of the new government and the role Peace Corps is expected to play.
Special recognition was given to Andres Hernandez - first Peace Corps Director in the DR (l962063) who came from New Mexico for the reunion. Special recognition was also given to Donald Reid Cabral, who was President of the Dominican Republic when the Peace Corps arrived in l962, and who has been a friend of the Peace Corps ever since. An outsanding panel discussion was held on current and future trends in the DR.
The union concluded with the annual meeting of the Fondo Quisqueya at which over $12,000 was pledged to the scholarship fund.
The concensus was that the reunion could not have been better, and plans are already underway for a 40th anniversary celebration.
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