INTERNATIONAL

CONTENTS:

• Directory of Development Organizations
• Japan Directory
• Funders for Central and Eastern Europe

DIRECTORY OF DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

Anyone dabbling in international research soon discovers that the route to information is even more circuitous than that for domestic versions of similar projects. It often begins as research in baby steps. Instead of “how do I find out about the ABC Foundation in Venezuela?” international researchers must ask “what are development and philanthropy like in South America?” And when it comes to looking for answers on the Internet, the first question is “where does the capture (and sharing) of electronic information stand in that region?” Here is a place to take those first baby steps. The Directory of Development Organizations database contains 25,000 organizations. It is organized geographically. Once you’ve chosen the region that interests you, organizations are categorized by type (grantmakers or private sector support, for example). Those first few steps you take may help point you to the information you need in the regions where your donors live and give.

http://www.devdir.org/

JAPAN DIRECTORY

Japan Information Network compiled this database of “major organizations of Japan” in 2001 and updated the information in the spring of 2002. You may perform a keyword search or you can browse the organizations by delving into categories such as Politics/Administration, Industry/Economy, Media/Publishing and Society, for example. It’s in the latter category that you’ll find more useful categories, such as NGOs and Volunteer Groups and Grants and Aid.

http://jin.jcic.or.jp/jd/index.html

FUNDERS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Here’s the Web search page we wish we could find for all of our funding searches. Unfortunately for some (not all) of us, this one is geared toward environmental funding in Central and Eastern Europe. This handy search engine form asks you to answer one to three simple queries:

I need funding for . . . .
My country is . . . . (optional)
Funders Name . . . . (optional)

That’s pretty straight-forward, isn’t it? The Regional Environmental Center (REC) updated the information through a 2001 survey. Check out the REC databases while you are here by clicking on that choice from the menu bar. You’ll find other resources for environmental causes, including government links and an NGO directory.

http://www.rec.org/REC/Databases/Funders/Default.html

Cecilia Hogan