General Fund Projects

General Fund Projects is sponsored by Friends of Tanzania. Through its General Fund Projects, member donations are put directly towards sustainable, well-designed projects in specific thematic areas, including education, community development, environment, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in rural Tanzania.

Overview Past projects Future projects Over $1 million supporting projects in Tanzania! From its first grant in 1991 through the end of 2025, Friends of Tanzania has sponsored 412 projects, totaling nearly $1,157,000. This total includes General Fund Projects and Member Sponsored Projects.

The charts below provide a summary of what FOT has been able to accomplish and where in Tanzania. With your help, FOT will continue making a difference in the lives of Tanzanians in rural communities, one project at a time! All FOT Projects Funded 1991-2025.

pdf Member Sponsored Projects Through our General Fund Projects , member donations are put directly towards sustainable, well-designed projects in specific thematic areas, including education, community development, environment, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The FOT Projects Committee works to identify project partners located in and/or working in Tanzania to which FOT will provide full or partial funding for projects.

The Projects Committee has formulated specific guidelines used to select partners and projects for funding. This video provides an excellent summary of the manner in which FOT selects, reviews, approves, funds and monitors projects in rural Tanzania. For any organizations interested in applying for a general fund project, please read the information below: Thank you for your interest in partnering with Friends of Tanzania (FOT).

FOT is a volunteer-operated, non-profit organization that partners with other organizations to fund sustainable development projects in rural Tanzania ranging from 5 million to 20 million TSH, with some exceptions. If you believe your organization and project are aligned with FOT after reading the Partner and Project Guidelines , please email projects@fotanzania.

org with a completed Potential Partner Assessment , Proposed Project Application , and Detailed Budget by the application deadline for this funding cycle outlined below. Submissions outside of the application period or with incomplete and/or missing documents will NOT be considered for funding.

RAINY Season Funding Cycle – Application Window: March 1 – April 30 Project Focus: Rural development initiatives implemented in Tanzania during the Rainy Season (December 1 – April 30) Initial Notifications: Applicants will be notified by June 30 if their proposal is Under Review, Waitlisted, or Denied Committee Review: If Under Review, the Projects Committee will contact applicants with questions from July to October Committee Decision: Notified of approval or denial by mid-October Board Decision: Notified of approval or denial by mid-November Funding Disbursement: Approved projects receive funds by November 30 Project Start Deadline: All approved projects MUST begin by April 30 DRY Season Funding Cycle – Application Window: September 1 – October 31 Project Focus: Rural development initiatives implemented in Tanzania during the Dry Season (June 1 – October 31) Initial Notifications: Applicants will be notified by December 31 if their proposal is Under Review, Waitlisted, or Denied Committee Review: If Under Review, the Projects Committee will contact applicants with questions from January to April Committee Decision: Notified of approval or denial by mid-April Board Decision: Notified of final approval or denial by mid-May Funding Disbursement: Approved projects receive funds by May 31 Project Start Deadline: All approved projects MUST begin by October 31 As a reminder, FOT is entirely operated by volunteers.

Please be patient with us and know that we are working diligently to review your proposal. During this process, we will be reaching out via email to request additional information about your organization’s proposed project. In order to operate on the above timeline, we request that your organization responds to our questions in a timely manner.

If your organization does not respond in a timely manner, resulting in delays to the above timeline, your proposed project might be denied. If you have any questions or would like an update on the review of your proposed project, please email projects@fotanzania. org .

Thank you again for your interest in partnering with Friends of Tanzania. Member Sponsored Projects FOT Members are able to identify, sponsor, and donate funds toward a specific project, commonly a scholarship, with an organization and/or community with which they have experience.

The Member is expected to play a meaningful role in the project development and coordination process, commonly serving as FOT’s primary point of contact for the project. Member Sponsored projects undergo the same review process as General Fund projects, with appropriate deference to the experience and knowledge of the Member.

In many cases, Member Sponsored Projects that submit reports demonstrating the sustainability and impact of the project are renewed annually at the request of the Member. If you are interested in starting a Member Sponsored project, please email projects@fotanzania. org with more details.