Good news for Grassroots Projects - FUNDS!

The Alliance for a New Humanity (ANH) is thrilled to announce the launch of the ANH Startfund, an initiative of the Fred Foundation.

Beginning this year, 2009, this initiative builds upon the Fred Foundation's Startfund, which began impacting lives and communities twelve years ago by empowering individuals and organizations. The goal of the ANH is to connect people, who, through personal and social transformation, aim to build a just, peaceful, and sustainable world, reflecting the unity of all humanity. The ANH Startfund has the goal of putting this transformation into action.

The ANH Startfund offers co-funding for projects that are proposed by inspired individuals and organizations. With its financial support, the ANH Startfund aims to contribute to the empowerment of people. The focus of the ANH Startfund is to support projects that have the potential to contribute to a functional, balanced and caring society.

If you have a project in the fields of health, community, or nature/environment that you believe truly impacts society in a positive and sustainable way, please apply! This is an incredible opportunity to realize your dreams of creating positive social change.

Wondering if your project fits the criteria? Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Would your application must demonstrate that:

1. The project is based on an inspiring and/or new idea?


2. Is there a clear plan in place of how to put the idea into action as a project?


3. Is the project leader committed to executing the plan and accepting full responsibility for it?


4. Does the project have the potential to make a long-term impact and is it replicable in other places?

Although the categories are broad and the Startfund committee open-minded on what will be funded, there are some restrictions. The following projects will not be considered: in general the construction or rehabilitation of buildings, the making of films, websites, books, brochures, unless these are (an) essential part(s) of the project.

Past projects which have been funded by the Startfund include:

• Bulgarian Environmental Partnership Foundation - the bicycle as public vehicle in Sofia (2007)


• Stichting Sathsathai - Toilets & smokeless cookers for Bolde Pediche in Nepal (2006)


• Stichting Derde Wereldhulp - Home for HIV positive street children in India (2005)


• Pablo van der Lugt - Bamboo as alternative product for construction in Europe (2004)

Visit the ANH website website for further details and the online application form!

And join the ANH Startfund Facebook Group for updates!

Official Post 1: Celebrate Brooklyn!

Celebrating Brooklyn began before I even moved into the hood. But I must say that I am having a love of place: I am falling in love with New York - again.

I am taking the global local here for a moment. But then it returns right back to the global. This is so realized it is glose to being a cliche - but it's a Truth so it'll be happening a lot in the posts up ahead.

Take this day. A day when a true celebration took place in action mode. Start with the edge of Brighton Beach, on the beach of course on this gorgeous summer day, viewing Coney Island in the distance. Russian and Spanish languages swirling around me hazily as I take a dive in the Atlantic and pop my head out to view a blonde woman popping out of a bathing suit that could only be purchased in either Brighton Beach or Moscow. View some shots on the Bridge and Tunnels Club's website. Hot stuff.

Next stop, a concert in the park with George [sic] Sara, Sandra, et al. Appropriately enough, part of the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. Hearing some of Africa's best, although not necessarily my favorites, in Brooklyn with a crowd of happy bubbly people and babies so peacefully strapped on backs (which always make me long to be in Africa). The headlining band, Oliver Mtukudzi brought to Brooklyn music from Zimbabwe, a country which just sliced ten zeroes of the end of their currency and stopped the money printing presses as a [false] way to slice inflation by simply chopping off some 0's off the end. Mugabe for President forever. Read more about this here from the words of a "Special Correspondent" in Zimbabwe rather than from me who can only grasp a dime's worth of what is really going on there since I haven't been there in the flesh and reporting is limited and choppy.

Habib Koité & Bamada and Daby Touré also brought to Brooklyn music from Mali - a landlocked but superstar country in the realm of world music.

Dancing with Africans, random Brooklynites, and the Starbucks stationary bike that is complete with a blender to make you work for your drinks was pretty fabulous.

I guess I better start taking pictures to make this more catchy. Gotta get me a Panasonic Luminex.

If I don't kick this off now it's gonna be never. I've been living the reality of creating this thing in my imaginary head space for so long that I almost believed I was doing it. But, alas, dear reader I was only talking to myself!

So now I shall begin by using this webpage as a forum to express my views on the world. And when I say world, yes, I do mean that realm of affairs international: that which really floats my intellectual stem cells. That would include: the circus of global politics, humanitarian, economic, and spiritual affairs as well from time to time. I'll discuss events of a cultural and artistic nature, expecially if it backs up my theories of how this multi-diverse universe can exist.

I'll begin with three of the lighter fare of affairs international and then possibly moan a bit about the continued drama in the western Balkans.

Want to join me? Be brave, bold, and thanks! Here I go, a gNat's World View...................