With Your Help, FDR Supports Development Projects
Community Challenge Fund
The Community Challenge Fund supports specific basic needs projects such as water, electricity, educational facilities, sanitation, economic development and health. Grants of up to $20,000 for construction materials are contributed to projects where community members provide the labor. Importantly, assisted projects go far beyond just meeting a specific project need such as potable water supplies or latrines and; projects involving Peace Corps Volunteers and other local volunteers often provide hygiene, health education and leadership development as part of the project, making the project more sustainable and far-reaching.
Since 2004, individual donor contributions have funded more than 150 projects, including latrines, aqueduct/water supply projects, water purification, sanitary cement floors in homes, improved (environmentally sound and cost efficient) cooking stoves, improved sanitation, solar energy, economic development, youth/school sports courts, libraries and community centers. To date, more than 50,000 Dominicans have benefited from Challenge Fund assistance.
Donations, large and small are needed to be able to continue to meet basic community needs in the Dominican Republic. Please consider a donation this year to sustain our efforts.
The Program Support Fund
The Program Support Fund supports projects and initiatives that sustain and strengthen existing Peace Corps programs, facilitate the work and effectiveness of individual Volunteers and contribute to spreading the benefits of Peace Corps’ development activities and training programs to individual Dominicans and the Dominican people as a whole. In recent years, among other efforts, it has sought to sustain and expand the efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers to promote environmental consciousness among Dominican youth through the activity of Brigada Verde (Green Brigade) youth groups in local schools and communities, including fostering collaboration with students and faculty of the National Environmental School in Jarabacoa. Starting in 2019, Friends of the Dominican Republic, in cooperation with Fondo Quisqueya, expanded the Program Support Fund to provide a scholarship to a graduate of the National Environmental School to further his education by attending a university. In 2022, an expansion of the scholarship program was approved by the boards of directors of both FDR and Fondo Quisqueya, and currently there are three National Environmental School graduates benefiting from this effort.
Membership
Friends of the Dominican Republic is a membership organization open to all. While any individual interested in the organization may join, most members are current and former Peace Corps volunteers and staff. The modest membership fee covers administrative costs and the remainder is allocated to projects in most need of assistance. Please consider becoming a member to stay connected with our work.
The needs are great. You can make a difference in the lives of Dominican children and families with your contribution great or small.
It’s easy to make a gift:
Online
Donate online. This transaction is through PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account to make a gift.
Donate
FDR is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is tax deductible.
By Mail
If you prefer to mail your gift, please send your check to:
Mary Britt, Treasurer
Friends of the Dominican Republic
2 - 2nd Street, Apt 3604
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Friends of the Dominican Republic is a 501 (c) (3) organization.
Your donation is tax deductible.
Legal Documents
Articles of Incorporation
Corporate Bylaws
IRS Tax Exempt Letter
IRS Form 990 - 2018
IRS Form 990 - 2017
IRS Form 990 - 2016