About the Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program
History
The Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) was established thanks to a generous bequest to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) from Jonathan Holdeen, a businessman and attorney with an interest in assisting the most impoverished people of India. In 1984 the Program (UUHIP) was organized in its current form as a non-sectarian religious and philanthropic trust.
Since 1984 UUHIP has identified and supported more than one hundred groups of marginalized peoples to help increase their organized strength and self-reliance; gain access to productive resources, services, and opportunities; increase their livelihoods, assets, economic independence, and social security; influence government policies, laws, and budgets in their favor; challenge discriminatory social practices; and build, manage, and control their own institutions, programs, and resources.
Strategy
Rather than fund sectoral, time-bound projects, UUHIP supports long term partnerships with democratically governed poor peoples' organizations that are prepared to advocate on their own behalf, and are committed to non-violent strategic approaches to redressing the wrongs of poverty, inequality and injustice and gender, caste and communal violence.
UUHIP sees its role as offering whatever strategic support these organizations require to strengthen their ability to innovate, work and grow effectively. In addition to financial resources, UUHIP provides information, education, networking and other support with an emphasis on filling needs not met from other sources. It supports partners as long as they demonstrate a record of accomplishment and continued growth in effectiveness and influence. The program also encourages its partners to engage in collaborative and mutually reinforcing activities and to build institutional linkages in order to achieve a more broadly based impact.
Grants
UUHIP grants have been used for a variety of activities including leadership building, the strengthening of strategic planning, organizing, advocacy and problem solving skills, and the promotion of government accountability. Partners have used funds to organize unions and cooperatives; provide management, technical and legal expertise; to advocate for land, water and forest rights and increases in minimum wages; and to campaign against the practices of untouchability and bonded and child labor. Grants have been used to start up new ventures and groups as well as to expand institutions, programs, and social movements. Seed money provided by UUHIP enables these groups to generate additional funding from other donors, governmental and private, Indian and international.
Grant Application Information (PDF, 2 pages) ( Word )
Organization
UUHIP is governed by the Board of Trustees of the UUA and UUHIP's own Board of Advisors. UUHIP is part of the UUA's Advocacy and Witness Programs.
UUHIP maintains a small office in Washington, DC, with staff who frequently visit India.
Staff Names and Contact Information
Board of Advisors
Mr. John Sommer Chair, UUHIP
Rev. Burton Carley
Dr. Maitreyi Das
Ms. Nancy Donaldson
Rev. Michael McGee
Dr. Jael Silliman
India Advisory Council
Mrs. Ela Bhatt, Self-Employed Women's Organization (SEWA)
Mr. Vivek Pandit
Vidhayak Sansad
Mr. M.D. Mistry, Developing Initiatives for Social and Human Action (DISHA)
Mr. Martin Macwan, Navsarjan
Mrs. Vasanth Kannabiran, Asmita
For more information contact holdeen @ uua.org.
Last updated on Monday, June 9, 2008.
