Mennonite Central Committee

MCC eligible for matching funds

January 6, 2005

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has notified Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) that its eligibility application for matching funds related to the tsunami disaster assistance fund has been approved. CIDA has posted MCC to its web site as an eligible organization. This ensures that donations made to MCC for the Asia Earthquake Fund by January 11, 2005 can be applied to the 2004 tax year.

On December 31, 2004, the Canadian Government announced that matching funds through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will be made available to Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) already involved in responding to the disaster in South and Southeast Asia. “Financial contributions to well-established, experienced aid agencies already on the ground in areas most affected are the most effective means of support during a crisis of this nature," emphasizes the CIDA Website.

The matching is based on Emergency Humanitarian Assistance project proposals submitted by participating NGOs. These submissions will have to meet the criteria governing responsive programming in the area of humanitarian assistance.

In addition to MCC regular program support from CIDA, there are several other CIDA funding windows which differentiate between food aid and non-food aid. MCC, through the Canadian Food Grains Bank, already receives matching funding for food aid from the CIDA Program Against Hunger Malnutrition and Disease. The December 31 announcement offers matching funds and invites proposals for non-food aid through the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance funding window. The approval of MCC’s application establishes eligibility to submit proposals for non-food aid funding.

MCC will be submitting non-food aid project proposals aimed at securing matching funding from CIDA. Reports from assessment teams working with local partners in Asia will help shape those proposals.