CCDF Solutions - Why CCDF?

Why give to the Cambodian Countryside Development Foundation?  What makes CCDF unique?

The answer lies in our distinctive approach to tackling rural poverty by helping to scale-up promising Cambodian nonprofits.

The Problem

Cambodia is a major foreign aid recipient, but emerging, entrepreneurial nonprofits often fall through the funding cracks due to their inability to demonstrate a history of grant revenue and long-term programming – but without funding, they struggle to get off the ground and establish this requisite track record.  Not only does this cyclical dilemma deprive Cambodia of fresh voices and energy for change, but it also furthers the trend of concentrating aid in urban areas where most major nonprofits operate, removed from the regions where most Cambodians live and the majority of poverty persists.

Our Solution

CCDF seeks to fill this funding gap by serving as the first step on the ladder of support for growing nonprofits.  The energetic, skilled leaders of our partner organizations, many the children of the genocide years, are the future leaders of Cambodia.  Born and raised in Cambodia, they understand the unique development challenges of the country and are recognized and respected by community members, allowing them to quickly gain people’s trust and confidence.  From knowing local customs to navigating rural areas with bare-minimum infrastructure, they have a wealth of direct experience, deep knowledge, and passionate drive to assure that assistance goes to those who need it most.  We know that people are committed the success and long-term maintenance of projects that are based on their communities’ needs and appropriate to their local environment.  Our role is to provide them with capital and knowledge as a catalyst for big change.

Sustainability
The main criterion we look for in our funding partners is the prospect of sustainability.  We seek partners whose programs promote economic growth, through educational initiatives, agricultural development, and environmental stewardship.  We also support our nonprofit partners’ sustainability by helping them with organizational development and grant writing assistance, thus spreading benefits as projects are reproduced in other areas.  As partners become stronger, they become less reliant on CCDF’s support, transitioning to either a self-sufficient market based model or to donors with greater resources.  This frees up CCDF funds to go toward new, less established partners, broadening the network of nonprofit development and training.

Value
It is important to CCDF that our donors get the maximum return on their philanthropic investments.  Working through Cambodian partner organizations already established in their communities is more cost-effective than working alone.  Such partners not only understand the complexity of the development issues facing the country, and thus can use each dollar of support more effectively, but they also have fewer administrative costs overall than large foreign-run nonprofits.

We at CCDF are all volunteers, donating our own time, professional expertise, and money to the foundation.  This allows us to make our overhead costs as low as possible, ensuring that greatest percentage of every nonprofit dollar goes to Cambodia. 

Accountability and Transparency
We apply the highest standards and conduct a rigorous review of our partners’ programming and accounting practices to ensure that they are accountable for the funds that are spent.

All grant decisions are made by committee.  We look for strong leadership, evidence of sound financial management, innovative programming, scalability, and community needs and involvement.

We aim to be completely transparent and accessible.  We are eager to speak to anyone interested in learning more about or getting involved with CCDF, and we welcome all comments, concerns, and inquiries.

We see CCDF as an important long-term investment in the future of Cambodia and an innovative model that can be replicated to produce lasting economic development around the world.