Technical assistance and investment development projects
FRAmericas generates, promotes and supports the execution of small to medium scale development projects for the benefit of low-income groups, with special emphasis on those least favored in their societies. FRAmericas often finances the pre-investment phase, developing project proposals tailored to potential financing sources. FRAmericas keeps a portfolio of potential projects and acts as a nexus between the demand and the supply of technical assistance to governments for development project preparation and financing. FRAmericas establishes alliances and agreements with local partners to facilitate and reduce the costs of project implementation, while at the same time enhancing local capacities. FRAmericas also provides an opportunity for volunteer work by development workers who may be an under-utilized source of knowledge and expertise, to engage them in the various facets and stages of project conceptualization and implementation.
FRAmericas guarantees the lowest possible transaction and operation costs, so that virtually 100% of the donation values received by FRAmericas goes to cover direct project costs.
Strategic alliances
FRAmericas strives to become a valuable strategic partner with a number of organizations interested in multiplying the impact of their investments and donations. FRAmericas seeks alliances with:
• Prestigious Universities, think-tanks, and foundations developing technology innovations with applications for the solution of development challenges;
• Private corporations and private enterprises that are at the leading edge of innovation worldwide, and which could be interested in showcasing their products for the large audiences and markets in developing countries, while at the same time furthering social causes and combating poverty; and,
• Multilateral and bilateral actors who seek technical inter-mediation or advise for the design and implementation of development projects in FRAmericas fields of interest
Internships and Fellowships
FRAmericas offers Internships and Fellowship to engage thinkers of all regions interested in contributing to the work FRAmericas does. With support from Sponsors, the Internships and Fellowship programs permit participants to undertake short and medium term focus-projects in the fields of expertise and interest of the institution. FRAmericas operates a network of researchers, thinkers, project workers, who generate original work to be published and discussed. The Fellowship Program, in particular, allows FRAmericas to analyze international trends and events that relate to, or affect public socioeconomic policy, as well as to identify areas where project work can have the greatest results. FRAmericas Fellowship program includes graduate students of varied backgrounds, as well as individuals with practical experience and great wealth of knowledge –often underutilized and under-estimated– willing to spread the benefits of their knowledge for the benefit of others.
Communications strategy
FRAmericas implements a two-pronged communications strategy: (i) interactive, web-based communication program through which all information about the work of the institution and the results of its endeavors is made transparent; and (ii). FRAmericas pages in networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, through which FRAmericas events could be followed by the larger community of people interested in the issues and events undertaken by FRAmericas. As the institution grows, other communication instruments will be developed, with a view to engage ever growing audiences in the discussion of the globally relevant issues FRAmericas’ work touches.
Grants. With support from Sponsors, FRAmericas is working to create a system of Grants to be assigned under competition to young students, researchers and practitioners worldwide, who can come up with innovative ideas to solve development problems and need funding to prove them. The FRAmericas grant program will be perhaps the one instrument with the greatest and farthest-reaching impact, and its results will be reported annually.
Membership
Finally, FRAmericas is analyzing the possibility of becoming a membership organization, developing a broad base that would be the backing to its proposals and opinions; using Web-based technology FRAmericas could reach out to students, researchers and practitioners engaged in innovation, public policy, development assistance, and similar subjects, and derive strength from their participation.
A low ecological footprint organization
FRAmericas operates under “virtual” offices and “cloud”-based communications and interaction means. Ad-hoc meeting space is rented when needed; employees, consultants and interns maximize teleworking, thus reducing transportation costs and improving their well-being. Through these simple tactics, FRAmericas keeps its operational costs to a minimum and is able to use the majority of funding it receives to field projects, while at the same time minimizing its ecological footprint.
