Rationale
In its Population & Reproductive Health grantmaking, the Foundation links population stabilization with peace and environment issues, and as such with broader social development and environmental goals.

In choosing Population & Reproductive Health as a major area of grantmaking, the Foundation recognizes that many complex factors pose a threat to human and ecological security. These factors are closely interrelated and include the status of women and the health and safety of families, as well as the dynamics of population growth, consumption, and technology. We also recognize that many factors threaten human reproductive health, including toxins in our environment. Our focus on Population & Reproductive Health is part of our commitment to a world that allows for the full richness of human experience, both personal and global. The Foundation believes that:

• on a global level, support for family planning services ultimately helps achieve a healthier planet, by reducing the contribution of population growth to environmental deterioration and violent conflict;
• on a personal level, support for reproductive health empowers women and contributes to improved health and quality of life for women, men, and children.

Goals
1. Achieving a healthy planet
Increase public and private funding for international family planning
The Foundation considers proposals that primarily utilize the strategies of research, education, and advocacy to inform public policy and leverage new sources, and higher levels of support, for international family planning and reproductive health.

Geographic focus: Grants are made primarily to organizations based in the United States that focus on international family planning. The Foundation places a special emphasis on increasing funding for family planning and strengthening service delivery systems in the following areas: Mexico, Central America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Expand the professional capacity of young leaders from developing countries in population and reproductive health
The Foundation has established a Population & Reproductive Health Fellowship program. This program supports the research and training of doctoral and masters level students from Mexico, Central America and sub-Saharan Africa through grants to a small number of university-based programs that have been selected through an independent process.

2. Ensuring and improving access to family planning and reproductive health services within the United States

Grants are made for policy-relevant research, training, advocacy, and public education projects. We will also consider proposals that strengthen and expand the capacity of service delivery systems, including sexuality education.

Geographic focus: The primary focus is U.S. national reproductive health policy. We will also support state-level or regional activities with direct implications for national policy. In addition, the Foundation funds a small number of projects that strengthen service delivery systems in the following areas: Colorado and the San Francisco Bay Area.


Strategies
Strategies to achieve Population & Reproductive Health goals and objectives are consistent with the Foundation's overall approach of fostering positive and viable models of change. We generally place priority on projects with the greatest potential to: (1) improve public policies; and (2) strengthen service delivery systems that affect access to family planning.

The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that:

• broaden and strengthen constituencies that support population and reproductive health;
• increase access for marginalized populations;
• develop more comprehensive, culturally appropriate, and values-based messages/language;
• connect population and reproductive health issues to environmental, health, labor and other social justice movements.

In the international arena, we are interested in projects that show:

• collaboration with country-based organizations reaching out to men as valuable and supportive partners in family planning and reproductive health;
• collaboration with country-based networks working with youth (females and males) to increase access to accurate, unbiased information and sexual and reproductive health services that promote gender equity.

Download these guidelines in PDF format.