Applications for the 2009-2010 Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants are now being accepted, Ford Middle East announced on Tuesday as it marked the 10th year anniversary of the program in the GCC, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. A total of $100,000 will be made available to individuals, community and non-profit groups that have projects currently running in the areas of preservation of the natural environment, environmental education and conservation engineering. The Ford Grants is open to applicants from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE. Application forms are available through www.me.ford.com and at the showrooms of Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co (Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer) and Haji Husein Alireza & Co (Mercury importer-dealer). Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14, 2010. “We are proud to mark this important milestone in supporting environmental projects in the markets where we support our customers,” said Kurt Peterson, Ford Middle East's regional sales manager. “The Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants have gone a long way since their inception in 2000, and we are pleased to have played an integral role and helped complete or advance more than 100 environmental initiatives in the GCC and Levant region.” At a news conference held in Riyadh, Ford Motor Company also handed over the grants to the 2008/2009 winners: q Have Fun with the Environment submitted by Ghadah Nasser Omar Al Bakr from Riyadh in the category of Environmental Education. Grant awarded: $14,000 q GCC Network for the Conservation of Mangroves submitted by Abdallah Hamad Al Woteid from Riyadh, in the category of Natural Environment. Grant awarded: $6,000. “Henry Ford believed in the obligation of companies, not only to create good products for their customers, but also to share good works and goodwill,” Peterson said. “And that is precisely what we are aiming to achieve with the Conservation & Environmental Grants as we give back to our local communities,” he added. Since the Grants launch 10 years ago, Ford has awarded more than $2,000,000 in grants to over 300 high-quality projects throughout Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Central America, Middle East and Puerto Rico to further their environmental initiatives. In the Middle East, the initiative has seen support from the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Emirates Wildlife Society and the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED), a regional independent organization promoting prudent environmental policies and programs across the Arab region. An independent panel of nine jurors consisting of academics, as well as experts from environmental ministries and agencies choose the winning projects that demonstrate a well-defined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximizing available resources, and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programs and services. “Ford Motor Company's Conservation and Environmental Grants initiative is truly commendable,” said Mohammad S. Sulayem, advisor on International Cooperation, National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development who is also a member of Ford Grants panel of jurors. __
