Micro Grants for Alumni

2022 2021 2020 2019 Information

Interested in H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Grants?

With a current BR and AVC alumni base of over 3,000, which continues to grow by 250+ annually, investing in our participants’ next steps is key to achieving our long-term vision of true engagement. That’s why over the years we’ve funded 30+ alumni projects through our Micro Grants to further support the impact and echo our alumni make across the globe and in Armenia – and strengthen their leadership skills and confidence that they can make a difference.

2022

Recording Armenian folk jazz songs

Galina Shcherbakova (Russia, 2022) recorded a composition that is based on a famous Armenian folk song, with arrangements in the style of modern jazz. This song is the first step in creating a full-fledged program, which will find its audience not only in Armenia but also all over the world.

Creating public playground for children in Tsovinar village

Irina Arutyunyan (Russia, 2021) and Aram Kosyan (Russia, 2021) have created a public playground for children in Tsovinar village that will help the organization of meaningful leisure for the kids. Now the children are able to spend their time in a fenced new playground on the grounds of the Tsovinar Junior School.

Training programs for Armenian foreign language teachers

Hans-Christoph Pocha (Germany, 2022) conducted teacher training for foreign language teachers of regional state schools (English and German), to coach foreign language teachers in the classroom, to set up digital learning structures for foreign language learning. The goal was to improve the quality of foreign language learning in Armenian state schools and encourage and inspire their students to actively develop their foreign language skills.

Nakhshun Tel: A series of mini-films about Armenian folklore and fairy tails

In the mini-film, Evgeniya Melkonyan (Ukraine, 2021) created a live-action effect, as if the viewer had visited her grandmother herself, filled with wisdom, knowledge, and love. As part of the pilot release, they did an event at the House of Fairy Tales (Lori region), inviting town and village residents and grandmothers. They documented the tales, songs, and rituals she recounted. The main goal was to reach locals, diaspora, and non-Armenians in Armenia who are interested in traditions and culture.

Renovating a village school in Krashen

The goal was to renovate a village school in Krashen village. Karina Rakhmatullina (Russia, 2021) was working in the village during her volunteering and they did lots of things there including the installation of solar panels on the streets and opening a new hiking trail, and developing a new production of local organic food. The school is not only a place for the kids but also the only building for all the gatherings and events in the whole village.

2021

Single-Family Rabbit Farms for Displaced families from Artsakh

Roza Melkumyan (US, 2020), Leigha Schjelderup (US, 2019), Peter Barsamian (US, 2019) provided two displaced families from Artsakh families with their own small-scale rabbit farm enterprise. This enterprise serves as a supplemental income source for the families as they rebuild their lives in Shamshadin.

Ararum Foundation for Martuni Children

Hannah Brewster (USA, 2019) worked with six different local organizations while volunteering in Gyumri and Yerevan. With this microgrant, she organized a camp for the children of Martuni to help them learn English through various interactive activities.

Khachkar and Monument Documentation

Raffi Kortoshian (Syria, 2006) together with Research on Armenian Architecture foundation launched a project to study the monuments in the territory of historical Armenia and to record the memories of the displaced Armenians. He visited about 40 villages and found pieces of church items, gospels, old memoirs, and weapons of the fidais from Western Armenia.

Supporting the Women in Gyumri

Sarah Stites (2018, USA) and Zarui Karapetyan (2018, Russia), two of our alumni who currently live and work in Gyumri, used this micro-grant to create and run a comprehensive culinary, food hygiene, and service training program (with a psychological support component) for women in Gyumri. They worked with four beneficiaries, two being displaced women from Artsakh and two being mothers of children with special needs.

2020

Caritas Aregak Foundation

Through the Caritas Aregak Foundation, alum Sarah Stites (2018) has helped support 52 families by delivering customized psycho-social services. At first, they focused on the families of war victims. Currently, the project has shifted to families of soldiers and prisoners of war.

Looys Program by Kooyrigs

Founded by Karine Eurdekian (2017), Looys Program by Kooyrigs is a unique initiative to support pregnant women displaced from Artsakh. About 200 expectant and post-partum mothers have been provided with personalized care packages.

All For Armenia

All For Armenia was established by a group of alumni living in Armenia and abroad, including Araz and Matthieu Sahakian (2016), Tara Baghdassarian (2017), Lori Injejikian (2016), Dea Hovhannisyan (2016) and Sandra de Castro (2017). To this day, the team has carried out at least 22 missions providing humanitarian aid and supporting the return of displaced families.

Sose NGO

Within the Shirak province, Sose NGO is based near the city of Goris, where alum Shant Meguerditchian (2013) and the Sose team provided 710 individuals with housing, water, gas, electricity, and food for the last three months. The families also receive personal and employment counseling services, as well as English and art classes. Since January, 50 additional families have been added to the list.

2019

KIDO Child Development Center

Artur Gasparyan (Russia, 2018) helped furnish the center creating more comfortable, friendly, and attractive conditions for children.

Occupational Therapy Guidebook to Inclusion

Armineh Victoria Babikian (US, 2017) worked on a guidebook that provides caregivers, teachers, and clinicians with a clear understanding of common developmental diagnoses, the impact on daily life, and therapeutic activities to help strengthen skills and promote independence. This is the first of its kind for the field of occupational therapy in Armenia and serves as an important facilitator for inclusion.

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Information

Grant Process Overview:

All grants are selected and administered directly by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. They are reviewed at the end of each quarter. By having a strong understanding of the grant process we have designed, your chances of submitting a successful application will be optimized. Therefore, please read carefully the details below to better understand the eligibility criteria, restrictions, timeframes and deadlines, and grant review considerations. The grants are competitive, with numbers of grants being awarded in each calendar year. Prior to submitting your grant request, should you have questions at any time while preparing your proposal, we encourage you to reach out to the Birthright Armenia Alumni Program Coordinator for guidance and assistance by sending an email to [email protected]

Eligibility Criteria:

Projects should have a direct benefit in Armenia and must include at least one implementing partner on the ground in Armenia, as local partners are key to successful outcomes. Implementing partners must be non-profit organizations registered in Armenia. For more information, please visit the Armenian Grants page on H. Hovnanian Family Foundation website.