Dear Mr. Machingaifa,

One advice to you - and others with the same problem - is the following:

1. Start early in your search for funding. Getting money from foreign 
sources takes even more time than getting money from national sources. 
Since the start of your meeting is only a couple of weeks away, I assume 
you have already used some time in trying to find funding, and this is the 
very last attempt. But securing funding from an international source in two 
weeks is seldom successful.

2. Make your attendance at the meeting - and indeed your daily work - fit 
into a larger plan or program for the development of museums in your 
country or in your region.

3. The normal way of getting money for such purposes is to go to your 
director who again may go to the relevant national museum authorities.

4. If no national funding is found, the national museum authorities or your 
institution may ask for assistance from co-operation or development - or as 
they are generally more bluntly called - donor agencies. The donor agencies 
will - almost without exception - ask whether your participation is an 
important part of a larger plan or program for the development of museums 
in your country or your region.

5. The donor agencies most relevant to go to are those that already have 
programs in your field in your country and are well known to the museum 
authorities in your country. They can be contacted through their embassies. 
In your country I assume SIDA, NORAD, DANIDA, the Dutch development agency 
and the office for EU (the European Union) are relevant, and probably others.

6. There is not much hope of getting funds as an individual without 
recommendations from your superiors, your institution, your authorities or 
your organization/network.

The facts above are well known to the museum authorities in your country 
and may already be well known also to you. So I think what you REALLY are 
asking the ICOM-L about is: Are there any other possibilities left? Well, 
possibly others can come up with something.

My general advice to you and others is:

ALWAYS MAKE YOUR PROJECTS PART OF A LARGER PICTURE. BUILD NETWORKS. CO-OPERATE.

Kind regards

Per B. Rekdal
ICME president


At 16:16 09.10.2002 +0200, you wrote:
>Dear Sir
>
>I write to seek assistance on how I could get funding for a meeting in
>Architecture and designers that I have applied for due for the end of
>October 2002.
>I am employed as an Exhibitions Officer at Mutare Museum. I wish to attend
>the course that I feel hasd great bearing on my career as a designer . The
>money will be used for travel and for the cost of accomodation . It is very
>difficult for me to raise the amount as a result of the shortage of foreign
>currency in our country.
>
>I would be most greatful for any advice you give as I feel that I stand to
>benefit from courses such as the one that I have applied.
>My contact address is as follows :
>
>Jeremia Machingaifa
>Exhibitions Officer
>Mutare Museum
>Box 920
>Tel; 263-020-63005
>Fax; 263-020-61100
>[log in to unmask]
>
>Yours faithfully
>
>Jeremia Machingaifa
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the
>archives at:  http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html

Per B. Rekdal
Prosjektleder
Kompetanseutvikling for medarbeidere i kulturinstitusjoner
  - omstilling til et multikulturelt samfunn

Prosjektsekretariat:
Norsk museumsutvikling
P.b.8045 Dep.
0030 Oslo

Tel. 21 02 17 15
Fax 23 23 94 41
E-post: [log in to unmask]

Prosjektet er finansiert av Nordisk ministerråd,
NordBok og Nordisk museumskomité.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the
archives at:  http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html