NEWSLINK: USAID ACTIVITIES IN RUSSIA WILL BE CONTINUED BY NDI AND THE FORD FOUNDATION

USAID ACTIVITIES IN RUSSIA WILL BE CONTINUED BY NDI AND THE FORD FOUNDATION – The U.S. Agency for international development (USAID) will continue to carry out its programs with the help of its partners – Izvestia – Anton Lednev – September 28, 2012

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Izvestia reports that, while the U.S. Agency for international development (USAID), has officially ended its activities in Russia at the request of the Russian Foreign Ministry of Russia, it will nevertheless see its programs carried out with the help of NGO partners the Ford Foundation and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The Ford Foundation finances programs in support of democracy and poverty reduction.

According to one source, Izvestia comments:

USAID may transfer part of its projects to NDI. It is possible that USAID will provide a large grant to the Ford
Foundation which works a lot in Russia … ‘The Institute for the support of democracy and the Republican Institute do not go anywhere, either. USAID will give them money, and they will implement the projects together with Russian NGOs.’

The Russian office of the National democratic Institute has confirmed that the programs introduced by their colleagues from
USAID may indeed be taken by NDI to be implemented.

While there might be initial disruptions, over time things will reconfigure:

In the beginning, after the departure of USAID, the political
organizations which used to receive funds from the Americans in
Russia will indeed experience difficulties which will eventually
go away as soon as a new scheme of work of NGOs is developed. …

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