Ford Grants marks ten years of continued support to region's environmental efforts

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 United Arab Emirates.

Application forms are available through Ford Middle East website and at the showrooms of Saud Bahwan Group, the importer-dealer for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in Oman. Deadline for submissions is January 14, 2010.

Omar Bahnassi Ford Middle East's National Sales Manager for Oman, said:

"We are proud to mark this important milestone in supporting environmental projects in the markets where we serve our customers. 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 Muscat today, Ford Motor Company also handed over the grants to the 2008/2009 winning projects from the Sultanate:

- Whale and Dolphin Research Program submitted by Environment Society of Oman in the category of Natural Environment.

- Use of Microchip Technology to Conserve the Sooty Falcon in Oman submitted by Environment Society of Oman, in the category of Natural Environment.

"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," added Bahnassi. "And that is precisely what we are aiming to achieve with the Conservation & Environmental Grants as we give back to our local communities."

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 programmes 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 programmes and services.

"Ford Motor Company's Conservation and Environmental Grants initiative is truly commendable," said Engr. Mohammed Saif Al-Kalbani, Head of Environmental Data and Indicators Section from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs of Oman who is also a member of the Ford Grants jury panel. "Not only has it been consistently supporting local environmental initiatives for ten straight years, but it is a good example of how the private sector can play a vital part in encouraging and spreading environmental awareness among the communities."