Margaret McNamara Education Grants
Support Extraordinary Women from developing countries
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Women and girls are often denied opportunities for education worldwide. Lack of education for women causes significant challenges in different public spheres varying from health to education; economic development to human rights. We believe that education for girls and women is the single most effective way to improve the lives of individual families as well as to bring social and economic development to communities worldwide.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
US/Canada Grant Program
This program is open to women from developing countries, age 25+ who are enrolled at accredited universities in the US and Canada. See MMEG.org/apply for detailed eligibility criteria.
Online applications are open from mid September until mid January. Decisions are made by end March, for one-time lump sum grants that can be applied to the following academic term. Annual budget is listed below.
South Africa grant program
This program is open to women students who are studying at one of our partner universities. It is not limited to South African students. See MMEG.org/apply for eligibility criteria and more information.
Online applications are open from mid May until mid September. Decisions are made by end December, for one-time lump sum grants that can be applied to the following academic term. Annual budget is listed below.
Latin America grant program
This program is open to women students aged 25+ who are enrolled at one of our partner universities. See MMEG.org/apply for eligibility criteria.
On-line application is possible from April until August of each year. Decisions about grant awards are made in November. Annual budget is listed below.
Trinity Washington University (DC) program
This program is open only to women students enrolled at Trinity Washington University in the District of Columbia. Students must be aged 25+ and show demonstrated commitment to improving the welfare of women and children.
Online applications are open from mid September until mid January. Decisions are made by end March, for one-time lump sum grants that can be applied to the following academic term.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of volunteers participated in MMEG activities
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Total USD amount of grants awarded to women for 4 programs
Total number of grant applications
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of submitted applications in 4 grant programs
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Additional revenue and wages generated attributable to the organization's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Net revenue generated through annual MMEG Fair (2022 - COVID Close down - No Fair) (2021 - Online Fair only)
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Period starts from July 1st and ends in June 30th next year.
Number of website pageviews
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Period starts from July 1st and ends in June 30th next year.
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of volunteering hours of board members+ selection committees + fair team + social media team and alumnae team members
Number of alumni (regardless of last date of enrollment) who submit updated contact information to the alumni office within the most recent academic year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of first-time donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of new or returning donors
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Margaret McNamara Education Grants awards education grants to exceptional women from developing countries, who are at least 25 years old, and enrolled at universities in the US, Canada and select universities in South Africa and Latin America. We aim to empower women through education which will eventually provide direct benefits to their communities.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide grants to women who are not only successful at their studies but also who are active and proved themselves in terms of volunteering services.
We implement grant programs at three different levels (local, national and international level) to enhance our performance in terms of outreach, fundraising, and recognition.
We strictly follow a series of sustainable financial management criteria.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The MMEG is managed by volunteers and financing comes from a large number of individual donors, corporate donors and small family foundations. Throughout the year, MMEG volunteers serve on regional Selection Committees to review applications and interview finalists for potential grants. Other volunteers work tirelessly for months to organize the annual Arts & Crafts Fair and direct mail fund-raising; some serve on the Board of Directors. The World Bank group provides office space and in-kind contributions to support MMEG activities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
From the inception of the first grant program till the end of June 2022, a total of 498grants have been awarded to women from 78 countries, for a total value of $4.5 million. All grant monies have been generated through fundraising events organized by volunteers and donations from individuals, international organizations' donations campaigns, and corporate donors.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Margaret McNamara Education Grants
Board of directorsas of 03/22/2023
Madeleine de Kock
Madeleine de Kock
Priscilla Linn
Laurence Carter
Colin Warren
Vivian Familiar
Grace Mukupa
Laura Burakreis
Marina Primorac
Merunisha Ahmid
Chiaki Yamamoto
Laura MacInnes
Marilou Jane Uy
Priscilla Annamanthodo
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/24/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.