Special Interest Grants (2009)

• Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology

  To fund research to ascertain whether exposure to common endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is related to reproductive health problems and childhood obesity. Blood and urine specimens collected from women in Denmark during preconception and pregnancy will be shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US to measure the levels of EDCs. The resulting data will be analysed in relation to fertility, risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and other adverse birth outcomes. USD 496,571 (Over three years)

• Chapel Hill – Carrboro YMCA

  To support the Chapel Hill – Carrboro YMCA campaign “Imagine, Invest, Empower”. At the core of the campaign is the construction of a new youth centre in North Carolina to provide young people with a place that will help develop their social skills, build personal character and strengthen their sense of caring, respect and responsibility. The centre will offer after-school activities and recreational programmes to all families regardless of their financial status. USD 300,000

• The Courtauld Institute of Art

  To fund the appointment of Dr Rebecca Arnold as full-time Lecturer in Dress and Textiles at The Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Dr Arnold will teach on both the MA and the BA undergraduate programmes, offering courses on modern and contemporary dress and fashion which complement, enhance and extend the current teaching of primarily European and American art. USD 552,719 (Over five years)

• Deep Griha Society

  To support people living with HIV/ AIDS in two slum areas of Pune, India by providing counselling, nutrition and nutritional training, treatment for opportunistic infections, home-based care, rehabilitation and palliative care. Deep Griha Society provides sex education, and aims to mitigate stigma and discrimination. It also tries to attract local funding from private and non-governmental sources and encourages solidarity within the wider community of Pune. USD 199,184 (Over three years)

• Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ)

  To provide a general support grant to HCZ, a community-based organisation serving over 17,000 children in Harlem, New York. The grant will enable HCZ to continue to offer programmes during challenging economic times and to provide core services such as parent education, community building, job search assistance, family support, child development and healthcare. USD 1,000,000

• Health Care for America Now

  To fund an advertising campaign to persuade targeted members of Congress to vote in favour of a healthcare reform bill in the US. The aim of the reform is to ensure affordable health coverage, comprehensive and reliable benefits, a choice of private or public health insurance plans and equal access to quality care for all Americans. USD 1,000,000

• Medair

  To improve the organisational capacity of Medair – a Switzerland-based NGO that provides emergency relief – and to strengthen its capability to support field operations by streamlining work processes and operational management. The objective is to improve technical support through sector-specific strategy development, assessments, proposals, training, monitoring and evaluation. It also aims to boost field staff recruitment and increase the pool and quality of candidates. USD 1,000,000 (Over two years)

• Royal Marsden Cancer

  To build a bigger and better-equipped Children’s and Teenage Cancer Centre at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, UK. The new centre will double inpatient and day patient capacity, allowing the hospital to treat more children and teenagers with cancer. It will also host dedicated drug development beds for children and teenagers where, for the first time anywhere in the world, new anti-cancer agents can be tested on site. The Centre is scheduled to open in 2010. USD 15,000,000 (Over three years)

• Self-Help (Center for Community Self-Help)

  To provide loans in North Carolina to around 75 women who are heads of households with dependents, to enable them to become successful home owners. Furthermore, by increasing the loan amounts, these women will have better options in terms of the quality, suitability and location of their property. USD 750,000 (Over three years)

• The School of Pharmacy, University of London

  To fund a project to identify obstacles and define deficits in existing practices and regulations surrounding the use of endocrine disrupting chemicals. The ultimate goal is to develop recommendations for the risk assessment of chemical mixtures and the improved regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals. The research focus will be on Europe but, where appropriate, examples of good practice from other countries will be considered. USD 329,642 (Over two years)

• Tivoli A/S

  To support two performances at the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark. For each event, two Danish artists will receive an award in recognition of their achievements, to be presented by Her Majesty, Queen Margrethe, Queen of Denmark, and her sisters, Her Majesty Queen Anne-Marie and Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte. USD 190,174 (Over three years)

• Veteran Homestead

  To assist this independent, non-profit organisation based in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, build a rehabilitation centre for war veterans which will provide accommodation, physical care, education opportunities and psychological support for veterans. Since the organisation believes in a holistic solution that involves families in the rehabilitation process, it offers services for entire families. USD 500,000