About the Fund
The Zoie Gardner Overseas Fund (ZGOF) is a fund of the Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria (UUCV), resulting from a generous bequest, and existing for the purpose of supporting education of girls and young women in low-income countries. The ZGOF Committee reports to the UUCV Board.
Since ZGOF’s inception in 2014, the fund has supported projects in Myanmar, Sierra Leone, India, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala and Zambia.
Announcing Approved Projects
| Organization | Country | Approved Project |
|---|---|---|
| Previously Approved Organizations | ||
| Her International | Nepal | School fees, supplies, supports (100 girls) |
| Inter Pares | Bangladesh | Workshops, drama on reproductive health, rights; girls’ football |
| Myanmar Burma Schools Foundation | Myanmar | New/ renovated school infrastructure in 4 rural villages (377 girls) |
| Right to Learn Afghanistan | Afghanistan | Online education program for girls |
| Victoria Taiama Partnership | Sierra Leone | Secondary school (40 students); college/university (45 students) |
| New Organizations | ||
| Crossroads International | Uganda | Training on sexual violence, child labour, rights (24 primary schools) |
| Education Without Borders | South Africa | Gender-based violence workshops: grades 7/8 in seven schools |
| Kids International Development Soc | Cambodia | Grade 7 to post-secondary education (18 girls) |
| Multination Missions | Guatemala | Middle school scholarships (7 indigenous girls) |
| Stephen Lewis Foundation | Zambia | Classroom block construction, education support (50 girls) |
| Transform International Canada | Rwanda | Grades 10-12 (16 girls); post-secondary scholarships (up to 3 girls) |
| Transform International Canada | India | Sewing school for vocational training for older girls & young women |
| Previously Funded Projects Underway | ||
| Canadian Harambee Education Soc | Kenya/Tanzania | Secondary school over 4 years (5 Kenyan girls, 5 Tanzanian girls) |
| Child Haven International | India/Nepal/Bangladesh | Assistance of girls and women in need of food, education, shelter and emotional support |
ZGOF Committee: Remi Odense (Chair), Karen Furnes (Secretary), Lynn Beak, Evan Guengerich, Frances Hancock, Laura Porcher, Kristina Stevens and John Worton. We honour the passing of June Fukushima, ZGOF Chair 2014-2024, noting her valuable leadership. We also recognize Christine Johnston and Mariko Matsumoto for years of contributions.
Application and Reporting
Application Deadline September 30, 2025 … and Project Reports by Sept 15, 2025
ZGOF is now open to receiving Applications by Sept 30, 2025 from a few additional Canadian charitable organizations, for contributions up to $25,000. If your project is approved, your organization will be expected to submit a Project Report at the end of the project.
Previously funded organizations may also apply in this fall round, provided they also submit a final or interim Project Report by Sept 15, 2025 (in consultation with their ZGOF Project Liaison); this Project Report (or Interim) must be approved by ZGOF prior to our consideration of a fall application.
It is hoped that funds awarded in this fall round will be paid out by Dec 31, 2025.
ZGOF generally provides one-year project funding, but will consider multi-year projects in exceptional circumstances (e.g. tuition fees over a few years). We expect the fund to have been fully expended by 2030-32.
Applicants must be a registered Canadian charity. Funds may be for such things as scholarships, tuition fees, skills training, workshops, support groups, and goods and services that support education and empowerment of girls and young women, e.g. medical care, female health and reproductive care, teachers, tutoring, counselling, family support, school transport, bicycles.
For more information on our funding criteria, please see the ZGOF Project Funding Criteria.
Documents for download:
Note: Application for Project Funding and Project Reporting Form are Word Documents which must be downloaded, completed, saved to PDF and then uploaded to the portal below. If the Word Documents are opening in your browser when you click the link, they may appear to have been incorrectly formatted. Please right click on the link and click “Save As…” to download them to your computer. When you open them in Word, they should look correct.
Before initiating your Application for Project Funding or Project Reporting Form, please check with your ZGOF liaison to ensure you have the most current version.