First Micronesian NGO Eligible for Combined Federal Campaign

Date: July 16, 2012
For more information please contact:
Rebecca Zepeda (202) 208-2534
Rebecca_Zepeda@ios.doi.gov

Washington, D.C. – A recent announcement by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) allows the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) admittance to participate in the FY 2012 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).  The CFC is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the Federal workplace and raises millions of dollars annually through national and international campaigns.  The Micronesian Conversation Trust is the first Micronesian non-governmental organization to be included in the Combined Federal Campaign Charity List.

“OPM’s announcement is great news and I commend MCT’s leadership for their mission and for their work to be included in the CFC.  For the past two years, my office has worked on an initiative to strengthen the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’S) in Micronesia and the Caribbean.  NGO’s are part of an important and growing sector that are providing necessary environmental, health, youth, and social services with very limited resources,” said Tony Babauta, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas.

The MCT supports biodiversity conservation and related sustainable development for the people of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the US Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is a major partner in the Micronesia Challenge which has the goal of conserving at least 30% of the near-shore marine resources and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. This ambitious challenge far exceeds current goals set by international conventions and treaties.

Assistant Secretary Babauta wrote to the Joint Region Mariana’s Command informing Rear Admiral Bushong of the great news that on June 14, 2012, the first local Micronesian NGO was included in the CFC’s Charity List by the Office of Personnel Management. “We’ve been working closely through the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) to ensure the NGO’s, the Office of Personnel Management and other corporations to seek a diverse pool of sources to select from. With its inclusion in the CFC, MCT is now eligible to receive pledges from the many Federal employees and military personnel who are from the region, currently stationed there, or have an interest in the insular areas. I highly encourage other NGO’s in the insular areas to explore their eligibility for the CFC as well,” added Babauta.

For those interested in making donations, MCT will be listed in the CFC Charity List under the national/international independent agencies under the number 79910. The CFC season runs from September 1 – December 15.

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