Grant and Funds Policy

Tanit Heritage Foundation

This policy is published. It is what contributors, applicants and grantees can hold Tanit to.

Contents

1. Purpose
2. Principles
3. Definitions
4. Eligibility
5. Applications and assessment
6. Conflicts of interest
7. Contributions
8. Holding funds
9. Release of funds
10. Grant agreements
11. Disbursement
12. Reporting and verification
13. Underspend, overspend and misuse
14. Residuals and refunds
15. Closing a project
16. Complaints and appeals
17. Confidentiality and data
18. Non-discrimination
19. Records and retention
20. Transparency
21. Dissolution
22. Governance and amendment

• Schedule of figures
• Annex A — Worked example
• Annex B — What the platform does and does not do

1. Purpose

1.1 Tanit Heritage Foundation makes grants to Tunisian cultural-tourism businesses, funded by contributions raised in support of specific businesses.

1.2 Tanit holds no endowment. A business is assessed and selected first, and funded afterwards. Contributions therefore arrive in instalments, over an open-ended period, in a currency other than the one in which the grant is paid.

1.3 This policy exists so that in every grant, what was approved, what was paid, and what the receipts show all describe the same thing. Every rule below serves that outcome.

1.4 This policy governs money. It does not set programme priorities, which are published separately as the criteria of each grant programme.

2. Principles

2.1 Grants are denominated in Tunisian dinars. Quotes, invoices, receipts and agreements all use the same currency. Fundraising in US dollars is a separate activity.

2.2 Whole items, never fractions. A grant funds complete, identifiable purchases. Tanit does not pay a percentage of a budget.

2.3 Nothing moves without a signed agreement naming the exact amount and the exact items.

2.4 Funds are segregated. Tanit's money is held in Tanit's own account.

2.5 Tanit retains discretion. A contributor may express a preference. Tanit decides.

2.6 Every balance has a destination, published in advance and recorded.

2.7 Every grant is reconciled against receipts before it is treated as complete.

2.8 No grant is made that cannot finish something. A grant that leaves a grantee mid-project is worse than no grant.

3. Definitions

3.1 The distinction that governs this policy: a request is what was asked for; an award is what Tanit has committed to pay. Only an award appears in an agreement, and only an award is reconciled.

4. Eligibility

4.1 Who may apply

An applicant must:

(a) be a business, cooperative or community enterprise legally registered in Tunisia; (b) be already operating — Tanit funds improvement, not formation; (c) work in cultural tourism, heritage, craft, food culture or community-based enterprise, as defined by the relevant grant programme; (d) be owned and operated by members of the community in which it works; (e) provide the identity, registration and contact information Tanit requests.

4.2 Grant limits

(a) Ceiling — 50,000 TND. This is both the maximum request Tanit will accept and the maximum award Tanit will make. At the August 2026 rate this is approximately $17,100; the dinar figure is the rule and the dollar figure is only an indication.

(b) No minimum. A small request is as welcome as a large one.

(c) Expected range. Most awards are expected to fall between 25,000 and 30,000 TND. The ceiling is a maximum, not a target, and only an exceptional application should approach it.

(d) One active grant per business at a time.

(e) Larger projects are not excluded — they are scoped down. A business whose full plan costs more than the ceiling may apply for a self-contained part of it that costs 50,000 TND or less and can be completed on its own.

❌ "Our renovation costs 120,000 TND, please contribute what you can." Not eligible — a fraction of a renovation finishes nothing.

✅ "Our renovation costs 120,000 TND. We are asking Tanit for the 40,000 TND kitchen, which we will complete on its own." Eligible — a whole project, simply a smaller one.

(f) Indivisible items may be funded only in full and within the ceiling. A vehicle, machine or kiln cannot be part-purchased, so a request of this kind has no partial-award path and no fallback if fundraising falls short. Tanit weighs that risk before selecting such an application.

4.3 Eligible costs

Equipment, tools and materials; fit-out and small works; training and certification; signage, marketing and website costs; and professional fees directly attributable to the funded work.

4.4 Ineligible costs

Tanit will not fund:

(a) salaries, wages, or drawings by owners; (b) rent, utilities or routine operating costs; (c) repayment or refinancing of debt; (d) purchase of land or buildings; (e) costs already incurred before the grant agreement is signed — Tanit does not fund retrospectively; (f) taxes recoverable by the business; (g) political or religious activity; (h) alcohol, tobacco, or anything unlawful in Tunisia; (i) any item not supported by a supplier quote.

5. Applications and assessment

5.1 What an application must contain

(a) an itemised budget in dinars, to the millime; (b) a supplier quote for every line. A line without a quote cannot be funded, because there would be nothing to reconcile a receipt against; (c) the lines ranked in priority order by the applicant. This ranking is what allows a reduced award to be made without renegotiating from scratch, and it ensures the applicant, not Tanit, decides what matters most; (d) a description of the intended use and expected result; (e) registration and identity documents.

5.2 How applications are assessed

Against: eligibility under section 4; the published criteria of the relevant grant programme; the credibility and completeness of the budget; the likelihood that the funded work can be completed; and the benefit to the surrounding community.

5.3 Selection is not a commitment of funds

Selection means Tanit will present the business to potential contributors. It is not a promise that funding will be raised, nor an indication of how long that may take. This is stated to every applicant in writing at the point of selection.

5.4 Decisions are recorded

Every decision to select, decline or defer is recorded with its date and its reason. Declined applicants are told the reason.

6. Conflicts of interest

6.1 A conflict of interest arises where a person taking part in a decision has a personal, family, financial, employment or business connection to an applicant, grantee, contributor or supplier — or where a reasonable observer might think their judgement could be affected.

6.2 Anyone involved in assessing or deciding a grant must declare any such connection in writing as soon as they become aware of it.

6.3 A declared conflict is recorded in a register of interests, kept for the life of the organisation.

6.4 Where a conflict exists, the person conflicted does not decide the matter alone. The application is either declined, or referred to the independent reviewer, whose decision is recorded.

6.4.1 The independent reviewer is Tanit's accountant, or another professional appointed by Tanit who has no connection to the applicant. The holder of the role is recorded in Tanit's register of interests and may be confirmed on request.

6.5 Tanit will not make a grant to a business owned or controlled by a person taking part in the decision, by a member of their immediate family, or by their business partner.

6.6 Where a grant is nevertheless made to a connected party under 6.4, the connection and the independent review are published alongside the grant.

6.7 These provisions apply with particular force while Tanit's decisions are made by a small number of people. They are the substitute for the separation a larger organisation gets automatically.

7. Contributions

7.1 What a contribution is

7.1.1 A contribution is a gift to Tanit Heritage Foundation, in support of a named business. It is not a payment to that business, and Tanit is not a conduit.

7.1.2 A contributor may express a preference for a particular business. Tanit makes the decision on whether, when and how funds are applied.

7.1.3 Tanit retains the right to apply a contribution elsewhere in its programme where the business becomes ineligible, withdraws, ceases trading, or where the project cannot proceed — in accordance with section 14.

7.1.4 Tanit accepts two kinds of contribution:

(a) Business-directed — given in support of a named business. 100% of a business-directed contribution reaches a grantee. Tanit takes nothing from it, and it is never applied to Tanit's own costs.

(b) Programme — given to Tanit's work as a whole, without naming a business. A programme contribution may be applied to grants or to the cost of making them, as set out at 8.4.

7.1.5 Which kind a contribution is, is chosen by the contributor at the time of giving, and is recorded.

7.1.6 Tanit states plainly, wherever it invites a programme contribution, that such contributions may be used for Tanit's operating costs. A contributor is never left to assume that 100% of a programme gift reaches a business.

7.2 Tax status

7.2.1 Tanit Heritage Foundation is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in the United States. It does not hold 501(c)(3) recognition, and contributions are therefore not deductible on a United States tax return.

7.2.2 This is stated wherever Tanit invites a contribution. Tanit does not describe contributions as tax-deductible, charitable deductions, or write-offs, in any medium.

7.2.3 Should Tanit obtain recognition, or receive contributions through a fiscal sponsor, this policy is amended and the change published before it takes effect.

7.3 Gift acceptance and refusal

Tanit may decline any contribution, and will decline where:

(a) the source of funds is unclear or cannot reasonably be verified; (b) the contribution carries conditions Tanit cannot meet or that would compromise its discretion under 7.1.2; (c) acceptance would create a conflict of interest that cannot be managed under section 6; (d) the contributor seeks influence over the selection of grantees; (e) acceptance would expose Tanit, its grantees or its programme to reputational harm; (f) accepting would breach sanctions or anti-money-laundering obligations.

A declined contribution is returned in full, and the decision is recorded.

7.4 Anonymous contributions

7.4.1 A contributor may ask that their name not be published, and Tanit will respect that.

7.4.2 Anonymity is to the public, never to Tanit. In every case, whatever the amount, Tanit must know and record who the contributor is. There is no threshold below which this is waived.

7.4.3 Tanit does not accept contributions from a source it cannot identify. This is what allows Tanit to meet its obligations under 7.3(a) and 7.3(f), and to write to contributors under 12.4 about what their support achieved.

7.5 Caps

Contributions in support of a business cease once its target is reached. No business collects more than it is able to spend.

7.6 Records

Every contribution is recorded on receipt: date pledged, date cleared, contributor, amount, and the business supported. A pledge and a payment are distinct events and are recorded separately.

8. Holding funds

8.1 Segregation

8.1.1 Funds are held in a bank account in the name of Tanit Heritage Foundation.

8.1.2 Tanit's funds are never held in, nor passed through, a personal account, in any circumstance.

8.1.3 Personal funds are not used to make grants, and grant funds are not used to meet personal costs. Any reimbursement due is documented and paid as a reimbursement.

8.1.4 Contributions are held in one account, with each business's entitlement tracked in Tanit's ledger. That ledger is the authoritative record of what is held for whom.

8.2 Currency and exchange risk

8.2.1 Awards are fixed in dinars. Tanit bears the exchange risk between receiving a contribution and disbursing a grant. A grantee's award does not fall because the rate moved.

8.2.2 Because a bank's rate is not the market rate, and transfers carry fees, the dollar target for a business is set above the straight conversion of its dinar target, by a published allowance.

Illustration. A 6,000 TND line, at a quoted rate of 3.0, converts to $2,000. If the bank gives 2.92 and the wire costs $30, that $2,000 delivers roughly 5,750 TND — 250 TND short, and the item cannot be bought. A target of $2,060–$2,100 delivers the full 6,000 TND.

8.2.3 The rate actually received is recorded on every transfer, not the rate quoted beforehand.

8.3 Administrative costs

8.3.1 Tanit deducts no fee from a grant. A grantee receives the full dinar amount stated in its agreement.

8.3.2 Bank charges and exchange costs on a disbursement are met from the currency allowance under 8.2.2, and where that is insufficient from the programme fund under 8.4 — never by reducing a grantee's award.

8.3.3 Tanit's running costs are met from programme contributions (7.1.4(b)) and from the founder's own resources. They are never taken from a business-directed contribution.

8.3.4 Should Tanit ever need to deduct an administrative charge from business-directed contributions, the rate will be published before it is applied and this policy amended.

8.4 The programme fund

8.4.1 Programme contributions, together with residuals applied under 14.1.2(c), form the programme fund. It is accounted for separately from funds held in support of a named business.

8.4.2 The fund is applied in the following order:

(a) making good any shortfall between a grant awarded and the amount that reached the grantee (11.3); (b) receiving and holding residuals from closed projects (14.1.2(c)); (c) Tanit's operating costs, including bank charges, the independent reviewer, and the cost of running the platform; (d) and only from what remains, topping up individual businesses under 8.4.3.

8.4.3 Top-ups are decided by rule, not case by case. Where the fund is used to support a business:

(a) Eligibility. Only a business that has stalled under 9.3.1 may be supported. This is an objective test measured from Tanit's records, not a matter of judgement.

(b) Order. Among stalled businesses, the fund goes first to the one that can be brought to a completed, disbursable line for the least money. The purpose of a top-up is to convert waiting into a finished grant.

(c) Cap. The fund provides no more than the proportion of any single business's target set in the Schedule.

(d) Record. The calculation is recorded each time, including the businesses considered and not chosen.

(e) Conflicts. Section 6 applies to every top-up decision.

8.4.4 A stalled business that the rule will never reach is not left waiting indefinitely. It is closed under 9.3.2(c) and told honestly, which is a better outcome for that grantee than indefinite hope.

8.4.5 Tanit publishes which businesses received support from the fund, how much, and the rule that selected them (20.1).

9. Release of funds

9.1 The default: fund in full, once

9.1.1 Funds accumulate until a business's target is met, and the award is then disbursed in a single transfer.

9.1.2 This is the default because it produces one agreement, one transfer, one set of fees and one reconciliation — and because most projects are bought and installed together rather than piecemeal.

9.2 Listings do not expire

9.2.1 There is no funding deadline. A business is never dropped for being slow to attract support.

9.2.2 What replaces a deadline is the review at 9.3. Nothing closes automatically, and nothing is left unattended.

9.3 Stalled projects

9.3.1 A business is stalled when three consecutive months pass in which contributions total less than 5% of its target, and the target remains unmet.

9.3.2 A stalled project is reviewed, and one of three decisions recorded with its date:

(a) Continue — where the target is close, or the sum held is too small to complete any line; (b) Make a partial award — under 9.4; (c) Close — under section 15.

9.3.3 The review repeats every three months while the listing remains open. It is a review, never an automatic expiry.

9.3.4 The grantee is consulted before any partial award. A grantee may prefer to wait for the full amount, and that decision is theirs.

9.4 Partial awards

9.4.1 The sum held is converted to dinars on the day of the decision, at the rate then available.

9.4.2 Working down the applicant's priority ranking, Tanit funds whole lines until the funds available are exhausted.

9.4.3 Before proceeding, Tanit must answer: will these lines produce something finished and usable on their own? If not, the award is not made and the funds continue to be held. Where the remaining budget is an indivisible item, the answer is almost always no.

9.4.4 Where the next line cannot be afforded, the following are considered in order, and returning funds is the last of them:

(a) Reduce the line. Obtain a revised quote for a smaller specification or a partial delivery, and fund the line at the revised figure. (b) Cost-share. The grantee funds the balance from its own resources. The supplier is paid in full, the receipt matches the quote, and the agreement records the respective contributions. Cost-share is always optional; a grantee unable to contribute is not penalised and does not lose its place. (c) Fund a lower-priority line that the funds can complete, with the grantee's agreement. (d) Continue to hold until the next review.

9.4.5 A partial award requires the grantee to sign a revised budget covering exactly the lines funded. Without it, the original request remains the only approved document and the grant cannot be reconciled.

10. Grant agreements

10.1 No funds are disbursed without a written agreement signed by both parties.

10.2 Every agreement states:

(a) the grantee's legal identity and registration; (b) the exact amount, in dinars; (c) the exact lines funded, each referencing its quote; (d) the charitable purpose the grant serves; (e) that the grant is a fixed sum, not an open account; (f) the treatment of underspend (section 13); (g) that overspend is the grantee's responsibility; (h) the reporting obligation and its deadline (section 12); (i) that funds are used only for the stated purpose; (j) Tanit's right to inspect records and to require repayment of misused funds (13.3); (k) any cost-share the grantee has undertaken.

10.3 A partial award uses the same agreement with the revised figures.

11. Disbursement

11.1 Before transferring, Tanit:

(a) confirms the agreement is signed by both parties and filed; (b) confirms banking details directly with the grantee, through a channel already known to be theirs, and never from unsolicited correspondence; (c) completes the screening required under 7.3(f) and applicable law.

11.2 On transferring, Tanit records: the date sent; the amount sent; the rate actually received; the dinars delivered; all fees on both sides; and the date the grantee confirms receipt.

11.3 The grantee is asked to confirm the amount that actually arrived. Where fees have reduced it below the award, Tanit makes up the difference from the currency allowance or the programme fund (8.3.2, 8.4.2(a)). A grantee never receives less than its award because of the cost of the transfer.

12. Reporting and verification

12.1 A grantee reports on what was purchased, what it cost, and what resulted, providing receipts and photographs.

12.2 Tanit verifies each funded line: that a receipt exists; that the amount matches the quote within the permitted variance; and that the item purchased is the item approved.

12.3 Any discrepancy is raised with the grantee and resolved before the report is accepted or anything is published.

12.4 Once accepted, Tanit publishes the result, and writes to every contributor who supported that business describing what their contribution achieved.

13. Underspend, overspend and misuse

13.1 Underspend. Where a grantee spends less than the award, the balance is applied to another approved line for the same business, with Tanit's written permission. Return of the balance is the fallback where no remaining line can use it. Either outcome is recorded; an unexplained balance is not acceptable.

13.2 Overspend. A grant is a fixed sum. Costs above the award are the grantee's responsibility.

13.3 Misuse. Where funds are used for a purpose other than that agreed, or where receipts cannot be produced, Tanit may require repayment in full, decline future applications from that business, and report the matter where the law requires. This is stated in every agreement.

13.4 Price variance. Where a purchase price differs from its quote, variance within the permitted tolerance is accepted with an explanation. Beyond it, a revised quote and Tanit's written approval are required before purchase.

14. Residuals and refunds

14.1 Residuals

14.1.1 While a listing remains open, a residual simply continues to be held. It requires resolution only when a project closes.

14.1.2 On closure, a residual is resolved in the following order:

(a) applied to another line for the same business, if one can now be completed; (b) offered as cost-share support to enable the grantee to complete a line; (c) where below the published small-balance threshold, applied to the programme fund (8.4) and recorded — the cost of returning a very small sum exceeds the sum itself; (d) where above that threshold, the contributors are notified and given a stated period to request return, failing which it is applied to the programme; (e) returned on request, in every case.

14.1.3 This order is published before a contribution is made. It is the mechanism through which Tanit exercises the discretion described in 7.1.3.

14.2 Refunds

14.2.1 A contributor may request the return of any contribution not yet disbursed, at any time, without giving a reason. Tanit returns it, less any unrecoverable transaction charge.

14.2.2 Funds already disbursed to a grantee cannot be returned. This is stated wherever Tanit invites a contribution.

14.2.3 Every residual and refund is recorded, with its resolution and whether the contributor was notified.

15. Closing a project

15.1 A project closes when it is delivered and reported; when a review under 9.3 so decides; or when the grantee withdraws or ceases trading.

15.2 On closure Tanit:

(a) informs the grantee in writing, with the reason; (b) resolves any residual under 14.1; (c) informs every contributor to that business what was achieved, what was not, and where their funds were applied; (d) records the date and reason; (e) removes the listing.

16. Complaints and appeals

16.1 An applicant, grantee or contributor may complain about any decision or conduct of Tanit by writing to contact@tanitfoundation.org.

16.2 Tanit acknowledges a complaint within five working days and responds substantively within thirty days.

16.3 A declined applicant may request reconsideration once, where they believe the decision rested on a factual error or where material information was not considered.

16.4 Where a complaint concerns a decision taken by the person who would handle the complaint, it is referred to an independent reviewer, as under 6.4.

16.5 Complaints and their outcomes are recorded.

17. Confidentiality and data

17.1 Applications, registration documents, financial information and correspondence are treated as confidential and used only to assess, make, administer and report on grants.

17.2 Tanit publishes information about a business — its story, photographs and the purpose of its grant — only with that business's consent. Amounts requested and awarded may be published as part of Tanit's transparency obligations under section 20.

17.3 Contributors' identities are not published without consent.

17.4 Personal and business data is held securely, kept no longer than section 19 requires, and not sold, rented or shared for marketing.

17.5 A person may ask what data Tanit holds about them, and ask for its correction.

18. Non-discrimination

18.1 Tanit assesses applications without regard to gender, religion, ethnic or regional origin, disability, age, or political affiliation.

18.2 Tanit's programmes may nevertheless give stated priority to categories of applicant — including women-led businesses and under-served regions — where that priority is published as part of a programme's criteria and serves its charitable purpose.

19. Records and retention

19.1 Tanit maintains records of: contributions; allocations to each business; disbursements; residuals and refunds; reconciliation of each grant; declared interests; decisions and their reasons; and complaints.

19.2 For each grantee, Tanit keeps the application, every quote, the signed agreement, any revised budget, transfer confirmations, receipts and the final report.

19.3 Records are retained for not less than seven years following the close of a project.

20. Transparency

20.1 Tanit publishes annually: the number of grants made and their total value; the number of businesses supported; total contributions received, split between business-directed and programme (7.1.4); the programme fund's income and how it was applied under 8.4.2; every top-up made to a business from the fund, with the amount and the rule that selected it; and any residuals applied to the fund.

20.2 Tanit publishes the outcome of each completed grant, with the grantee's consent.

20.3 Where a figure describing funding progress is displayed publicly, it reflects funds actually received — never pledges or expressions of interest.

20.4 This policy is published in full and its current version is the version in force.

21. Dissolution

21.1 Should Tanit cease to operate, funds held and not yet disbursed are applied, in order: to complete grants already committed by signed agreement; returned to contributors where practicable; and otherwise transferred to an organisation pursuing a substantially similar purpose.

21.2 No funds are distributed to any founder, officer or member.

22. Governance and amendment

22.1 This policy is approved by the founder and reviewed at least annually.

22.2 It is reviewed earlier where Tanit's tax status changes, where professional advice requires it, or where experience shows a provision to be unworkable.

22.3 Amendments are dated and version-numbered. The published version always matches the version in force.

22.4 The figures referred to throughout this policy are set out in the Schedule below, which forms part of it. A change to the Schedule is an amendment to this policy and is published in the same way.

Schedule of figures

In force from 8 August 2026.

Annex A — Worked example

A guesthouse in Gabès applies. Its budget, in its own priority order:

Assessed and selected. Within the ceiling, so the full budget can be targeted. Told in writing that selection does not guarantee funding (5.3).

Target set: 24,000 TND, with the currency allowance applied to the dollar figure (8.2.2).

Contributions arrive over three months and then stop. Held: about 8,300 TND — below target, so nothing is disbursed (9.1.1).

Three months later the project is stalled (9.3.1). At review: line 1 can be completed; line 2 cannot; line 3 can be completed at 2,000 TND on a revised quote for signage without the website (9.4.4(a)).

The test at 9.4.3: a working solar heater and proper signage are a finished, usable improvement. Yes — and the grantee, consulted under 9.3.4, prefers to proceed rather than wait.

Award: 8,000 TND, on a signed revised budget (9.4.5). Transferred; fees reduce the amount arriving, and Tanit makes up the difference (11.3). Receipts later match both quotes (12.2). Contributors receive photographs of the result (12.4).

Residual: 300 TND. The listing stays open, so it continues to be held (14.1.1). At a later review the project is closed, the residual falls below the small-balance threshold, and it is applied to the programme and recorded (14.1.2(c)).

Outcome: the guesthouse has a solar heater and new signage. Every dinar is matched to a quote, an agreement and a receipt.

Annex B — What the platform does and does not do

Tanit's website presents businesses and stores documents. It does not administer money.

The platform does: collect applications with itemised budgets and quotes; record verification and selection status; record expressions of interest from contributors; collect grantee reports with receipts and photographs; and notify grantees of decisions.

The platform does not: transfer funds; total contributions received for a business; display funding progress; detect a stall; prevent duplicate pledges; calculate residuals or currency conversions; or produce any record required by section 19.

Every process in this policy is carried out by Tanit's staff, using the platform as a presentation and document store. No provision of this policy is enforced by software.