This is an examination of how well a major donor site performs according to a low bandwidth test, derived from "Web Design by Donor Organizations for Low Bandwidth".
International Renaissance Foundation is not one of the major donors in international development, but it is a part of the family of granting organizations founded by George Soros, one of the major donors of the world. This organization was selected because it was what prompted me, as I was trying to find grants for media development in Ukraine, to see that there is a fundamental problem when donor organizations don’t design their websites with low bandwidth in mind. IRF’s site passes the first test, having a first page of only 68 KB, and a site that is essentially low bandwidth to begin with. However, after 15 minutes of trying to find information on available grants, I gave up. Digging through the site, it is clear that IRF is still funding projects. But, if there is financial assistance currently available, it takes much more time than it should to find. Other than its page file sizes, this site does have another great feature—it offers both English and Ukrainian versions, making it accessible to a Ukrainian population that largely doesn’t have the English skills required to read English-only donor sites. (Screenshots of relevant pages below)
Donor: International Renaissance
Foundation
Website: http://www.irf.kiev.ua/en/
First Page size test: 68 KB
Time spent seeking grant info: 15 minutes (couldn't find)
Clicks to granting info: (Couldn't find new grants)
Clicks to actual grant application: (Couldn't find)
Low bandwidth version: No (technically-speaking)
Application (PDF, doc, or online): (Couldn't find)
Available languages: English and Ukrainian
Supported Projects page size: 96 KB
Return to "Examination of a Sample of Current Donor Sites".