The Miller Khoshkish Foundation is organized to:
1.  Enhance the civic and modern aspects of education to combat dogmatism, fanaticism, superstition and fundamentalism
2.  Support the education and broad appreciation of classical arts, music, literature and culture
3.   Encourage basic scientific research that does not have commercial goals in view.

Rationale

These three areas have been chosen because:

1.  Civics and the secular framework are the foundations upon which modern civilized society is built.  When people respect social ethics, behave towards one another with civility and keep their faiths and beliefs to themselves, society lives in harmony.  Recent surges in religious fundamentalism and the encouragement of faith-based activities risk reducing civil concord among people and enflaming fanaticism, superstition and ignorance.  There is a need to uphold institutions and programs that demystify the public – particularly the young – and help them realize that their faith is their own personal affair, that what they believe in cannot necessarily be enacted as social law, and that in order to live peacefully within the society they should understand and behave according to civil and social ethics.

2.  Through the ages, the rebellion of new generations against established and traditional art and culture has served as the breeding ground for new art forms, and those of them that have withstood the test of time have survived to enrich human cultural heritage.  However, excessive modern commercialization of popular culture and art and the profitability criteria of the agencies that control them are pushing the quality of such works towards the lowest common denominator.  That trend has reduced the general public's access to classical art and culture and is depriving new generations from exposure to the rich sources serving as inspiration for their rebellion and creative talents.  Programs that expose the public and the younger generation to the classic cultural and artistic heritage of mankind should be fostered.

3. The technologies that today provide us with comforts unparalleled in history owe their development to the curiosity and spirit of discovery of scientists who learned for the sake of knowing and reflected for the sake of understanding.  They did not stop to ask "what is it good for?" and did not stop their research if they could not find a utilitarian and profitable end for it.  Today, a negative answer to this question can abort a scientific endeavor that may appear to have only enlightenment in view.  In the long run, this tendency may well prove detrimental to the very people who seek and support scientific research only for utilitarian goals because it discourages open-ended scientific inspiration and encloses science within the technological loop.  Serious scientific inquiry should be sustained even when its utilitarian application is not apparent.

Mode of Operation

The Miller Khoshkish Foundation will provide financial support and expertise for programs that further its goals.

The determination to fund a program will be based upon its compatibility with the purposes of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation and the degree of its efficacy to do so.

Depending on the nature and size of projects, funding will, in general, vary between $2,000 and $35,000.  Larger sums may be considered for projects with broad national and international magnitude.  The Miller Khoshkish Foundation will provide expertise to make projects more compatible with its goals.

Whenever the occasion arises, the Miller Khoshkish Foundation may award prize(s) to educational programs effectively run within kindergarten to twelfth grade schools to sensitize children to the civic understanding of social life.

The Foundation may make outright donations to programs of other 501(c)(3) institutions that further the aims of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation.

Application Procedure

Before submitting a full proposal, the applicants are advised to contact the Miller Khoshkish Foundation and indicate their intention and the nature of their project.  This can be best accomplished by submission of a concise two page abstract describing the project and its:

Pertinence to the purposes of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation

Upon examination of the initial description, if the application is deemed potentially eligible by the Miller Khoshkish Foundation, the applicant will be requested to furnish additional information, including:

    Details of the work plan, its logistics and the strategy for completion

    Survival prospects of the project beyond the grant period

    The status of the sponsoring organization and the declaration of its willingness to assume legal and fiscal responsibility for the project

    Name of other organizations approached, those willing to support the project and the scope of their support

    Detailed budget of the project, and the way the requested grant will be used within it.

Applications and inquiries can be addressed to:

By e-mail: contact@millerkhoshkishfoundation.org

By facsimile:     212 721 3149

By telephone:   212 873 2496

By mail:  Miller Khoshkish Foundation
                 186 Riverside Drive #10
                 New York, NY 10024