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Annual Report 2004

Equal Opportunities Program

The Program assists local organisations working to enhance access to education for young people from small towns and impoverished communities, as well as those striving to counteract social exclusion of physically and mentally disabled children by providing them with education and personal development opportunities.

Local Scholarship Programs

The project, carried on from 2000, aims at assisting the establishment of an alternative scholarships system for young people wishing to continue high-school education. In pursuing this initiative, we hope to assist talented youth from low-income families by putting in place new mechanisms for financing scholarships that base on local resources. The local scholarship funds established with our assistance raise money for scholarship grants from local businesses, individual donors, and the local governments. Such funds operate on the basis of their own charters, drawn up by special scholarship committees; the scholarships awarded by them, varying between PLN 50 and 250 per month, are used to purchase textbooks and other learning aides, to pay for lodging, extra courses, commuting to school, etc. The decision to award a scholarship is usually based on the applicant’s school record and the financial standing of her/his family, sometimes also involvement in the work for community and achievements in other non-academic pursuits.

In 2004 the project involved 34 organizations from 14 provinces. The Foundation provided them with training in the area of establishment, management, and promotion of scholarship programs, raising and administration of funds, and building local coalitions. Upon meeting the condition of raising a declared amount of funds from local resources, each organization received a grant from the Stefan Batory Foundation towards increase of the scholarship fund. In 2004 the organizations participating in the project raised PLN 930, 901 in local communities. This amount increased by grants awarded by the Stefan Batory Foundation in the amount of PLN 591 300 (including PLN 75 150 from Levi Strauss & Co.), supported 1343 monthly scholarships in the school year 2003/2004. As a result of 2,200 people donating 1% of their income tax to us in 2004, we have secured funds not only for grants of already existing scholarship programs but have been able to invite eight new organizations to participate in the project in year 2004-2005.

Rainbow Academy

This project targets organizations that operate in small towns and rural areas and engage in activities to assist mentally and physically disabled children. The ultimate purpose is to improve the children’s opportunities for education, and to overcome their social exclusion. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to organizations operating in locations with a population below 20 000.

In this year’s competition grants were awarded for projects which help disabled children to acquire knowledge and abilities, enable them to take part in cultural events and art therapy and contribute to the integration of disabled children with their peers and their community. We offered priority to projects which were part of long-term efforts, relied on work with the local community and involved volunteers and the families of needy children.

Grants were co-funded by Commercial Union Poland (PLN 85 000), and by the M Fund established by a private donor (PLN 68 000).

Commercial Union Charitable Fund

For the past nine years, the Foundation has been co-operating with the insurance company Commercial Union Poland, which have been providing us with donations to support the disabled, children and youth. In 2004, from the Commercial Union’s funds we made 30 grants for integration and education of disabled children projects (grants are listed and described below under the Rainbow Academy section).

The Foundation manages also Commercial Union Charitable Fund used to finance endeavours identified by the donor, involving support for the sick and needy people, as well as support to educational projects.

M Fund

In 2002, thanks to a donation made to the Foundation by a private donor, an endowed donor's advised Fund was established. Income generated by the Fund is annually spent for various forms of assistance to needy children. In 2004, M Fund earnings were used to finance 15 grants for integration and education of disabled children projects (grants are listed and described below under the Rainbow Academy section).

In line with the wish of the M Fund founder a part of the annual earnings on the investment of the Fund was allocated to the purposes identified by the donor involving support for sick children and children in need of care.

Helen and Peter Maxwell Fund

The Foundation administers Helen and Peter Maxwell Fund, established to support on the annual basis projects aiming to provide equal educational opportunities for children and youth from Siedlce town and county.

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