Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego

Community Initiatives Partnership

The goal of the program is to develop transborder cooperation among NGOs from Poland and Germany with organizations from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia (Kaliningrad District) that will contribute to strengthening solidarity and good neighborhood relations, as well as assist in developing good neighboring relations and facilitate initiatives to resolve problems faced by the countries of this region. The program, planned for 2004-2009, is run with the Robert Bosch Foundation from Germany. Our partner in Ukraine is PAUCI Foundation for Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation from Kyiv.
We offer grants for trilateral projects carried out by Polish, German and Belarusian, Russian or Ukrainian organizations. The projects may target various social groups and involve diverse subject areas. However, it is important that the participation of the partners from the three countries involved is not coincidental but initiates long-term cooperation that may contribute to the dissemination of model social initiatives. In addition to grants, we offer organizations assistance in finding partners in other countries and organize seminars that allow for experience sharing and planning of joint activities.

In 2007, we provided 17 grants for projects selected for funding in the 3rd edition of the competition completed in 2006. The majority of projects involved work with civic leaders and was implemented in the form of seminars or study visits aimed to share knowledge and experience in resolving various social issues (such as unemployment, social exclusion, migrations, restructuring of rural and postindustrial areas). Over a half of the projects that received grants focus on youth education and activation as well as promotion of volunteerism.
In the 4th, 2007 edition of the competition, we received 49 letters of intent. Authors of 23 projects were invited to participate in tripartite seminars organized in Rynia (September 24-26) and Kraków (September 27-29). During these meetings, the NGOs presented and improved their projects and consulted them with the group of experts from Batory, Bosch and PAUCI Foundations. After the seminars, we received 22 applications. A committee of experts from Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus selected 12 projects which are to be implemented in 2008.

In 2007, the program was financed by funds from the Robert Bosch Foundation (PLN 834,966.76) and the Open Society Institute.

Grants PLN 786,594.57
Seminars and international committee meetings PLN 91,072.19
Program implementation PLN 110,063.82
Total program costs PLN 987,730.58

Grants 2007


Aktion West-Ost Dűsseldorf	Each Child Has a Voice – producing three performances based on different methods of communication (puppet theater, radio-plays, and street actions) aimed to promote the idea of children’s rights by a group of 30 youth leaders from Ukraine, Poland and German; presenting the performances at local fairs and meetings with the personnel and charges of foster homes in Lviv, Ostrog and Rivne.	EUR 14 000
Kultur Aktiv Dresden	BelaPLUS 2007. Hope for young civic initiatives in Belarus – a cycle of two-day workshops on local activity planning, media cooperation and international project management conducted by trainers from Poland, Germany and Belarus for a group of 20 young people from 20 Belarusian towns.	EUR 13 942
Educational Initiatives Center Lviv	Beskidy Brooks – a cycle of seminars for high school principals on methods of stimulating civic activism among high school students prepared by Polish and German experts and a small grant competition for young people from rural areas in Lviv District.	EUR 12 000
NGO GURT Resource Center Kyiv	Self-aid groups as a method of work with groups socially excluded – a training on initiating and supporting activity of self-aid groups for 25 employees of non-governmental organizations in Ukraine conducted by Polish and German experts; assistance in establishing five Self-aid Centers in Ukraine and training of 10 staff persons to be employed in these institutions.	EUR 13 600
Theotokos Center for Education and Dialogue Gliwice	Developing grass-root initiatives in industrial and post-industrial areas on the example of Silesia, Ruhr and Donetsk Areas – a cycle of seminars and study visits aimed to share experiences in social and economic activization of the residents of postindustrial regions between Polish and German non-governmental organizations.	PLN 49 700
Casimir Pulaski Foundation Warsaw	Eurobus around Ukraine – a tour of workshops and meetings on European integration conducted by Polish and German volunteers from small towns and rural areas of Central and Eastern.	PLN 47 800
Rodowo Foundation Sorkwity	Youth Transborder Academy - a cycle of trainings on planning, implementing and evaluation of transborder initiatives carried out by Polish and German instructors for young leaders from small towns in Kaliningrad District, along with a small grant competition for cross-border projects suggested by the participants of the trainings.	PLN 36 900
Chance Foundation Warsaw	Mazury Channel. A trail and an opportunity for transborder cooperation – educational trekking camp for Russian, Polish and German youth in the borderline area of Mazury and Kaliningrad District, meetings with local leaders aimed at creating a platform for cyclical integration meetings for young people of the three nations.	PLN 39 050
Polish Robert Schuman Foundation Warsaw	3E4U – a cycle of workshops for 20 Ukrainian teachers and educators, with the participation of Polish and German experts, on various methods of transferring knowledge about European Union; study visits of Ukrainian teachers to Polish European institutions and schools.	PLN 47 960
SIE Social Ecological Institute Warsaw	Green Bridge Munich-Warsaw-Odessa – study visits of Ukrainian farmers from Odessa region at the farms of Polish organic food producers; a German-Polish-Ukrainian seminar on the preservation of biodiversity and local development based on the use of unique ecological and cultural features of the region.	PLN 44 750
Eco-Initiative Association Kwidzyn	Towards Nature – a summer camp for unemployed youth from Zelenogradsk region (Kaliningrad District) aimed to prepare the participants to work in Curonian Spit National Park; stimulating vocational and civic activity of young people through organization of ecological actions (so called eco-landing); project implemented in cooperation with Polish and German partner organizations.	PLN 61 000
Euro-Concert Association Wrocław	Bridges. Developing a network of international cooperation in the area of aid to migrants and refugees – a conference and a cycle of thematic seminars on legal and organizational aid for refugees in Kaliningrad District with the participation of experts from Russia, Poland and Germany.	PLN 35 600
Drumla Association for Podlasie Region Łomianki	Dialogue with Neighbors – a cycle of trainings for Belarusian students and local culture animators on multiculturalism and customs among various nations inhabiting borderline regions and on different methods of work with young people conducted by Polish and German trainers.	PLN 50 900
Our Town Association Zgorzelec	Identity and Displacement – interviews conducted by school students from Poland, Germany and Ukraine with individuals inhabiting vicinities of Ternopil (Ukraine) and Görlitz who became victim to forced displacement after the Second World War.	PLN 40 700
Borussia Cultural Community Association Olsztyn	Promoting voluntary movement as an educational method of youth, part 2 – study visits by 12 leaders of voluntary work from Kaliningrad District to non-governmental organizations in Warmia and Mazury region in Poland and in Saxony in Germany.	PLN 34 390.74
Amicus Society Białystok	Non-governmental centers and information networks – a cycle of trainings in organization management, planning and implementation of projects conducted by Polish and German experts for 20 employees of Belarusian Information Centers.	PLN 42 700
Polish German Society Kraków	Civic initiatives partnership for local and regional development – a cycle of three workshops aimed at elaborating a strategy for local development in selected local communities of Grodno Region (Belarus) with the participation of Polish and German experts and members of oppositional groupings of former Polish People Republic and German Democratic Republic (DDR).	PLN 48 800