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Annual Report 2008

Equal Opportunities

The program goal is 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. We support non-governmental organizations that run scholarship programs for school age youth as well as the organizations that work with disabled children. We also administer funds entrusted to Batory Foundation by businesses and private individuals.

Local Scholarship Programs

The project, carried on from 2000, aims at assisting the establishment of an alternative scholarships system for youth from low-income families based on local resources and activity. We support local NGOs which raise money in their local communities (from local businesses, local governments, individual donors, street collections, auctions, 1% income tax designations) and assign them for scholarship programs addressed to secondary school students from their community. Local scholarship programs operate on the basis of their own charters drawn up by the organizations. 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. The scholarships, varying between PLN 60 and 380 per month, are used to purchase textbooks and learning aids, to pay for lodging, extra courses, commuting to school, etc.

Each year, organizations participating in the program are offered grants of up to PLN 20,000. The grants are disbursed on the condition the organizations present plans and operating principles of their scholarship programs and document possession of additional funding raised from other donors in the amount that will allow to match Batory Foundation grants on at least 1:1 proportion. Additionally, 24 organizations participating in the program take advantage of Batory Foundation's three-year core support grants allotted for their capacity building and institutional development over 2007-2009. Apart from the grants, we offer to organizations technical assistance in establishing and operating scholarship programs as well as meetings and trainings on fundraising and financial management, cooperation with local partners, media, volunteers and scholarship recipients. In 2008, technical assistance was provided by the Nidzica Community Foundation.

In 2008, the project involved 38 organizations from 16 provinces, including 4 which joined the program that year. They received grants in total amount of PLN 622,610. This amount increased by funds raised by organizations from other sources supported 1,137 monthly scholarships in the school year 2008/2009.

In 2008, Local Scholarship Programs were financed from 1% personal income tax payments (PLN 327,698.60), donations by private donors (PLN 10,911.40), donation by Nestlé Poland (PLN 30,000) and from the Open Society Institute funds.

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. We offer these organizations grants for activities that make it easier for disabled children to acquire knowledge and skills, enable them to participate in cultural and artistic events, and contribute to integration with their peers and communities.

In 2008 we offered grants to organizations that use drama and scenic arts in working with the disabled children. In addition to grants, we offered them qualitative support: trainings and consultations prepared and conducted by the Bielsko Artistic Association Grodzki Theatre.

From 150 letters of intent received in the call for proposals the committee of experts selected 23. In March, the representatives of selected organizations participated in a training on the use of drama techniques in work with handicapped children, held in Bielsko-Biała. After the training, 22 organizations submitted proposals and all received grants.

About 440 disabled youth and 280 of their healthy peers take part in activities funded by the grants. With the help of various theater techniques they learn teamwork, communication skills and how to overcome fear and gain self-assurance. They produce elements of stage decoration and make theatre costumes. Also, they have opportunities to take part in professional theater shows as well as to present their own artistic expressions in their communities and at artistic reviews and festivals. Instructors from the Grodzki Theatre provide consultations for the pedagogues at the projects' locations.

In 2008, Rainbow Academy was financed from the donations by the Agora Foundation (PLN 134,660), M Fund (PLN 77,000) and the Open Society Institute funds.

Donors Advised Funds

Apart from running its own grant-making programs, the Foundation administers funds entrusted by companies and individuals. These funds, multi-year and perpetual, are created on the basis of donation agreements between a company or an individual donor and the Foundation. On the basis of the agreement, the Foundation uses the entrusted funds to support projects, institutions and social initiatives that fall in the sphere of its program activity and the donor's interest.

Commercial Union Charitable Fund

Since 1995, the Foundation has been cooperating with the insurance company Commercial Union Poland (CU). In 2008, the funds entrusted by CU were allocated to the purposes identified by the donor involving support for educational activities.

In 2008, 2 grants were made of the value of PLN 13,000 (see the list of grants in CU Charitable Fund section).

M Fund

In 2002, thanks to a donation made to the Foundation by a private donor, an endowed donor advised Fund was established. Income generated by the Fund is annually spent for various forms of assistance to needy children. In 2008, M Fund earnings were used to finance 9 grants for projects that use scenic arts in working with the disabled children (see the list of grants in the Rainbow Academy section). Moreover, pursuant to the wish of 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.

In 2008, 6 grants were made of the value of PLN 33,000 (see the list of grants in M Fund section).

Beata Pawlak Fund

The fund was established from a donation bequeathed by the deceased Beata Pawlak, Polish journalist and writer killed in a terrorist attack on Bali in 2002. As requested by the donor, the Fund awards an annual prize to an author of an article or publication on foreign cultures, religions and civilizations (for more information see Batory Foundation Debates program).

Iwona Winiarska-Feleszko Fund

The fund was established by friends and family of attorney Iwona Winiarska-Feleszko after her tragic death in 2007 with an aim to provide grants for bridge scholarships for 1^st year Law and Administration students or other humanities majors at the University of Warsaw. The scholarships are provided by organizations taking part in the Equal Opportunity — Local Scholarship Programs which recommend Fund's scholarships' recipients.

In 2008, we provided 2 grants for a total amount of PLN 11,400 which covered scholarships for 3 students (see the list of grants in Iwona Winiarska-Feleszko Fund section).

Karol Uryga-Nawarowski Fund

Thanks to the annual donation by the Karol Uryga-Nawarowski Foundation from the U.S., Uryga-Nawarowski Fund was established in 2008 to help organizations that support and provide therapy to children and youth threatened with alcohol addiction, diagnose and treat children suffering from the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and provide training, support and professional assistance to their biological, foster and adoptive parents, therapists and teachers.

In 2008, we provided 3 grants for a total amount of PLN 56,900 (see the list of grants in Karol Uryga-Nawarowski Fund section).

Grants: PLN 948,570.00
Program implementation: PLN 79,119.79
Total program costs: PLN 1,027,689.79

Grants

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