Grants

The goal of the program, scheduled for 2025–2027 and funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, is to raise awareness about the equal rights of all citizens and to build and strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society organizations working to promote and protect the rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The program is carried out by a consortium of five organizations from the Visegrad countries: the Open Society Foundation in Prague (consortium leader) and the Glopolis Foundation (Czech Republic), the Civil Society Foundation (Slovakia), and the NIOK Foundation (Hungary), based on a methodology for building the social base of organizations developed by consortium members between 2020 and 2024, combining elements of financial support, consulting and coaching, networking, and the exchange of experiences. The program will support civil society organizations operating at the local, regional, and/or national levels in one of four areas relevant to the EU’s core values: promoting democracy and the rule of law; civic, anti-discrimination, and media education; human rights and social inclusion; and environmental protection.

In Poland, the program supports:

1. Civil society organizations active in the field of environmental protection (environmental conservation, climate justice, climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, educational activities on climate change and environmental protection, etc.), with a particular focus on those operating locally.
2. Various types of networks (federations of civil society organizations, platforms of civil society organizations, associations of associations, umbrella organizations, long-standing working groups, etc.) operating at the local, regional, or national level to promote better intra- and inter-sectoral cooperation, improve communication and advocacy skills, enhance networking capabilities, and expand their reach.

The program budget for activities in Poland for the years 2025–2027 is EUR 1.4 million, of which EUR 140,000 comes from the Foundation’s own funds.