Civil society
Active Citizens Fund – Slovakia
Active Citizens Fund – Slovakia is a grant programme aiming at strengthening civil society, supporting active citizenship and empowering vulnerable groups in Slovakia.
The ACF – Slovakia supports Slovak civic organizations in engaging citizens in decision-making and public policy making, in efforts to create better conditions for good governance, protect human rights and provide civic education and improve the position of vulnerable groups in society. Particular attention is paid to young people and their participation in public affairs.
The horizontal priorities of the programme are to support bilateral co-operation between Slovak organizations and partners from the donor countries and to develop capacities as well as to improve the position of civic organizations in society.
The ACF – Slovakia is part of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway’s financial assistance to 15 Member States of the European Union. The programme is managed by the Ekopolis Foundation in partnership with the Open Society Foundation and the Carpathian Foundation.
In the period 2018 – 2023, the ACF – Slovakia will allocate 7.7 million EUR in 17 open grant calls for projects of civic society organizations (CSO) and will provide other support activities, training in project management, organizational development and self-financing.
The amount includes allocation for the Bilateral Fund and allocation for the Pre-defined project Development and use of life competences of young people.
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Active Citizenship and Inclusion
In the period 2013 – 2016, Block Grant for NGOs and Partnership Support of the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme and Active Citizenship and Inclusion were our biggest and most important programmes that have enabled us to provide support to more than one hundred NGO projects throughout the whole of Slovakia. Through them we have been able to support organizations that bring to the fore major topics and issues concerning the development of our society and bring about innovation in solving problems in different areas where active citizens are involved.
This program was one of the key sources of support for non-governmental organizations active in the areas of participatory democracy, social inequality, poverty and exclusion, support of children and youth, environmental issues and services in the social sphere. In the period 2013-2015 the program supported 70 projects with NGOs in the mentioned areas, while the amount divided among these projects reached 3.07 million €. In addition, the program awarded 13 grants where Slovak organizations exchanged their experience and inspiration with partners from donor countries. We implemented this program as part of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2009- 2014, where the donor countries are Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Program was in partnership with the Children for Slovakia Foundation and the SOCIA – Social Reform Foundation.
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Swiss – Slovak Cooperation Programme
The Block Grant for NGOs and Partnership Support of the Swiss-Slovak Co-operation Programme was created from the contribution from the Swiss Confederation and cofinanced from the state budget of the Slovak Republic. In one of its two parts, the Block Grant for NGOs, a grant scheme for supporting environmental and social NGOs, we financed altogether 22 projects by the total sum of 2.65 Million €. In the Block Grant for Partnership Support, 18 projects of Swiss and Slovak institutions were supported by the sum of 2.24 Million €. The programme fostered discussion about a number of actual challenges our society faces and participation of organisation at their solution. Important outputs of projects were achieved especially in the area of creation and amendment of public policies, in civil advocacy, implementation of new procedures in practice. The projects contributed to protection of natural heritage and landscape, many people in need were helped. Several buildings were reconstructed, which in turn serve as multipurpose facilities providing various services to people and space for activities. The Block grant is provided by Ekopolis Foundation in partnership with the Carpathian Foundation and SOCIA – Social Reform Foundation.
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