Consortium of Six Independent Foundations Allocated Nearly 10 Million Euros to NGOs Supporting Ukrainian Refugees in 2023

The Open Society Foundation Bratislava, as the leader of a consortium with five other foundations, allocated over 9.5 million euros in 2023 to non-governmental non-profit organizations assisting Ukrainian refugees. Through the national project EU CARE (Support for Persons from Ukraine in Their Entry and Integration into the Slovak Republic – NGOs), 110 organizations received financial support.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Slovak NGOs and church-based organizations played a significant role in addressing the crisis at the borders and later in integrating Ukrainian refugees into society. The EU CARE project was developed as a joint response by the state and independent foundations to this crisis, representing a unique model of collaboration between the state and the non-governmental sector. This model ensured a significant volume of funding for humanitarian and integration activities and set a precedent by allowing independent foundations to allocate European funds from Slovak public resources for the first time in history.

“I want to specifically highlight the collaboration with senior officials and professionals from the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, as well as from the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for the Development of Civil Society. The project was prepared under Minister Milan Krajniak, signed by Minister Soňa Gaborčáková, and successfully concluded under Minister Erik Tomáš. Regardless of ministerial changes, our cooperation with the ministry as the managing authority was conducted professionally throughout,” said Fedor Blaščák, administrator of the Open Society Foundation. “We are pleased to have facilitated access to significant funding even for smaller organizations that typically would not have been able to manage the bureaucratic burden associated with European funds. The project model proved successful thanks to excellent cooperation with partners, leaving a significant and positive impact on the NGO environment. This approach could be applied in future crisis situations,” Blaščák added.

Supported organizations, including the Red Cross, the League for Mental Health, and Slovak Catholic Charity, collectively provided an average of 70,000 interventions per month, one-third of which were for children and young people under 18. The most common interventions included social assistance, psychological support, and various educational activities.

Project Manager Barbora Peregrim outlined the scope of the national project:
“During the project’s duration, we received over 500 individual payment requests. After thorough review, we provided funding to support the work of 4,423 volunteers and nearly 1,700 employed individuals. Altogether, the project recorded over 1 million hours of volunteer work and more than 700,000 hours of work by organizational staff who helped address the crisis at the borders and later supported integration activities in various regions.”

The financial aid was not limited to funding professional and support activities. Organizations engaging volunteers in their activities could also request a flat-rate contribution to coordinate their work, partially compensating for costs incurred while providing assistance.

NGOs expressed their commitment to continue providing assistance. However, maintaining these activities will require securing further funding after the conclusion of the EU CARE national project. “In Prešov, we collaborated with several NGOs focusing on leisure activities for children and adults. Together, we created an active community of Ukrainian refugees with whom we continue cultural, social, and sports activities. We hope to participate in similar initiatives next year, helping alleviate fear, pain, and uncertainty about events that none of us expected to experience on the European continent in the 21st century,” said Iveta Stromková, statutory representative of the Prešov Development Agency involved in the national project.

On December 14, 2023, a new national project, Integration of Third-Country Nationals, Including Migrants, was approved to continue the activities of EU CARE. This new project will run from 2024 to 2026 under the leadership of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in partnership with the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for the Development of Civil Society.

The EU CARE program was initiated through the collaboration of the Ministry of the Interior, the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary, and NGO representatives. A parallel national project for entities established by municipalities was implemented by the Implementation Agency of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. The project represented a joint response by the state and civil society to the crisis following the outbreak of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. The consortium of foundations implementing the EU CARE national project for NGOs included the Ekopolis Foundation, Pontis Foundation, SOCIA – Foundation for Social Change Support, Center for Philanthropy Foundation, and the Children of Slovakia Foundation, led by the Open Society Foundation Bratislava.

Additional Information:

Final Project Figures (PDF): https://eucare.osf.sk/ukoncenie-projektu/

Stories of Support: https://eucare.osf.sk/category/pribehy/

 

Contacts for Media:

Fedor Blaščák – Director, Open Society Foundation Bratislava
fedor.blascak@osf.sk, +421 905 137 257

Barbora Peregrim – Project Manager, EU CARE
barbora.peregrim@osf.sk, +421 915 336 528

This project was supported by the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Program Human Resources.