Month: December 2018

We would be very glad to hear your views, comments, and suggestions on the following:
• how the Fund can address challenges and needs of the civic society in Poland,
• the kind of measures it should support to achieve the envisaged results,
• what instruments can be added to the current funding instruments.
The viewpoints collected will help us to determine the final form of the Fund.

It is possible to take part in the consultations by:
• filling in an online questionnaire, which is available until 8 January, by clicking here www.konsultacje.aktywniobywatele.org.pl
• by applying to take part in the main consultation session, to be held on 17 January 2019 in Warsaw (the participants will be selected from among those who fill in section 1 of the online questionnaire)
• by applying to attend a thematic meeting concerning particular aspects of the fund or as part of a group of organisations that conduct similar activities – we will be accepting applications from organisations interested in consultations in this form until 10 January 2019.

We are interested in the views of as diverse a range of groups and communities as possible. We would like to hear from representatives of social organisations (active in various parts of Poland and in various thematic areas, and with various worldviews) but also from a broader group of people connected to them – activists operating in informal groups, representatives of CSOs, representatives of public authorities, and representatives of the academic world and media who work with the organisations.

Detailed information about the Fund’s main objectives and the document around which discussions will be centred can be found here: www.konsultacje.aktywniobywatele.org.pl.

The consortium’s proposal was awarded the highest score in an open call announced on behalf of the Donor States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, by the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) in Brussels, which manages EEA civic society programmes.

The Active Citizens Fund is one of eleven programmes run in Poland using funds from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism from 2019 until 2024, and one of two programmes intended solely for social organisations. It has a budget of EUR 30 million.

The Active Citizens Fund is intended to provide funding and content-related support for activities conducted by social organisations in areas established at EU level and in international treaties by the Donor States, which are Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. These areas are:
•    democracy, active citizenship, good governance and transparency;
•    human rights and equality through combating and prevention of discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity;
•    social justice and inclusion of marginalised groups;
•    gender equality and countering gender-based violence;
•    the environment and climate change.

One major area of focus of the Fund will be providing institutional support for social organisations and creating potential for the civic society to develop.
Particular attention will be paid to reaching less experienced organisations based outside large conurbations and in areas where access to grant programmes, training opportunities, and infrastructure support is limited. Young people are a major target group for the Fund.