The Ekopolis Foundation, the Carpathian Foundation and the Open Society Foundation presented a new Active Citizens Fund (ACF) support program for civil society organizations in Košice today. An amount of almost EUR 8 million for the period 2018-2023 will support active citizenship in public policy and public policy making.

The open calls of the consortium of foundations will support dozens of projects across Slovakia. Financial resources are designed to actively engage citizens in decision-making and public policy making, creating better conditions for good governance, strengthening the protection of human rights, introducing innovative civic education topics and strengthening vulnerable groups in society. The program will also support bilateral contacts between partners from donor countries and Slovak organizations. In general, it will pay special attention to young people and their participation in public affairs.

“Active Citizens Fund is ready to support approximately 200 civic projects across Slovakia. In a dense social atmosphere, I am very pleased with the dozens of stories that will surely give us back the faith in the lively civil society and the people who depend on living in a land where they are not stealing, where the environment is really alive and where they are not who, for various reasons, find themselves on the margins of society, “said Peter Medveď, Director of the Ekopolis Foundation.

The grant program, which will enable non-profit organizations to implement not only their own activities but also to strengthen their internal capacities, will open up to 17 calls in the programming period. The first grant calls were opened on October 22, 2018.

Non-profit organizations may apply for financial support for programs ranging from 6 to 18 months. In addition to their own activities, grants are also designed for long-term strategic development of organizations.

The program is part of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) financial assistance to 15 EU Member States