Knowledge Fund

• The Trust in the CR:

• Impacts and Achievements
  • Overall impacts
  • Meeting CEE Trust goals
• Program Map
• Program Components
  • Creating a Favorable Legislative, Fiscal and Philanthropic Environment
  • Creating a Favorable Environment for Advocacy and Public Policy
  • Institutional Support for Key Strategic NGOS
  • Knowledge Fund
  • The Consultants´ Guild
  • Strengthening Regional / Community Foundations
  • Non-Profit Organizations on the Threshold of the EU: Support for Model Regional and Community Projects
  • Ensuring Access to Information and Expertise Concerning EU funding
  • Increasing Support from the Private Sector
  • Increasing Support from Individuals
• Program In Spotlight
  • CEET in facts and figures
  • CEET in the eyes of grantees
  • CEET in stories
  • CEET in pics
• Annotated Summary of Grants( pdf 153 kB)

A program component implemented by The VIA Foundation

The program consisted of two grant funds. The first fund was designed to fill in the existing "blank spots" in the current capacity of the non-profit sector; the second fund was designated to support the organizational development and professionalization of individual NGOs.

Knowledge Fund - Blank Spots

Originally planned as a preliminary research for "blank spots" followed by a grant round to fill in the identified gaps, the program soon revealed significant deficiencies in the capacity of Czech NGOs to think about "the big picture of the NGO sector" and to address the respective challenges. The research and follow-up roundtable generated over 100 topics to be addressed, ranging from various societal actors, including central and local governments, academics, businesses and NGOs. However, the grant applications failed to respond accordingly - with most projects focusing at minor issues, pursuing particular interests or local agendas or lacking the necessary capacity, only 2 applicants received the grant support.

In response to this situation, the decision was made a) to further stimulate research and discussions about the state of the Czech nonprofit sector and civil society, and thus raise the NGO awareness about the importance of cross-sectional issues, and at the same time b) to organize another, two-step grant round. In order to strengthen the discussion part, the implementation of the Civil Society Index (Civicus) Project in the Czech Republic was funded.

Thanks to that, data and opinions were gathered and analysed from regional questionnaire research, four regional consultative discussions of representatives from various sectors, a public opinion research, eight case studies, and media monitoring of 630 articles on civil society in the Czech Republic. The results were further discussed at the National Seminar. The final report "An Assessment of Czech Civil Society in 2004: After Fifteen Years of Development" was then published.

In parallel, the second grant round was organized. The Evaluation Committee awarded 12 grants ranging from $1,367 to $19,316 for projects that addressed some of the needs identified through various means such as roundtables, networking, developing analyses, expert studies and publications.

The grant-supported projects helped increase NGO involvement in public policy issues and/or stimulated cross-sectoral collaboration, continued in mapping and analysing the state of NGO sector, supported networking and capacity building, and contributed to NGO transparency and public relations.

Knowledge Fund - Fund for Organizational Development

The primary aim of this component was to motivate those NGOs that were not eligible for institutional support from CEET toward a systematic organizational development, and - at the same time - to contribute to developing links between NGOs and expert consultants. In two grant rounds 52 small grants of approximately $650 were allocated. The grants served as stimuli for implementing the processes such as strategic planning, organizational changes, targeted diversification of resources. At the same time, they help to create the environment in which NGOs appreciate and effectively utilize the expert assistance of consultants.

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