Communities Of, By and For the People

About this grant

The program goal is to improve the quality of life in Russian communities by strengthening partnerships between government and citizens through effective public participation in community development strategies. The Siberian Civic Initiatives Support Center will refine application of the Effective Community Governance model to include greater emphasis on economic development strategies, while also working to improve citizen input on local budgeting. Work will focus on the Irkutsk, Altai, and Tyumen regions, with additional efforts made to develop a core of civic advocacy specialists in smaller communities throughout the area. Under the previous grant, a distance learning course for government officials and civic activists was introduced. Citizens’ Councils emerged in Angarsk as vehicles for organized civic activism, while use of the model in struggling one-company towns identified viable alternative development opportunities. Founded in 1995, the grantee fosters citizen participation and promotes a political, social, and economic environment recognizing the value of civic initiatives.