- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Strengthening Civic Space
- Grant Amount $150,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2012–December 31, 2013
- Location Belgrade, Serbia
- Geographic Focus Serbia
About this grant
The program goal is to increase public participation in decisionmaking processes at all levels, particularly among young people. During the grant period, Civic Initiatives will work to strengthen the nonprofit sector, provide citizens with tools and opportunities for meaningful engagement in community- and national-level decisionmaking, advocate for improvements in the Serbian educational system, and promote human rights. During the next two years, the grantee will strengthen its board, promote new leadership within the organization, and consolidate programming. In 2010-2011, the grantee helped to improve cooperation and communication between the government and nonprofits, conducted research on the nonprofit sector, strengthened youth engagement in municipalities across Serbia through work with local government youth offices and newly established youth councils, launched YouthBuild in southern Serbia, and supported more than 15 schools to introduce democratic governance. The grantee is a leader in a national federation of nonprofits that works to improve the relationship with government and create a favorable legal and fiscal environment. Established in 1996, Civic Initiatives is one of the largest and most experienced nongovernmental organizations in the Western Balkans region.