- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Strengthening Civic Space
- Grant Amount $100,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2014–December 31, 2015
- Location Belgrade, Serbia
- Geographic Focus Serbia
About this grant
The program goal is to support and strengthen democratic values and good governance in Serbia. During the grant period, Civic Initiatives will build the capacity of the nonprofit sector; provide citizens with tools and opportunities for meaningful engagement in community- and national-level decisionmaking; and advocate for improvements in key policy areas, such as education, human rights, youth, and the nonprofit sector. During the next two years, the grantee will complete a leadership transition, strengthen its board, and consolidate programming around strategic objectives identified in a recent review process. In 2012-2013, the grantee improved cross-sector cooperation in four towns, engaged a wide range of nonprofits in consultations on key policy issues, ran a competition recognizing good practice in youth participation by local communities, provided training and technical assistance to nonprofits, expanded the YouthBuild model in two regions of Serbia, and conducted research on the nonprofit sector. 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 Balkan region.