Building the Capacity of Belarus' Analytical Community
Pontis Foundation
- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Strengthening Civic Space
- Grant Amount $100,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2013–May 31, 2016
- Location Bratislava, Slovakia
- Geographic Focus Belarus
About this grant
The program goal is to strengthen an independent public policy community in Belarus. The Pontis Foundation will work with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies to develop its institutional capacity through a program of fellowships and mentoring. This will include the newly established Vitaliy Silitski Fellowship in memory of the institute’s founding director. The partners will foster a network of policy fellows and aspiring analysts who will examine key issues and present analyses accessible to the public and government through publications like the Belarus Yearbook and through regular public presentations. In 2010-2012, the partners supported eight fellows who contributed to the publication of two editions of the Belarus Yearbook. The grantee was also asked to serve on an advisory committee for the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs dealing with Belarus. Established in 1997, the Pontis Foundation supports the development of the nonprofit sector in Slovakia as well as democratization programs in Cuba, Serbia, Iraq, and Belarus.