General Purposes
AGORA Platform: Active Communities for Development Alternatives
- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Special Initiatives
- Grant Amount $120,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2014–December 31, 2016
- Location Sofia, Bulgaria
- Geographic Focus Bulgaria
About this grant
The program goal is to support the development of local communities and grassroots organizations in Bulgaria. To this end, the AGORA Platform: Active Communities for Development Alternatives will support a network of Bulgarian chitalishte and increase chitalishte capacity to bring positive changes and development in local communities. A chitalishte is a specific, Bulgarian, community-based, nongovernmental institution with a 200-year history of supporting literacy, education, and community development. During the grant period, the grantee will build chitalishte capacity by providing information, training, technical assistance, and seed funding; increase the support for chitalishte by establishing effective partnerships with relevant governmental and nongovernmental institutions; and develop its own organizational capacity by strengthening its human resources, diversifying its funding base, and developing new services. The grantee’s achievements in 2011-2013 included increasing the level of civic participation, volunteering, and giving in 37 localities; expanding and strengthening its membership; and establishing strong partnerships with relevant governmental and nongovernmental organizations.