- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Strengthening Civic Space
- Grant Amount $120,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2016–December 31, 2017
- Location Belgrade, Serbia
- Geographic Focus Serbia
About this grant
This grant supports the organizational and programmatic development of the Heartefact Fund, an operational and grantmaking foundation with a particular expertise and focus on using theater and the creative arts to address nationalism, ethnic mistrust, and other important social issues in Serbia and the wider region. The grantee makes small grants to local nonprofits; organizes exchanges and study visits; and supports, develops, and produces film and theater projects. All of the grantee’s activities are designed to promote and build sustainable regional cooperation. During 2014-2015, the grantee developed five new theater productions and organized regional tours of previously produced plays. The grantee also provided 25 small grants to community-based nonprofits that work on the normalization of regional relations, the promotion of rights and freedoms, and the empowerment of marginalized groups. It also launched an initiative called Art Friendly to encourage corporate and individual giving in support of socially engaged cultural projects. Additionally, during the past two years, the grantee engaged in strategic planning, strengthened staff and board capacities, and built its national and regional network of partners and beneficiaries. Established in 2009, Heartefact Fund is based in Belgrade, Serbia, and works in Serbia and the Western Balkan region.