- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Enhancing Community Philanthropy
- Grant Amount $100,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2016–December 31, 2017
- Location Zajecar, Serbia
- Geographic Focus Serbia
About this grant
The program goal is to support greater and more effective civic engagement and participatory community development in eastern Serbia. To this end, the Zajecar Initiative will carry out a range of activities to encourage youth engagement and empowerment, stimulate community philanthropy, and promote accountable decisionmaking on the part of local government. Established in 2001 in Zajecar, Serbia, by a group of young people as a citizen-based watchdog organization, the Zajecar Initiative has grown into a leading civil society development organization in eastern Serbia. During 2014-2015, the grantee supported 23 youth-led projects that engaged more than 800 young people in their communities; operated a youth center that organized more than 250 workshops, cultural events, film screenings, and public discussions; built the capacity of the Step Forward Community Foundation in Zajecar; and launched two Internet platforms designed to give citizens access to information underlying government decisionmaking. During the next two years, the grantee will continue these core activities, with a particular focus on expanding its grantmaking activities, supporting the development of Zajecar’s community foundation, and encouraging community foundation development in the Balkan region.