ZAGREB, September 10, 2018 – The National Foundation for Civil Society Development has granted more than 500 million kuna to 5,202 various civil society associations over the past 15 years, through public calls for financing, the foundation’s director Cvjetana Plavša-Matić said at a ceremony on Monday marking the foundation’s 15th anniversary of existence.
That has enabled the employment of 12,000 people who work in civil society organisations to implement programmes that have involved 270,000 volunteers, Plavsa-Matić said.
Activities in which associations and other organisations that are supported by the national foundation work include civil society initiatives, cooperation and networking, balancing regional development, motivating volunteering among children and youth and much more and all that has enabled social changes, she added.
The national foundation has established regional offices in Rijeka, Osijek and Split and strongly supports social innovations and has from the start insisted on fully transparent financing, she said.
Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić said that about 700 million kuna were available from the European Social Fund (ESF) for projects involving civil society organisations and another several million kuna for projects implemented in partnership with civil society organisations. That is about one billion kuna over the next few years to be allocated to civil society associations, he underscored.
The largest individual calls for financing from the ESF are currently underway with a total of 80 million kuna available for thematic networks for social-economic development, he said.
Civil society is the most propulsive and most flexible system and can quickly recognise social problems, he added.
