Southeastern Europe Regional

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$100,000
To build the capacity of telecommunications unions in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia to better represent their members. The Solidarity Center will conduct a series of meetings on labor relations and worker rights in the sector. The project will conduct research on working conditions, labor-management relations, and compliance with worker rights by the telecommunications industry and implement a capacity-building or advocacy programs developed during the meetings.

European Fund for the Balkans
$22,500
To advance regional dialogue and stimulate progress on democratic reforms in the Western Balkans by bringing together representatives of over 50 think tanks and accountability and watchdog organizations for a regional policy forum in Belgrade, Serbia. Through a sharing of experiences, analysis of key issues, and intensified networking, the February 2012 event and follow up activities will be designed to stimulate better cooperation among leading policy organizations in the region.

Heartefact Fund
$100,000
To continue fostering innovative civil society and media initiatives that promote dialogue, tolerance and cooperation between different ethnic communities in the Western Balkans. The Fund will award approximately 12 small grants of up to $8,000 to support projects addressing common problems facing post-conflict societies in the region and enhancing cooperation between Bosnian, Kosovar and Serbian civil society, particularly in addressing prejudice, discrimination, and painful legacies of war.

Journalism Development Network
$45,000
To promote transparency and accountability of media ownership in Southeast Europe through its Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a regional network of investigative journalism centers. Within a larger regional program, the OCCRP's reporters will investigate the ownership of approximately 90 leading media outlets in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Complete records will be available online at a designated site, along with news stories detailing the findings. A series of advocacy meetings will encourage NGOs to use these findings to hold media accountable.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$365,000
To advance regional and European connections supporting party reform and inclusive policy development among ideologically-similar political parties in the western Balkans. NDI will advance regional cooperation through policy seminars with a focus on the creation of political party foundations and training centers. Regional workshops and bilateral exchanges will assist partner parties in reviewing internal structures to enhance inclusiveness of policy development practices.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$500,000
To foster inclusion, representation, and equality for Roma at all levels through increased and enhanced civic activism and political participation. NDI will strengthen the capacity of Roma activists to conduct issue-based advocacy, prepare candidates for elections, promote Romani women and youth leadership, enhance governance skills of local councilors, and link Roma and mainstream civic and political activists.

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$325,000
To continue supporting institutional development efforts, particularly regarding budgetary resources, applying legislative oversight tools, and conducting legislative research. NDI will facilitate exchanges and dialogue between Western Balkan and Central European parliaments through regional seminars, fellowships, and study missions that will promote the use of best practices in oversight and develop institutional capacities supporting the parliaments' operations.

Open Knowledge Foundation
$41,500
To build the capacity of two watchdog organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia to raise public awareness about and improve civic participation in the budgeting process. In cooperation with the Public Interest Advocacy Center (CPI), the Foundation will create a budget monitoring website in Bosnia, employing the animation and visualization graphics utilized by its flagship project, OpenSpending (openspending.org). The Foundation will also train the staff of watchdog organizations from the two countries to use the platform to better inform the public and engage it in discussions about public spending at national, regional and local levels.

TechSoup Global
$200,000
To foster civic engagement in the Western Balkans and build the capacity of local organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia to use new technologies to address key problems in their communities. The San Francisco-based TechSoup will develop a regional web-based platform and employ the power of social media to build dialogue, catalyze civic engagement, and promote innovative ideas among NGOs in the region. TechSoup will run a competition for innovative civic projects that employ new technologies and will provide financial and technical support to selected organizations to implement their ideas.

Why Not?
$39,900
To promote the use of new media in fostering activism, transparency and accountability in Southeastern Europe and Egypt. Through a series of meetings, workshops and a regional conference, Why Not will connect over 15 accountability initiatives using new technologies in six Balkan countries and Egypt, create a platform for their regular information exchange and cooperation, and build their capacity to better address key issues in their respective countries.

Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Serbia
$77,717
To foster youth activism and reform in Southeastern Europe by bringing together 100 young political and civic leaders from the Western Balkans, the EU, and the MENA region for the second edition of its Youth Summit. Through a sharing of experiences, intensified networking and advocacy, the December conference and side events in Prishtina are designed to overcome the divisive legacy of the region's past and stimulate reform processes required for democratic transitions and European integration, as well as the role of youth in them.

Grant descriptions are from the 2012 NED Annual Report.