Casimir Pulaski Foundation
Strengthening Democratic Values in Central and Eastern Europe
$123,200
To enhance regional dialogue on strengthening the integrity of democratic processes across Central and Eastern Europe. Through its flagship Warsaw Security Forum, the Warsaw-based think tank will provide a platform for the discussion of key challenges facing democracy across the region. The organization will convene civil society groups for roundtable discussions, debates, and training sessions focusing on democratic resilience, and will develop recommendations for policymakers and the public. In addition, the group will relocate 20 Ukrainian activists with families to Poland and help them establish a new NGO Center.
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Creating Enabling Environments for Constructive Capital in Europe – Phase III
$1,459,948
To enhance engagement of local stakeholders in the Europe region to promote good governance norms through anti-corruption compliance and corporate governance, to support local initiatives to address challenges posed by corrosive capital, to promote a better enabling environment for constructive capital, and to facilitate cross-regional learning and thought leadership. The Center will engage and connect partners in the region, in Eurasia, and around the world, though training programs, advocacy, and research to create the conditions for rule of law-driven constructive capital flows into the emerging markets of Europe. The Center will build upon the previous two project phases to continue fostering networks of business and civil society organizations committed to ethics, integrity, and good governance, working with domestic and international businesses to articulate and highlight the potential benefits of constructive capital and inclusive growth for the region.
Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
Enhancing the Role of the Private Sector in Local Democracy – Phase II, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary
$372,006
To strengthen local democracy in Slovakia, Czechia, and Hungary, the Center will facilitate dialogue between municipal governments and local business leaders and empower private sector champions for democratic reform across the region. The Center will provide grants to business and civil society groups to foster public-private dialogue on economic development priorities and strengthen effective democracy at the local level. Concurrently, the Center will provide training and develop cross regional networks of private sector champions for democratic reform through the Center’s new Europe field office in Bratislava. This project will be the second phase of a multi-year program to reinvigorate democracy in the region by addressing the disconnect between European and national governance frameworks and demands of local citizens, which has given rise to populist authoritarianism in the region.
Center for Propaganda and Disinformation Analysis Foundation
Strengthening the Capacity to Counter Disinformation
$125,000
To strengthen the capacity of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe to monitor and analyze Russian disinformation. The Poland-based organization will establish a permanent monitoring group that will track and analyze the coverage of political and social developments in Poland, Russia, Belarus, and in the Baltic States in the Russian and Belarusian state-sponsored media. The organization will produce and distribute monthly monitoring reports, launch a closed networking platform for the disinformation expert community, and convene a conference for its members.
Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs)
Increasing Democratic Resilience and Social Cohesion
$79,000
To increase awareness regarding malign foreign influence in Eastern Europe and assist local state and non-state actors in devising responses. Building on its previous work, the London-based organization will analyze levers of influence and tools of destabilization being used to undermine democratic societies. It will develop a resilience index, convene a roundtable of regional experts, publish and distribute a policy briefing, and hold a series of outreach events.
ECFR Deutschland GmbH
Promoting Security Reforms in Ukraine and Moldova
$52,097
To promote reforms in the security sector in Ukraine and Moldova. The organization will convene virtual and in-person high-level meetings between EU and national policymakers, experts, and civil society activists. It will publish a policy paper to outline how EU policy shifts can strengthen Moldovan and Ukrainian resiliency to hybrid threats, disinformation and propaganda. It will also develop individual road maps for Ukraine and Moldova with specific policy recommendations.
Expert Forum Association
Raising Awareness of Foreign Malign Influence
$100,000
To increase knowledge and awareness of external attempts to undermine democracy and reverse democratic gains in Eastern Partnership and new EU member states. In partnership with think tanks in Ukraine, Moldova, and Bulgaria, the Romania-based analytical center will produce reports on the Chinese government’s malign economic and political influence in the region and spotlight the findings at national and international events in several capital cities and in Brussels.
Fundacja Moje Panstwo
Promoting Government Accountability and Transparency
$25,000
To promote government accountability and transparency through innovative technology-based tools and open data. The Foundation will hold six day-long online events for 350 European activists on digital rights, election campaigns, artificial intelligence and discrimination, and transparency of public spending. It will also convene two online events to strengthen the skills of civic tech communities in Kosovo and Moldova. It will promote its activities on its website, social media, and publications in media.
Fundacja O rodka KARTA
Promoting Poland’s Dialogue with Ukraine and Belarus
$86,000
To promote Poland’s dialogue, civic education, and historical reconciliation with Ukraine and Belarus. The Warsaw-based organization will expand its civic library and archive, organize a specialized conference on historical issues between Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, issue a joint declaration on the Polish-Ukrainian-Belarusian collaboration, and plan joint projects. It will also hold an opening ceremony for its new center and library, and design and launch a dedicated website.
Fundacja Reporterów
Promoting Investigative Journalism in Central Europe
$322,000
To strengthen the work of and cooperation among investigative journalists in Central Europe. The Poland-based media outlet will continue to develop, expand and professionalize its cross- border investigative website VSquare.org, produce joint investigations on far-right extremism, corruption, Russian disinformation, and malign influence in the Visegrad countries, increase its content production, deepen its links with investigative journalists in the Baltic States, launch its new portal in Polish, and convene meetings and workshops for reporters in the region.
GLOBSEC
Understanding and Countering Authoritarian Interference
$337,500
To continue and expand a broad-based initiative that fosters better understanding of foreign authoritarian interference in Central and Eastern Europe, in particular disinformation, and develop strategies to counter it. The think tank will conduct public opinion polls, convene informational and educational events, publish analytical materials, and design and disseminate informational products that assist officials, civil society leaders, and the public in Central Europe to better understand the impact of and respond to authoritarian interference in form of disinformation.
Hungarian Helsinki Committee
Strengthening the Capacity of Human Rights Defenders
$70,000
To strengthen the resilience and capacity of leading human rights organizations in Central Europe. The Hungarian, German and Dutch partners will conduct a training and networking program for 25 leaders of prominent human rights organizations in the EU, and neighboring countries. NED’s funding will cover the participation of 10 human rights defenders from Central and Southeastern Europe in four, three-day educational camps. It will bring together civil society partners to promote legal education and training in human rights protection.
International Press Institute
Strengthening Media Resilience in Europe
$317,000
To foster media freedom in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. The organization will build, coordinate, and support a regional network of 12 highly professional and independent media outlets. Network members will exchange knowledge, monitor the state of media freedom in their countries, and collaboratively produce and distribute in-depth analyses of challenges facing media development and press freedom in the region. The organization will promote and defend the interests of independent media in the region through advocacy activities at the national and international levels. To provide emergency humanitarian support to displaced journalists, the organization will facilitate travel and hosting of journalists in newsrooms within its regional network. It will also monitor and report on freedom of media violations resulting from the war in Ukraine and lead related advocacy campaigns.
International Republican Institute (IRI)
Beacon Project: Fostering European Alliances Against Disinformation
$500,000
To continue pushing back against authoritarian efforts to undermine democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, the Institute will strengthen the ability of partner CSOs in the region to inform policymakers and citizens more effectively on the threats posed by disinformation. IRI will also engage policymakers on the domestic and regional EU level and the broader public in the Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), Romania and Bulgaria by consolidating and formalizing the Beacon Network.
International Republican Institute (IRI)
Bolstering Europe against the Subversive Tactics of the Chinese Communist Party II
$640,000
To address loopholes in a patchwork of policy responses and develop discourse in national policy debates across Europe, the Institute will build common awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s malign campaign to erode support for democratic values and Transatlantic solidarity, facilitate the exchange of best practices and policies among parliamentarians, and bolster international readiness and strategic thinking among national parliaments. The Institute will achieve this goal by conducting briefings, policy roundtables and crisis simulations for parliamentarians, and Transatlantic dialogues between party leaders, regional democratic stakeholders and their counterparts in the United States government.
International Republican Institute (IRI)
Center for the Advancement of Security and Politics in Euro-American Relations (CASPER)
$100,000
To bridge the growing lack of understanding regarding the strategic challenges that malign foreign influences pose, rebuild democratic values among political actors in Central Europe, and strategically equip and promote Central European women in politics, the Institute will establish a Center for the Advancement of Security and Politics in Euro-Atlantic Relations (CASPER), with the mission to address these three challenges in parallel. IRI will develop the center, in its initial stage, with the capacity to reach key stakeholders, form the groundwork for long-term transatlantic relationships, organize a training program series for party members and convene senior-level political actors in the areas of operation.
International Republican Institute (IRI)
Securing A Transatlantic Future II Core 2021
$500,000
To counteract growing skepticism towards the Transatlantic alliance among current and emerging leaders in Central and Eastern Europe as it pertains to the collective security relationship and NATO, the Institute will facilitate exchanges, lead study visits, provide workshops, and foster mentorships to increase awareness of the emerging internal and external threats facing the alliance, and help prepare Europe’s next generation of leaders to be advocates for the Transatlantic relationship. Drawing on these experiences, participants will co-produce a white paper and promotional strategy advocating for strengthening the alliance in their respective countries.
K-Monitor Association
Promoting Local Government Accountability
$160,000
To promote local government accountability in Central Europe. The Hungary-based organization and its Polish, Romanian and Czech partners will build the capacity of local civil society in those countries through a regional project fostering transparency, good governance, and civic engagement at the local level. The project will include identifying best practices, compiling case studies, drafting policy guides, and overseeing regional networking.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Central Europe Democracy Initiative (CEDI)
$750,000
To reinforce inclusive governance and spur democratic renewal in Central Europe, the Institute proposes a regional initiative to enable political actors to strengthen citizen engagement practices through improved communications strategies and outreach tools. The Institute proposes to extend its engagement with political parties and other political actors to work with youth, women, and local elected officials to support communications and legislation that reflects citizen priorities and deepen citizen engagement with policy makers.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Europe-Eurasia Info/Tegrity Resource Center
$250,000
To strengthen efforts and improve coordination among advocates on information integrity globally and regionally, the Institute will launch a Europe/Eurasia regional hub (the Eurasia INFO/tegrity Resource Center). The Resource Center will serve Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, providing coordination and expertise that build on existing work in the region and the Institute’s INFO/tegrity programs globally. The Resource Center will develop and refine new and existing tools, pedagogies and methodologies to share with Institute partners in Eurasia through workshops and networks of groups throughout the region.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Strengthening Inter-Ethnic Political Discourse and Minority Inclusion
$700,000
To foster the political participation of disempowered minority communities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the Institute will elevate these communities political capacity to pursue meaningful channels for political discourse through participation in representative governmental bodies. Minority leaders will develop and advocate for inclusive policy, stand for elected office, and engage with political institutions. This program will also create space for substantive inter-ethnic dialogue as an approach to problem-solving within governmental, legislative, and electoral processes. Together, these complementary initiatives will seek to strengthen the political inclusion and participation of minority communities in the region.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)
Strengthening Legislative Integrity and Independence in Central and Southeastern Europe
$395,000
To strengthen the institutional integrity of parliaments to fulfill their legislative and representative functions and improve transparency practices, the Institute will support capacity development and institutional independence in lawmaking and oversight among members and staff of parliaments in Southeastern Europe, supported by peers in Central European legislatures.
Notes from Poland Foundation
Promoting Independent Digital Media
$126,500
To strengthen independent digital media in Central Europe. The Poland-based organization will improve and expand its monitoring, reporting and analysis in English of issues relating to democracy, the rule of law, civil society, human rights, and media freedom in Poland and Central Europe. It will expand its media outlet and convene two workshops to foster closer cooperation between journalists, media outlets, and NGOs reporting in English on these issues across the region.
Political Capital Kft. Ltd.
Understanding and Highlighting Malign Foreign Influence
$72,000
To raise awareness of malign foreign influence in Europe. The Hungary-based think tank will continue to track and analyze legislative and media activities by the Members of the European Parliament from Central Europe, as they relate to the policies concerning Kremlin and CCP. It will also analyze the social media accounts of politicians and popular social media commentators, and identify coordinated malign troll and bot activities. It will share the findings through publications and international events to raise public awareness of these trends.
Potsdam Media International e.V.
Training and Networking for Young Journalists
$42,000
To develop the skills, networking and cooperation of journalists from Europe and Eurasia. The Berlin-based organization will bring promising journalists from Eastern Europe and the Eastern Partnership states to its annual journalist workshop and media conference. The events will improve participants’ practical skills, as well as foster networks that will allow them to better understand key challenges facing media from different regions and build support for journalists under threat.
Res Publica Foundation
Fostering Democratic Values in Central Europe
$260,000
To foster regional dialogue that promotes and defends core democratic values in Central Europe. The Foundation will produce reports and articles in 15 languages and publish them in the region’s key media outlets and on its website. The content will address issues contributing to the region’s democratic backsliding, including disinformation, political polarization, and corruption. The organization will convene networking events to strengthen and connect emerging pro-democratic opinion leaders
Transitions Online
Countering Disinformation among Vulnerable Populations in Central Europe
$99,500
To counter disinformation among vulnerable populations in Central Europe. The Czech organization, together with partners in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, will assess and aim to improve the media literacy skills of senior citizens through more effective training programs and adapted its teaching methodologies. The organization will design educational materials, train trainers, and conduct workshops designed to counter disinformation among seniors in the target countries in the CEE region.
Transitions Online
Strengthening an Independent Online Magazine
$265,000
To strengthen a high-quality, independent media voice that serves Central and Eastern Europe, producing objective, in-depth coverage on threats to democracy and effective responses to them. The media organization will adopt a new editorial plan that increases the reach and impact of its online magazine; implement a new business plan reliant on membership dues, an active social media presence, and technological tools for monetization; and test innovative development strategies. In addition, it will continue training journalists and consulting regional independent media on self-sustainability.
