Are you active in an NGO operating in a village or town with a population of up to 50,000 people? Do you want to support residents’ activity, award grants for civic initiatives and get up to PLN 18,000 a year for running local grant competitions? Put in your organization for “Act Locally” program. The deadline for applications is on September 29, 2023.
The competition for Affiliated Act Locally Centers (ALC) status is addressed to associations and foundations which:
- have their seat in a village or town of up to 50,000 residents,
- on the basis of resources, experience, and documents of “Act Locally” program are ready to award grants from their own funds in local competitions for civic initiatives to be run at the area of from 4 to a dozen of communes or municipalities (excluding areas of operation of other ALCs already participating in the program),
- have experience in civic initiatives implementation and act for local development, and their mission is compatible with objectives and values of “Act Locally” program,
- have experience and are successful in fundraising,
- cooperate with various local partners,
- want to join national ALC network and use its resources and receive a grant of up to PLN 18,000 a year for running local grant competitions.
The benefits for organizations accepted as Affiliated ALCs include:
- Access to ALC Network, opportunities to cooperate with organizations operating all over Poland.
- Access to know how on running local grant competition– rules and regulations, procedures and principles worked out over more than 22 years of Act Locally program operation.
- Access to electronic Social Generator, a special online system facilitating running local grant competitions.
- The right to use “Act Locally” program brand.
- Easier and faster access to innovative solutions and tools used in NHO management and local community animation.
- Possibilities to use various forms of support (such as training sessions, workshops, meetings, webinars) allowing to improve your skills and experience sharing.
- Participation in annual ALC Network meetings allowing to improve your skills and experience sharing.
- Financial support for program administering at the local level.
- An opportunity to participate in internal competitions awarding grants for improving inspiration and motivation.
- Substantive support from Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland.
More information on enrollment can be found in the Rules and Regulations.
The objective of “Act Locally” program is to support and activate local communities in rural areas and small towns through civic projects that stimulate developmental aspirations and contribute to improvement of the quality of life, as well as building social capital and common good. The program offers support to active local communities whose members define their own needs and carry out joint activities. Each community is made of different people, each has different needs, resources, traditions, and experience, and therefore “Act Locally” program supports initiatives of various nature. The priority of the program is civil activity, including volunteering, philanthropy, leadership, and partnership.
Act Locally program promotes values and attitudes such as:
- Social engagement and responsibility,
- Willingness to take up challenges and openness to cooperation,
- Resource sharing and building partnerships.
“Act Locally” is an all-Poland undertaking that awards grants at a local level through the network of Act Locally Centers. The ALC network covers associations and foundations in villages and small towns of up to 50,000 residents, operating at the area of from 4 communes or municipalities to several districts, and selected by the selection committee in the open competition. Presently the network comprises 74 organizations, including 9 Affiliated ALCs, and cover the area of 640 communes and municipalities. There are at least two ALCs in each province. They establish cooperation with other NGOs, as well as local authorities and entrepreneurs. The competitions are addressed to NGOs and informal civic groups on behalf of which applications can be submitted by organizations or public institutions (such as schools, culture centers, libraries) which operate in villages or towns with population of up to 20,000 people.
Organizations interested in taking part in the program can submit their applications through Social Generator by September 29, 2023.
For detailed information on enrollment contact Paweł Zań, Act Locally program coordinator at tel. 22 622 02 09, ext. 15.
“Act Locally” is a program of Polish-American Freedom Foundation and it is managed by Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland.
