The “Trag” Foundation, with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, launches the "The Foundation of our Neighborhood – the Community Matters!" program to encourage the founding of local foundations (http://www.lokalnefondacije.rs/sr/faq.1.3.html#pojam) in Serbia. This program is launched because it is believed that each community has the resources in the form of funds, skills, knowledge or contacts that its residents can pool to enhance the places in which they live. The “Trag” Foundation's practice shows that local foundations can foster that kind of associating and thus become key drivers of change in their environments. They operate in cities, municipalities or regions, provide the necessary resources and thus support the co-operation and joint actions of citizens in various fields. Local foundations bring together people who have ideas for solving local problems with those who have the money, goods, services or knowledge to put those ideas into practice. They have the ability to bring citizens together, build trust among them, and bring them together about the issues of importance to the community.  

This call is seeking informal groups of at least three people living in one local community, who are willing to work together to form a local foundation to initiate and contribute to a long-term social change in their environment. These groups are characterized by a belief in their own power to inspire and mobilize people, raise funds from individuals and businesses in the community, and use them to promote and support civic actions.

What are the characteristics of local foundations?

– They operate in a specific geographical area – municipality, city or district

– They support local civic initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life in the area

– They develop local philanthropy by raising funds from individuals, businesses and other donors in their area and investing those funds in the development of the community and its resources

– They are a place of encountering and cooperating with people, where trust among people in the community is built

– They are community-based and support the development of local knowledge and citizen participation in addressing important issues

– They address different areas that citizens see as important

– They act independently of any individuals, organizations, institutions, enterprises or political parties and bring together people of different professions and interests  

– They think and act long-term

Local foundations exist around the world, with nearly 2,000 of them daily raising funds from individuals and businesses in their area to support their fellow citizens and their initiatives, with energy and knowledge, to make the world a better place for all of us. Citizens with a common problem are thus given the opportunity to solve it jointly, and donors to support jointly just those areas that they consider important. The local foundation also allows them all to track the results of their engagement and investments. It also ensures that the results of those initiatives are sustained over the long term.

Applying for the program is done on http://www.lokalnefondacije.rs/sr/prijavi-se.1.2.html

The “Trag” Foundation is a regional foundation that has been encouraging and supporting the active involvement of citizens in the development of local communities for twenty years.  It brings together people who believe that small changes can make a big difference, including the desire to initiate positive change in their communities. In recent years, they have supported over 1,500 successful projects worth over 13 million euros throughout Serbia and the region.

 Source: “Trag” Foundation and Coordination Body