Due to the considerable size and scope of the Polish NGO fund, the three focus areas are managed by two organisations with ties to civil society and the areas of intervention. The Co-operation Fund Foundation isresponsible for the focus area of democracy and civil society. Environment al protection and sustainable development as well as equal opportunities and social integration is managed by Ecorys.
Since the launch of the NGO fund in 2007, around 3800 applications have been submitted for NGO projects to the two intermediaries. "Looking at the number of applications we have received, you can see that the NGO sector was waiting for an opportunity like this. The establishment of these funds was so important and so necessary for them," Bartosz Mielecki, fund coordinator for the component for Democracy and civil society, said. Rafał Szakalinis, fund coordinator at ECORYS Polska, echoed this: "Although funding opportunities for the Polish NGO community exist, these funds are unique in both size and duration," he said.
The current 165 project portfolio under the Polish NGO fund includes efforts to involve people in activities in support of human rights during the buildup to the Olympic Games in Beijing, promotion of social participation and rehabilitation for children with special needs through theatre and drama therapy, as well as support to the international film festival
WATCH DOCS and their goal of fostering social change and raising awareness about human rights.
The NGO fund opens up for cooperation projects between Polish civil society organisations, including social partners, and their counterparts from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to further the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation between Poland and the EEA EFTA states. "We encourage the applicants to get the partners on board as early on in the process as possible, even in writing the applications. Fresh ideas and exchange of know-how can help the candidates at this crucial stage of the process," Szakalinis said.
Both intermediaries have attempted to achieve a fair distribution of the available resources. "Although it has been a challenge to attain a fair geographical distribution, we are pleased to see that our funding is also reaching grass root projects in smaller towns, not only the larger
organisations based in Warsaw," Mielecki said. Also Szakalinis, fund coordinator at Ecorys, underlined the fact that the Polish NGO sector has appreciated the way their funds have been distributed. "From our funds, it is not only the most powerful organisations who receive support," he said.