On the occasion of the anniversary of its establishment, the National Foundation for Civil Society Development highlights more than two decades of continuous support for strengthening civil society in the Republic of Croatia. Since 2003, the National Foundation has been actively working on empowering civic initiatives, promoting philanthropy and volunteering, and encouraging cross-sectoral cooperation.
Over the past 22 years, the National Foundation has invested through its own programs more than 120 million euros into just under 9,000 supported organizations, enabling the (co)financing of salaries for around 36,000 individuals within those organizations, and the engagement of more than 1.5 million volunteers involved in activities for the common good and the well-being of local communities.
Through its work, the National Foundation has also dedicated significant attention to connecting organizations at the national, European, and international levels, encouraging access to European Union funds and ensuring pre-financing and interim financing of various approved projects.
In the coming periods, during which civil society organizations in Croatia will face new challenges – such as specialization and professionalization, finding new sources of funding from individual philanthropy to European Union funds, introducing new forms of work and operations through digital transformation and communication, and attracting new human resources, from new volunteers and members to new leaders within civil society organizations – the role of the National Foundation will remain important in supporting positive social processes at all levels and across all forms of activity. This will help address these challenges and contribute to developing appropriate models of resilience and sustainability for local communities and society as a whole in Croatia.
In these challenging times of global change and social divisions, the National Foundation remains a key pillar of support for civil society organizations in Croatia and will continue to assist them with the aim of building a fair and inclusive society.
