Baltic-American
Partnership Program – Latvia
Implemented by the Soros Foundation
– Latvia
BAPP-Latvia
2001
In
2001, BAPP-Latvia worked to promote the institutional development of the
third sector by providing grants and training to NGOs operating on both
the local and national level, as well as working to enhance Latvian NGOs'
capacity as advocacy organizations. In an effort to strengthen collaboration
among individual NGOs, BAPP-Latvia provided support toward the end of
2001 to two NGO coalitions to enable them to develop and pursue an advocacy
agenda in their issue areas and to attract technical assistance and strategic
guidance from partners abroad. With BAPP support, the first coalition
has undertaken efforts to advocate for the development of a coordinated
national drug abuse prevention strategy in Latvia, and to increase the
role of NGOs in implementing this strategy. The second coalition, led
by a previous BAPP grantee – "European Movement in Latvia" –
is working to increase NGOs’ and the general public’s involvement in ongoing
discussions about Latvia’s accession to the European Union.
BAPP-Latvia also continued to provide support to the NGO Center for its efforts to develop and build support for a comprehensive package of new NGO-related legislation. As of the end of 2001, this legislation was under review in the Cabinet of Ministers, and its approval by the Latvian Parliament is awaited in 2002. With the BAPP’s support, the NGO Center also continued its work in the area of philanthropy promotion. In 2001, the Center initiated a highly popular "Donors Forum", convening representatives from the private sector to talk about ways of stimulating corporate philanthropy in Latvia.
In follow-up to a successful 2000 initiative, BAPP-Latvia continued to support efforts undertaken to ensure greater access to public information, a program with the dual goals of ensuring transparency in government and enhancing the advocacy capacity of nonprofit organizations. In 2001, the main focus was upon public procurement legislation. The project implementer, the Latvian chapter of Transparency International - Delna, advocated for greater disclosure in public procurement, in order to both promote both local and central government accountability in the use of public funds and to allow NGOs to compete more effectively for government contracts. By the close of 2001, Delna had prepared and submitted proposed improvements to the law on public procurement, and the Parliament had demonstrated willingness to take them under consideration.
BAPP-Latvia in 2001 continued to provide matching funds on a one-to-one basis with local governments to support local NGOs and civic groups in their efforts to encourage greater participation by individuals in the life of their communities. Finally, the BAPP continued its program of support to regional NGO support centers that provide training, information and technical resources to NGOs outside of Riga.
BAPP-Latvia 2001 Grant List
External Environment
NGO Center, Riga $62,184
For drafting improved laws governing the activities of NGOs, for an advocacy
campaign to achieve the adoption of these laws in the Cabinet of Ministers and
the Parliament, and for an analytical report on the NGO sector in Latvia.
Network of NGO Support Centers $14,000
For training programs for the following fourteen regional NGO support centers,
which provide technical assistance, information, training and consultations
to local NGOs and community groups:
Aluksne regional NGO support
center, Aluksne $1,000
Cesis regional NGO
support center, Cesis $1,000
South Latgale regional
NGO support center, Daugavpils $1,000
Liepaja regional NGO
support center, Liepaja $1,000
Madona regional NGO
support center, Madona $1,000
Preili regional NGO
support center, Preili $1,000
Rezekne regional NGO
support center, Rezekne $1,000
Selija regional NGO
support center, Jekabpils $1,000
Tukums regional NGO
support center, Tukums $1,000
Ventspils regional
NGO support center, Ventspils $1,000
Mid Kurzeme regional
NGO support center, Kuldiga $1,000
Zemgale regional NGO
support center, Zemgale $1,000
Gulbene regional NGO
support center, Gulbene $1,000
Valmiera regional
NGO support center, Valmiera $1,000
NGO Center, Riga $6,790
For administration of training
grants to resource centers (listed above) and other training grants under the
BAPP Institutional Development Program.
Institutional Development
Training
Training Programs for BAPP
Grantees $30,000
Support to all of BAPP grantees (following below) for training in organizational
development, strategic and financial planning, board governance, fundraising
skills, etc.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature -
Latvia, Riga $1,150
Latvia’s Patient Protection
Bureau, Riga $1,150
Latvian chapter of UNICEF,
Riga $1,155
Save the Children, Latvia Organization,
Riga $1,155
Apeirons, Riga $1,155
Riga City Mission, Riga $1,150
Aspazija, Riga $1,155
Educational Center for Families
and Schools, Riga $1,155
European Movement in Latvia,
Riga $1,155
Volunteer Center, Riga $1,155
Sava Kabata, Youth Initiative
Center in Livani, Livani $1,150
Latvian-Estonian Institute,
Valka $1,150
Sidrabrasa, Association of
Rural Women, Rezekne District $1,150
Centrs Ejam, Youth Volunteer
Association, Riga $1,155
Strategija, regional NGO resource
center, Valmiera $1,155
Association of Slavic Culture
and Education, Preili $1,155
St.Nicolas Riga Christian Children’s
Shelter, Riga $1,155
Latvian Pensioners’ Federation,
Riga $1,155
Dardedze, Center Against Violence,
Riga $1,155
Social Aid Foundation of Pensioners
in Talsi, Talsi $1,155
White House, Foundation for
Livani, Livani $1,155
Riga Samaritan Association,
Riga $1,155
Culture, Tolerance, Friendship,
Riga $1,155
Strauts, Public Charity, Liepaja $1,155
Association of Street Children,
Riga $1,155
Zelta
Kamolins, foundation for culture of ethnic minorities, Riga $1,155
Grants to NGOs
World Wildlife Fund for
Nature - Latvia, Riga $4,640
For core support to an organization focusing on environmental issues in Latvia,
to enable it to broaden its membership base, and thus strengthen its financial
support and advocacy capacity.
Latvia’s Patient Protection Bureau,
Riga $12,000
For core support to a newly formed organization defending patients' rights
and developing effective advocacy strategies through participation in policymaking
and in the courts.
Latvian chapter of UNICEF,
Riga $8,716
For core support, and for a project promoting alternative methods of juvenile
detention.
Save the Children, Latvia
Organization, Riga $8,492
For core support to an organization that monitors how children’s rights are
implemented in state and municipal institutions, and for a project to develop
an alternative report on Latvia’s children’s rights situation for the United
Nations.
Apeirons, Riga $24,754
For core support to an organization monitoring conditions for disabled people
in Latvia and advocating for their improvement.
Riga City Mission, Riga $16,522
For core support, and for
a project popularizing alternative methods of juvenile detention.
Aspazija, Riga $2,070
For core support to an organization advocating on behalf of handicapped women,
including seeking better employment policies for the disabled.
Association of Street Children,
Riga $13,870
For core support to an association of 19 member organizations working with
homeless children and advocating on their behalf.
Building Advocacy Coalitions
In 2001, BAPP Latvia made grants to two coalitions of NGOs for their pursuit
of a common advocacy agenda in two issue areas. One lead organization was designated
as the primary recipient of the grant, although all coalition members are beneficiaries.
Grantees were encouraged to identify foreign advocacy partners with expertise
in their respective issue areas, and funding provided by BAPP may be used, in
part, to support study tours to neighboring countries, and/or visits of the
foreign partners to Latvia.
In addition, BAPP Latvia reserved $10,000 for advocacy training to be provided to the coalitions (and some of the individual grantees listed above) in 2002.
Educational Center for
Families and Schools , Riga $32,840
To support a coalition of
7 NGOs in advocating for a national drug abuse prevention policy.
European Movement in Latvia,
Riga $31,140
To support a coalition of
7 NGOs advocating to ensure that the government involves NGOs and the general
public more in issues relating the EU accession, and sharing information about
the process.
Civic Engagement and Cross-Sectoral Cooperation
Volunteer Center, Riga $10,578
For core support and a project promoting volunteer activities.
Sava Kabata, Youth Initiative Center,
Livani $4,500
For core support
and for youth initiatives in the town of Livani and surrounding rural areas.
Latvian – Estonian Institute,
Valka $6,800
For a project
to implement a joint local development strategies in the towns
of Valka and Valga.
Sidrabrasa, Association of Rural
Women, Rezekne District $3,000
For a project encouraging women's participation in civil society.
" LV Centrs Ejam", Youth
Volunteer Association, Riga $1,374
For a project encouraging youth participation in various volunteer activities.
Strategija, NGO Resource Center,
Valmiera $6,470
For a project involving NGOs in the development of the district's education
and social service policy.
Association of Slavic Culture
and Education, Preili
district $1,424
For a project encouraging greater participation of ethnic minorities in civil
society, including Russian-language training sessions in writing grant proposals.
St. Nicolas Riga Christian Children’s
Shelter, Riga $3,000
For a project training a team of social workers to work with Riga street
children.
Latvian Pensioners’ Federation, Riga $3,342
For a project informing Latvia’s pensioners of EU accession issues.
Dardedze, Center Against Violence,
Riga $13,651
For a project preventing violence against children and promoting support
of the center from its local community.
Social Aid Foundation of Pensioners,
Talsi $1,504
For a series of
meetings, conferences and publications with similar organizations in order to
promote and popularize the Social Aid Foundation's five years of experience
and success in generating local support and influencing local government policies
effecting pensioners and elderly.
Balta Maja (the White House),
Foundation for Livani, Livani $8,695
For core support to an organization acting as a community center and sponsoring
civic initiatives in Livani.
Riga
Samaritan Association,
Riga $5,955
For a project to develop innovative methods of fundraising to help create
a new children’s center
Kultura. Iecietiba. Draudziba
(Culture, Tolerance, Friendship), Riga $2,490
For a project encouraging greater civic participation of NGOs representing
ethnic minorities.
Strauts, Public Charity,
Liepaja $1,123
For a project training a team of social workers to work with people with
mental disabilities, and to conduct advocacy campaigns to improve local government
policies for the mentally disabled.
Zelta Kamolins, Riga $3,835
For core support to an organization sponsoring cultural interchanges among
minority groups.
Pan-Baltic Community Philanthropy/Participatory
Planning Pilot Project
For a project conducted simultaneously in all three Baltic countries to bring
together individuals, local governments and local business representatives to
identify issues of priority for their communities, and to mobilize local resources
to address these issues. The project is intended to introduce effective mechanisms
for individuals to participate in, or have an impact upon local decision-making
processes, as well as to develop viable approaches to community-based philanthropy
in each site.
Grants were made to the following implementing partners for this project:
NGO Center, Riga $29,850
To oversee implementation
of the project in two pilot sites of the country and to enhance the organization's
capacity to provide guidance for similar initiatives in other regions in the
future.
North-Kurzeme regional NGO support
center $17,000
For implementation of
the project in the pilot site of Talsi by arranging and facilitating meetings
of community stakeholders, and for participating in training sessions on participatory
planning and community philanthropy.
Lielvarde Bureau $17,000
For implementation of the project in the pilot site of Lielvarde by arranging
and facilitating meetings of community stakeholders, and for participating in
training sessions on participatory planning and community philanthropy.
Matching grants of up to $5,000 will be made available to each site for the support of community initiatives identified through the participatory planning process.
Special Needs & Opportunities
Fund
As approved by the BAPF
board, BAPP-Lithuania reserved $50,000 from its 2001 budget to enable it to
respond flexibly to proposals submitted outside the framework of regularly scheduled
grant competitions, that are nevertheless consistent with BAPP-Latvia’s strategic
objectives for 2001. As of the end of 2001, one grant had been made:
Public Policy Institute, Riga $
7483
For sponsoring public discussion of a development strategy for Riga's Old
Town.
Grants were provided to the following individuals from the NGO sector in 2001 with funds from the BAPP Latvia's 2000 budget for participation in international conferences in order to build advocacy and institutional capacity.
Ginta Ratniece, Volunteer Center,
Riga $376
For a training course on
developing community centers in Haifa, Israel.
Mara Ose, Selija NGO Support Center
$425
For training in developing
community centers in Berlin, Germany.
Irina Kulitane, "Balta maja", Foundation
for Livani $425
For a training in developing community centers in Berlin, Germany.
Leons Blumfelds, Riga Samaritan Association $802
For training programs in first aid in Nirnberg, Germany.
Solvita Lazdina, Educational Center
for Families and School $688
For a seminar on adult education in Brixen, Italy.
Varis Strazdins, Latvija’s Deaf Sports
Federation $280
For a conference of deaf people's sports federations in Tallinn, Estonia.
Ainars Dimants, European Movement
in Latvia $360
For a conference of the federal committee of the European Movement in Stockholm,
Sweden
Zinta Miezaine, NGO Center $988
For a seminar on philanthropy in Indianapolis, USA.
Heisen Abu Abda, Latvia’s Association
of Foreigners $733
For a conference of NGOs working with refugees and refugee integration in
Rotterdam, Holland
Ilga Karlsone, Latvian Association
of Consumer Rights Protection $1,266
For a conference on food and agriculture issues, including the provision
of school meals, in the Twin Cities, USA
Aija Melngaile, Latvian Association
of Consumer Rights Protection $1,228
For a conference on food and agriculture issues, including the provision
of school meals, in the Twin Cities, USA
Ilva Cimdina, NGO Center $72
For the training seminar "Active citizens and the World Wide Web"
in Karis, Finland
Juris Salenieks, Latvija’s Deaf Sports
Federation $280
For a conference of deaf people's sport federations in Tallinn, Estonia
Aija Klavina, Latvian Federation
of Youth and Children’s Sports $750
For the symposium on sports for the disabled in Vienna, Austria
Ilze Golvere, Latvian Association
of Adoptive Families $412
For a conference of associations of adoptive families in Veldhoven, Netherlands
Valentina Puzule, Association of
Teachers Against Alcohol Abuse $130
For a conference on drug abuse prevention among youth in Sigtun, Sweden
Armands Puzulis, Association of Teachers
Against Alcohol Abuse $130
For a conference on drug abuse prevention among youth in Sigtun, Sweden
Diana Kurpniece Delna, Transparency
International Latvia $1,004
For a conference on anti-corruption in Prague, Czech Republic
Marija Zeltina Meridians plus, Rezekne
NGO support center $615
For a conference on anti-corruption in Prague, Czech Republic
Linda Pavlovska IPSA, Association
of Trainers for Civil Society $753
For a conference on promoting civic engagement in Vancouver, Canada
Eleonora Maisaka, Rural Women’s Association $700
For a UN FAO-sponsored summer school in Kiltimagh, Ireland.
Eriks Samulis, Latvian Student Association $9
For a conference of student associations in Convey, Great Britain
Janis Brizga, Zala briviba, environmental
NGO $630
For a regional meeting on sustainable development in Geneva, Switzerland
Ziedonis Stutins, Youth Club 10x10 $148
For a meeting of youth organizers in Kasel, Germany
Ilze Augstkalne, Young Entrepreneur’s
Club $573
For the congress of young professionals in Barcelona, Spain
Aija Klavina, Latvian Para-Olympic
Committee $545
For the general assembly of the Para-Olympic committee in Athens, Greece
Kristaps Karklins, Madona NGO support
center $410
For a training seminar for youth workers in Saint-Etienne, France
Kristine Liepina, Latvian Youth Council $141
For a seminar on human resource and volunteer management in Brussels, Belgium
Janeks Bahs Tukuma, NGO Support Center $927
For a training program for staff of outdoor education programs for youth
in Westminster, Canada