On February 16, the Steering Committee of the FIO Mazowsze Lokalnie program met, approving a new, revised format for the 2015 Competition. Major changes are in the pipeline for the application and evaluation process for the regional edition of the Civic Initiatives Fund program.
Representatives of the program’s partners, including the Cooperation Fund Foundation, the Europa i My Association, the BORIS Association of Social Initiatives Service Offices, and the project’s Ambassadors, participated in the meeting. The next competition of the FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie (Local Mazovia) Program begins in March, aiming to increase residents’ involvement in public life. The program provides support to young non-governmental organizations, informal groups, and self-help organizations operating in the Masovian Voivodeship. The program supports residents who want to work together to benefit their community by awarding micro-grants of up to 5,000 PLN each. On February 16th, at a meeting of the Steering Committee, a new formula for the Competition was approved, which could be the beginning of a revolution in the system of funding for young non-governmental organizations and informal groups at the micro-scale.
“Last year, interest in the Competition exceeded our expectations. This year, we are preparing to accept even more applications, and therefore we are introducing a number of innovations. By introducing these changes, we are starting a revolution in micro-grants,” said Daniel Prędkopowicz, project coordinator, during the Steering Committee meeting. “In our search for new solutions, we drew inspiration from the business sector, among others. We also made a significant step forward in moving away from the so-called grant system, which unnecessarily formalized and schematized the language and evaluation process,” he adds.
The aforementioned directions of change are just the tip of the iceberg of the modifications the program operators plan to implement. The new Competition model features two application paths, allocating funds for micro-grants – 30% is allocated to supporting organizational development, while the remaining 70% is dedicated to implementing grassroots initiatives.
The introduction of the new Competition model has resulted in a change in the application preparation and evaluation process. “We are reducing the application form, both for projects supporting organizational development and supporting the implementation of grassroots initiatives, to a mere index card. We are also breaking down the project evaluation system for grassroots initiatives into two stages – an expert online evaluation and the presentation of the best action ideas before specially appointed Committees in individual subregions,” says Jacek Ostrowski, Board Member of the Cooperation Fund Foundation. “This solution will allow us to identify the most interesting ideas, but also to meet local leaders,” he adds.
The idea of simplifying the competition application and changing the project evaluation system was positively reviewed by members of the Steering Committee, meaning that project promoters will now be using the new formula. “This is a revolution that’s heading in the right direction,” says Hubert Pasiak, FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie Ambassador in the Siedlce County. “Operators are focusing on spontaneity. There will be less formality and more community involvement to unleash creativity and social energy,” he adds. Ewa Pietrzak, a representative of the local government in Płock, shares this view. “The added value of the new Competition formula is the evaluation of projects for local initiatives at the subregional level. It’s an additional form of promoting NGOs and grassroots initiatives, and there can never be too many of them,” he adds.
In addition to changes in application preparation and evaluation, the FIO-Mazowsze Lokalnie Program calendar will also include solutions proven last year. A series of webinars and seminars will be held in subregions of the Masovian Voivodeship, hosted by the Office of the Organization of the Social Initiative Movement. Project implementers will also have the opportunity to participate in the “Tell Me About Your Project” competition for the best promotional material for their activities.
More information about the launch and objectives of the competition will be available soon on the Program website: www.mazowszelokalnie.pl
