Civic Startups, Reclaim

The project is implemented by the Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) and is part of the project “Reclaim our Civil Space!” which is supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norwegian Grant Fund for Regional Cooperation. The project is implemented in partnership with 9 non-governmental organizations from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Romania and Poland from August 2020 to December 2023.

“Reclaim our Civil Space” is based on broadening the base and constituency of civil society by training and mobilizing activist groups and movements, facilitating cross-border cooperation and networks and connecting them at the European level by jointly developing the blueprints of a comprehensive European civil society policy. For more information about the project visit: www.civilspace.eu

A community of start-up organizations and informal groups that came together as a result of Civic Startups – the support and mentoring program for 38 small organizations and informal civic groups, selected from nearly 200 applications, and covering most counties in Romania. They were divided into two 9-month series,, with the following results:

32+ workshops and training sessions in advocacy, community organizing, NGO communication, financial management, cashflow forecasting and applied accounting in NGOs, business for NGOs, project writing and fundraising,and working effectively with Boards of Directors .
120+ mentoring sessions and tailored one-to-one or group support, with a particular focus on legal, financial and internal governance issues.

Civic Startups, series I (June 2021 – February 2023)/ results of the selection of the 15 organizations and 3 civic groups, out of a total of 89 applications submitted

Civic Startups, Series II (June 2022 – February 2023)/ results of the selection of the 20 civic organizations and groups, out of a total of 99 applications submitted

– Professional Women’s Association (AFP) – Șendreni, Galați County- Silver Dawn – Moșnița Veche, Timis County
– Future for Light – Lumina, Constanta County
– White Cane Moldova Association – Targu Frumos
– I Enjoy Life Association – Galați
– Club Impact Special – Pascani
– APTA Dealu Mare – Lipia, Buzău County
– Semper Dignus Association – Iași
– Local Initiation Group ARNI (Interconnected Natural Rural Areas) – Bradu, Avrig
– CMT Association – Reșița
– Asptmr Constanța – Constanța
– Capace cu suflet – Cluj-Napoca
– Grivița 2021 – Grivița, Galați County
– Everything will be fine Association – Buzău
– Give It Back Association – Pitești
– MagicSeniors – Bucharest
– Creativact – Sibiu
– Unu și Unu Foundation – Bucharest

– Asociatia Drum Deschis către Educație – Dobrun, Olt- Tineri pentru Matca – Matca, Galați
– Asociatia Activ în Comunitatea Mea – Galați
– Asociatia FIR – Cluj-Napoca
– Asociatia de Conștientizare a Industriei Agricole – București
– Asociatia Intercalat – București
– Asociația Pe Scurt – București
– Asociatia Beehave – Constanța
– Asociatia pentru Salvare, Recuperare și Ajutor Umanitar – Galați
– Asociatia Studenții Contabili – Iași
– Asociatia Mentes Maskent – Odorheiul Secuiesc, Harghita
– Asociatia Tineri Pentru Democrație, Coșbuc – Bistrița-Năsăud
– Asociatia SMART – Craiova
– Asociatia Transilvania 3D – Mincești, Alba
– Asociatia Implicare și nu nepăsare – Radovanu, Călărași
– Asociatia Fabrica de Daruri – Popești-Leordeni, Ilfov
– Association for Active Citizenship Civitera – Balotești, Ilfov
– Association BreazArt – Breaza, Prahova
– Association for Human Development – Iași
– Association Drumuri printre Măguri – Măgureni, Prahova

Find out more about the results of the Civic Startups support and mentoring program in the article published on stiriong.ro.

A unique product in the NGO space, launched in the fall of 2023: Legaleză for NGOs – a series of webinars and articles hosted by stiri.ong aimed at clarifying and making accessible the legal regulations that NGOs must follow in their daily work.

“Especially useful for a small NGO and especially valuable for the CSDF experience” – participant message

New Media and CSOs – A Two Way Street of Resistance to Shrinking Civic Space: a meeting hosted by CSDF with independent media from Romania in a 2-day international event (December 7-8, 2023) that brought to the table the fragile state of public interest journalism, the lack of funding for ethical and independent journalism and the need for business models that keep media functioning in an increasingly gray publicity landscape. 60+ participants from Norway, Poland, Poland, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Republic of Moldova and Romania discussed the challenges that the narrowing trends in civic space bring for NGOs and alternative media alike.

Starter Pack – First vote: a conversational kit for young people aged 16+ who are voting for the first time and who are interested in knowing how to prepare for the moment, how to identify the candidate that suits the needs in their communities and how to manage the outcome of the voting process.

The kit is in the CSDF portfolio and can be shared with organizations working with young people.

Together with our 9 partners from 7 countries in Central and Eastern Europe plus Norway, we have put together a strategy for civil society, based on the premise that we should have such a package for civil society and activists.

Read here the interview with Ionuț Sibian, Executive Director of CSDF, about the European dimension of the project.