Swiss-Hungarian NGO Block Grant and Scholarship Fund

The Swiss-Hungarian Civil Society and Scholarship Fund, implemented as part of the Swiss Contribution, aimed to reduce social and economic inequalities.

The Civil Fund aimed to develop and strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations operating in the regions of Northern Hungary and the Northern Great Plain: of the 102 supported projects, 67 were implemented in the field of social services, whilst 35 focused on environmental protection.

Under the nationwide scholarship programme, 679 disadvantaged students received financial and in-kind support, as well as educational and community programmes.

Over the three-year period, a total of 111 projects (102 civil society projects and 9 scholarship projects) were implemented across two rounds of applications, with funding totalling more than 1.3 billion forints.

The programme was managed and implemented by a four-member consortium led by the Ökotárs Foundation; the other members of the consortium were the Autonómia Foundation, the Foundation for the Development of Democratic Rights and the Carpathian Foundation – Hungary. Within the consortium, tasks were divided according to subject area: Autonómia was responsible for social projects.

The programme contributed to the professional development of local civil society organisations and to improving social opportunities for the target groups. The methods tested – such as mentoring, community development and cooperation-based programmes – continue to be used by several organisations even after the project has ended.

• Supported projects
• Summary and Evaluation