Untitled - Narodowe Centrum Kultury

32
bodies (provincial governors, heads of central government agencies
and ministers) are not allowed to do it.
Another procedure (Article 19b), called the local initiative, allows
residents to apply with their local government unit for funds to
carry out a public task (directly as an informal group or through the
above-mentioned entities). The public task may, among other things,
concern preservation and promotion of national traditions, cultivation
of Polish national identity and development of national and cultural
awareness; activities for the benefit of national and ethnic minorities
and regional languages; culture, art, preservation of cultural
goods and national heritage; tourism; and activities that promote local
community development. In this procedure, residents not only
submit a project but also declare their participation in it in the form of
voluntary work, financial support or contribution in kind. Local governments
do not give grants but provide support in kind and organisational
assistance.
For information on cooperation programmes, small grants and
local initiatives, visit local government websites and ngo.pl.
national public funds
Civic Initiatives Fund (FIO) is a government operational programme
that targets NGOs, church organisations and religious associations
engaged in public welfare activities, aiming to increase
their participation in fulfilling public tasks as part of public policies
shaped by and undertaken in line with the rules of partnership
and subsidiarity. The current edition of the programme spans
the years 2009–2013 and seeks, among other things, to encourage
activity and raise awareness of citizens and local communities.
The funds earmarked for FIO for this period are at least 60
million PLN a year. Calls for applications are announced annually
in the first quarter of the year.
Cultural activities may be conducted in several so-called support
areas:
National identity and culture (Priority I: Active, aware citizens, active
local communities, Section 8): promotion of local traditions, support
for initiatives that involve cooperation between sectors, public institutions
and NGOs in the field of tradition as well as local, regional
and national culture.
Children and young people (Priority III: Social integration and participation.
Social security, Section 2): creation and development of
equal opportunities in education, prevention of social exclusion and
social pathologies, promotion of intellectual development through better
access to the social services sector (education, culture, tourism),
Funds for local cultural projects
are available at all levels: from local
to national and regional to EU and
European. Funds are awarded to all sorts
of projects. There are quite a number of
opportunities.
encouraging social participation and cultural activities among children
and young people.
Partnerships for the integration of local communities (Priority
III, Section 4): partnership relations between different social
groups, including groups of mixed ethnicity, language, culture, and
denomination.
Preservation of the cultural bond with Poland among members
of the Polish diaspora (Priority III, Section 11): encouragement of
activities aimed at teaching Polish, raising awareness of Polish culture,
organising summer activities for children and young people, and
presenting Polish contributions to the cultural and economic development
of the country of settlement.
Holiday activities for children and young people, heritage and social
tourism (Priority III, Section 12), including the promotion of heritage
tourism among children and young people, support for tourist
initiatives aimed at increasing tourist and cultural appeal and encouraging
local development.
Projects may last 12 months (grants are between 10,000 and
300,000 PLN) or 24 months (between 20,000 to 300,000 PLN). For
more information on FIO for 2009–2013, visit the website of the Public
Benefit Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy at
www.pozytek.gov.pl, then click on the FIO tab. The website also includes
calls for applications, an FIO grant map, application generator,
FAQ and more.
The Culture+ Multi-year Programme is a government programme
for the years 2011-2015 aimed at improving culture accessibility
and participation in cultural life in rural and rural-urban areas
through modernisation and development of library infrastructure as
well as digitisation of the holdings of Polish museums, libraries and
archives.
Culture+ has two priorities:
Library infrastructure: Library+, whose aims include turning
communal libraries into modern culture and knowledge centres
and hubs of social life. Grants are awarded to libraries from rural,
rural-urban and small urban communes. Amounts of partial funding