We support active people who want to make positive changes in their community. Our goal is for people to take a greater interest in community affairs, engage in improving neighborhood relations, trust each other, contribute to the self-sufficiency of local communities and deepen their relationship with the landscape.
TYPES OF SUPPORTED PROJECTS
COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACES
We support people working collaboratively to build outdoor or indoor community gathering places, create community centers, community gardens or workshops, park improvements, etc.
LANDSCAPE RESTORATION
We support e.g. groups of neighbors planting alleés of trees, restoring small woods or copses, creating ponds, cleaning springs, maintaining heritage trees, mowing meadows, engaging in community bee keeping and other possible measures to improve the landscape around us.
NEIGHBORLY GATHERINGS
We support people organizing neighborhood meetings and festivals, holding non-commercial cultural events involving local people or guided walks.
COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING EVENTS
We support people raising funds for a local organization or individual in need. A condition of support is that the fundraiser event has a community focus - i.e. it must be about the place where you live and its people and involve the public.
community stewardship
Citizen-led restoration of small monuments, mapping history and reviving forgotten local traditions, cleaning up public spaces or neglected sites, revitalizing parks, nature trails and information boards, etc.
COMMUNITY PLANNING
We support e.g. community planning of public space improvements, questionnaires and surveys, discussions and consultations with experts (e.g. on the development of a community energy system in a village), commissioning of studies or expert documents to support community activities, etc.
DEFENDING PUBLIC INTERESTS
We support people addressing urgent or pressing issues of public concern in their community. We provide support for planning and organizing information campaigns about the given cause, expert opinions, advice and consultation, petition campaigns, organizing local referenda, legal services, litigation costs, etc.
TYPES OF SUPPORT WE PROVIDE
Grants for neighborhood activities and community support up to CZK 100,000 ($4550). Applicants choose the project theme, within the areas listed above.
Small grants of up to CZK 20,000 ($910) for smaller neighborhood activities. This does not necessarily have to be a comprehensive long-term project, but for example can be an activity needed to kick-start a larger project or an event connecting neighbors who would not otherwise interact.
Fast grants to defend public interests in your community up to CZK 40,000 ($1820). These grants are for people interested in getting the public involved quickly in decision-making processes and initiating a broader discussion on pressing public interest issues in local causes.
Fundraising campaigns on Darujme.cz where Via provides matching of up to CZK 20,000 ($910). Recipients of any of the grants listed above are automatically eligible to set up a campaign on Darujme.cz to raise additional resources and local support. Individuals and groups can also apply for this option separately, regardless of whether they have received a grant from the Our Community program.
In addition to financial support, we also offer learning seminars and networking sessions. Each supported project is also entitled to 5 hours of expert consultation on topics relevant to the project.
Proteus Community Academy. This is a learning opportunity for those interested in taking a holistic approach to developing their community building knowledge and practical skills.
Large grants of up to CZK 500,000 ($22,700), funded in cooperation with Česká spořitelna bank through the “We Can Do More” program. This is a two-year program for groups seeking to transform public places and natural areas into community gathering places. The program supports projects engaging the broad public and working in concert with the municipality. Supported projects are also given the opportunity to set up a fundraising campaign on Darujme.cz with matching of up to CZK 50,000 ($2270).
On the starting line: grants of up to CZK 20,000 ($910) to support neighborhood life in places at risk of social exclusion.
Support for projects is decided by an evaluation committee based on criteria for each type of support.
WE THANK THE FOLLOWING DONORS
Za finanční podporu děkujeme
Hana a Dalimil Dvořákovi
the hamer foundation
martin kulík
Ondřej Bartoš
TK BOOKS, S.R.O.
a
těhotnej kuchař
LUKÁŠ sCHIRL
vĚRA vÝTVAROVÁ
A dalšíM
MEDIÁLNÍ PARTNEŘI
