The most valuable contributions to an open society are initiatives that unite people around common aims and values, thus fostering civil responsibility and facilitating solutions to specific problems in local communities. For the Stefan Batory Foundation, the most transformative programs in its ninth year of operation focused on strengthening nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), educating youths, and providing opportunities for women and minorities.

One of the main programs of the Stefan Batory Foundation is the NGO Support Program. Although it has been implemented for several years, in 1997 its main focus of operation was changed. The focus is no longer on individual projects, but on the strengthening of the nongovernmental sector as a whole. This year, the Foundation allocated 30 institutional grants.

"The priority of priorities should be empowering the people. Helping them to deal with their own problems. Showing them the importance of collective action in building a civilized, democratic, and developed community." Aleksander Smolar, Board Chair

A program launched in 1997 supports NGOs by providing a framework for local community foundations-both already established and newly created-that would make their continued operation possible when foreign aid is diminished or no longer available. To this end, the program helps them find sources of regular financial support in their local communities from businesses, individuals, or the local public sector.

Poland's younger generation is of particular concern to the Foundation, which makes a special effort to reach small towns and villages where the opportunities for young people to be creative and active are fewer. The Foundation continued to invest in youth through the Young Entrepreneurship Center, which was established last year. In Poland, as elsewhere, many young people leave school totally unprepared for the changes brought about by a free-market economy and begin their adult life without a job. Programs such as the Center are one way of overcoming the problems associated with reforming the Polish educational system.

An important part of the Center's activities is formulating projects for young people living in rural areas and establishing cooperation with agricultural secondary schools. The Near History Competition for secondary school students, organized in collaboration with the Karta Foundation, was an extremely popular means of stimulating young people's interest in the history of their local communities and increasing their understanding of contemporary problems, thus establishing closer links between generations. Students submitted the results of their research on the topic "Everyday Life in Poland 1945-1956" in a variety of formats. The results surpassed expectations: 731 competition entries were submitted by 1,318 students from nearly 400 schools throughout Poland. The popularity of this competition and the outstanding quality of the entries prompted the Foundation's board to transform it into a permanent program.

The Foundation's traditional areas of programming also achieved success in 1997. An important part of the Foundation's activities has always been assistance to university students and scientific organizations. The Alliance of Universities for Democracy awarded the Stefan Batory Foundation a special mention for its efforts aimed at increasing the role of the educational sector in the promotion of democratic institutions. In other program areas, the Foundation supported the activities of associations for national and ethnic minorities, and artists and organizations operating in the fields of culture, publishing, the media, and the Internet.

One final area of interest for the Foundation is the work of its Women's Program. The Foundation devotes considerable attention to initiatives aimed at the promotion of cooperation between various Central and East European countries, and supports actions facilitating the European integration process. In 1997, a variety of projects helped achieve these objectives, and OSKa, the National Information Center on Women's Organizations and Initiatives in Poland, once part of the Foundation's Women's Program, began functioning as a separate entity in 1997.

The dramatic political events in neighboring Belarus in 1997 prompted many Polish NGOs to increase partnership programs with their counterparts in that country. Outside of programmatic work, the Foundation, like the country as a whole, reacted to the devastating floods in southern Poland in July by providing emergency aid to children and technical assistance to local relief initiatives.

Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland)
1997 Expenditures

Arts and Culture	$878,000
Children and Youth	801,000
Civil Society	2,037,000
Conference and Travel	466,000
Economic Reform	0
Education	1,406,000
Legal Reform and Public Administration	232,000
Media and Communications	616,000
Publishing	214,000
Science and Health Care	423,000
Operating Costs	2,657,000
Other	757,000
Total	$10,487,000