Stefan Batory Foundation

The Stefan Batory Foundation is an independent private Polish foundation established in 1988 by American financier and philanthropist George Soros and a group of Polish democratic leaders from the 1980’s. Cooperating with the Soros network, it has complete autonomy in its decision-making process.

Mission

To support the development of an open, democratic society in Poland and other Central and East European countries.

Geographic Focus

Poland and Central and Eastern Europe

Programme Areas

The foundations’s work is divided into grantmaking and operational programmes:

Grantmaking programs

– Citizens for Democracy: the aim of the programme is to strengthen civil society development and enhance the contribution of non-governmental organizations to social justice, democracy and sustainable development.
– Equal Opportunities: the programme consists in the development of a local scholarship system for secondary school students based on local community activity and resources. Through this programme the foundation intends to contribute to equalize the educational opportunities of children from urban and rural areas and help talented youth from low-income families.
– For Belarus: The program’s objective is to support civic initiatives aimed at building an open society and preparing for democratic changes in Belarus.

Operational programs

– Debates: through Batory Foundation’s Debates the foundations aims to establish an independent meeting and discussion forum for politicians, professionals, public intellectuals and journalists. The goal is to foster public debate on issues important to the future of its country and region.
– Your Vote, Your Choice: the programme’s goal is to increase public interest in local affairs and to encourage civic participation in public life, including an informed and responsible participation in local and parliamentary elections.
– Public Integrity: the goal of the programme is to increase transparency and integrity in public life and to promote open, accountable governance.
– Open Europe: the goal of the programme is to promote an active, coherent and friendly Polish and European Union policy towards our Eastern neighbors and to support democratic processes and pro-European trends in Eastern Europe.
– Regional Alcohol and Drug Program: launched in 1996, the programme promotes innovative addiction treatment methodologies in Central and Eastern European and Central Asian countries. Its main purpose is to provide both theory and practice to clinical professionals and educators in the field of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment addressed to the population of addicted patients and their families
– ECFR Warsaw: In September 2011, the Warsaw Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) was opened at the Batory Foundation. The goal of the ECFR Warsaw Office is to plug Polish political and expert milieus into the general European debate on EU external policy. The Office disseminates ECFR analyses and reports and organizes debates, discussions and conferences about them. It also undertakes its own research and expert analyses.