Events

                                        The Institute of Public Affairs, the Fellows & Friends Programme of the Hertie Foundation, the Studienkolleg zu Berlin Programme
would like to invite you to the debate:
 
Searching for the Polish Soros
How to ensure financial stability of the polish third sector?
 
Monday ,17 February 2014
5 pm – 7 pm
barStudio
Plac Defilad 1, foyer of Teatr Studio im. ST. I. Witkiewicza / Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
 

2014 is the year of anniversaries for Poland, marking the most important points of the country’s turbulent history over the past decades – also in the development of the third sector. At the same time, it marks the beginning of the disbursementperiod of the new pool of EU funds granted to Poland until 2020. Ultimately, it will be the last time such a large sum is provided by the EU for, among others, the third sector. Hence, a way of utilizing these means to strengthen Polish nongovernmental organizations as well as to prepare them for the operating conditions after 2020 must be considered.

Will the probable reduction of EU funds after 2020 make only a few organizations in the sector survive?
Does the present accessibility of the funds promote chasing after cash and obscure the mission of the organizations?
Poland’s entry into the EU 10 years ago caused many American and German foundations to limit, and even completely withdraw their involvement and financial support from our country. Who could take their place?
Is Polish business ready to take responsibility for the development of civil society?
Will we find philanthropists?
What to do to disenchant the myth that charity isn’t free?
Could public fundraising and crowdfunding develop in the Polish system?
Is conducting business activity by the NGOs a rescue from the sector’s upcoming challenges?

There is a need to examine the reasons for successes and failures of NGOs, to name the challenges before which they stood in recent years and those, which will appear in the near future and look for solutions together with representatives of the sector and institutions cooperating with them. New perspectives and interesting inspirations for such discussion could be found by drawing attention outside of the borders of our country. An exemplary question to ask is: how is Germany dealing with the need for financial diversification of the third sector, in order to become less dependent on public funds. The answer to it could serve as a starting point for reflections on what more could be done in this direction in both countries

 
 
Discussion Participants:
·         Prof. Helmut K. Anheier, dean and professor of sociology, Hertie School of Governance
·         Joanna Erbel, urban activist, member of the team of „Krytyka Polityczna”
·         Włodzimierz Grudziński, Plenipotentiary of the Board, The Polish Bank Association
·         Lidia Kołucka-Żuklong-time Program Director for Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe foundation – Representation in Poland
·         Ewa Krupa, Director, Orange Foundation
·         Małgorzata Steiner, Deputy Director, Department of Analyses and Public Communication, Ministry of Administration and Digitization
·         Tomasz Thun-Janowski, Director of the Bureau of Culture of the capital city of Warsaw

Moderation:Filip Pazderski, Head of the Civil Society Programme, Institute of Public Affairs
 

We invite representatives of nongovernmental organizations, public institutions dealing with the civil society, business and everyone interested in the topic! The participants of the Fellows & Friends Programme of the Hertie Foundation currently staying in Warsaw for a study visit will also be participating.

 
Organizers will provide a simultaneous Polish-English translation
 
After the discussion, we invite you for a glass of wine