Eurasia Foundation focuses on civic development in Ukraine (06/08/97)

Eurasia Foundation focuses on civic development in Ukraine

by Irene Jarosewich

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, U.S. involvement in Ukraine has been directed through large-scale projects funded by U.S. government agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Defense, through U.S. contributions to international organizations such as the World Bank, and through business investment, private foundations and voluntary organizations.

The Eurasia Foundation, established in 1993, received its initial funding from the USAID. Four years later, the foundation unites the resources of both the public and private sectors and fills the niche between large public projects, private business investment and humanitarian aid. Eurasia's mandate is to focus on civic development in all the former republics of the Soviet Union, to seek out and support projects that will stimulate grass-roots political and economic involvement, and in effect change how citizens of these countries view themselves and their governments.

The foundation's operating style is to respond quickly to grant proposals, and it solicits funding for its projects from both the public and private sectors. Grants range from $5,000 to more than $100,000, and this funding level does not require the grant recipient to have the sophistication necessary to manage a multi-million dollar project.

Meeting six times a year, the Eurasia Foundation's advisors in Ukraine annually review more than 300 unsolicited grant proposals received in the foundation's offices in Washington and Kyiv. This policy of reviewing proposals frequently means that unlike most foundations that review grant proposals only one or two times a year, Eurasia can respond with flexibility to changing conditions in the field. Proposals come from applicants in the U.S. who want to work in Ukraine, as well as from applicants in Ukraine.

Within the group of field grants, besides the "open door" policy of accepting unsolicited proposals, Eurasia also develops "targeted initiatives," grant competitions for a specific proposal developed by the foundation for which most applicants are solicited and asked to compete for funds. A separate grant category is the Partnership Programs, projects for which a grantee from Ukraine is paired up with a grantee organization from the U.S.

Besides grants, the foundation also has several "foundation-directed" programs that have been initiated, developed and are being administered out of the foundation's offices.

Recently Nick Deychakiwsky, director of the Eurasia Foundation's Kyiv regional office for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, and Karen Salz, a senior program officer with the foundation's office in Washington, met with The Weekly staff and provided an update on the foundation's work in Ukraine.

The foundation established its Kyiv regional office in 1994, though it has been providing grants for projects in Ukraine since 1993. Mr. Deychakiwsky has been working in Ukraine since 1990 and was with the Kyiv office of the Soros-funded Renaissance Foundation prior to joining Eurasia.

"We don't work on the macro level," said Mr. Deychakiwsky, "we work on the grass roots, to empower the individual. If you have good initiative, Eurasia will give you the framework."

"Several years ago, for example," Mr. Deychakiwsky continued, "an organization would request money for a conference. We would support such a proposal to build local networks, encourage the development of a civic organization. When we would ask for a report of the results of the conference, we would be presented with a list of resolutions and demands of what the government should do. Now this same organization applies for a grant to set up a series of small business workshops."

One of the targeted initiatives, or grant proposals that Mr. Deychakiwsky developed in Ukraine, is the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Public Awareness Program. In order to both encourage the development of an independent media and support civic organizations in the oblasts, local print and broadcast media organizations were invited to produce a program or write articles about the work of the local civic sector. A jury will evaluate the submissions (more than 150 are expected), and the top 30 journalists will participate in a two-week study tour in the West. Their media institution will receive a development grant. The top 30 will receive funding to produce another round of programming from which three winners will be chosen next year. Eurasia has received funding from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. for this 15-month program, including $200,000 from the U.S.-based Mott Foundation.

As part of the funding strategy in the Media Viability Program, one of Eurasia's foundation-directed programs, recipients do not receive grants, but a combination of "hard" or "soft" loans. These loans are given to media organizations to help them develop a revenue stream independent of government support. The money paid back can than be used to help other media organizations. Besides providing support for an independent media, the loan strategy is a "strong, disciplinary factor," according to Ms. Salz, since money in the form of a loan decreases the chances that the money will be utilized ineffectively.

According to Ms. Salz, Eurasia staff and advisors understand that many of the organizations it works with are still on the steep upside of a learning curve, trying to survive amid dramatic political and economic changes. She advocates patience and a long-term perspective.

"Continuing to work at the grass-roots level is essential [in these countries]. No matter what happens at the top," said Ms. Salz, "if there has been no work done at the local level, changes at the top will be ineffective. ... Our goal is empower the individual, to take direct action, ... build confidence and [encourage] people to use the power of the vote."

Despite a great deal of negative press about Ukraine recently, Mr. Deychakiwsky said he is "very optimistic" about Ukraine's prospects. According to Mr. Deychakiwsky, "the problems raised are true and real, and Ukraine needs to fix its problems ... it's a waste of time, for example, for Ukraine to compare problems with other countries and say 'our problems are no worse.' Nonetheless, there has honestly not been enough time in Ukraine to form a separate leadership elite, a critical mass, that is consistently and knowledgeably committed to reform." He added that neither support from the West, nor pressure for change, should be reduced.

The Eurasia Foundation
Total Funds Disbursed in Ukraine to date: $10,089,758

FIELD GRANTS: $4,019,395

Sample grants:

International Management Institute / Ivano-Frankivsk - to set up a center to print educational and informational materials on economic reform, municipal management, privatization, accounting.
Electronic Communications Capabilities Program - to improve access to, and knowledge of, electronic information resources (Internet).

PARTNERSHIP PROJECT GRANTS: $3,550,363

Sample grant:

To create a public administration and policy program, as a joint project between the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and universities in Dnipropetrovsk and Symferopol.

FOUNDATION-DIRECTED PROGRAMS: $2,520,000

Sample program:

Small Business Loan Program - to provide small businesses access to capital on suitable terms through local banks, and to provide technical assistance to both the banks and the businesses.

For application guidelines, contact: The Eurasia Foundation, 1527 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone, (202) 234-7377; or The Eurasia Foundation, Kyiv Regional Office, 252133, Ukraine, Kyiv, blv. Lesi Ukrainky 26, k. 506; telephone, (380-44) 295-10-65.

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