ECOLOGIA's Baltic Mini-Grant Program

In each nation (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) an Advisory Committee publicizes the availability of the grants in the languages of each country, holds workshops to teach interested environmentalists how to design and write a project proposal and draw up a budget, and makes recommendations on the most suitable projects to be funded each year. Recommendations are then reviewed by ECOLOGIA's Baltic Programs Office in Vilnius, Lithuania. Recipients submit an interim and a final report, both of which include documentation of their activities and a budget statement. Recipients also inform ECOLOGIA of matching funds their projects receive.

The Mini-Grant projects have served to revitalize some already established groups (by giving them an incentive to focus on an achievable, visible project). Some well- established groups operating larger projects with other sources of money, have sought out newer or less well financed groups in rural locations, and notified them and encouraged them to apply for Mini-Grants. This has been especially true in Latvia. Although the population of Riga, the capital city, is more than half that of the entire country, the second year's Mini-Grant projects were almost entirely from first-time grantees, newly formed groups in rural areas or in smaller cities.

Most importantly, these small project grants have encouraged new NGOs and innovative projects. Groups without previous grant experience are more likely to apply for, and to receive, a small amount of money targeted for a specific attainable project, than a large amount of money for a vague or overly ambitious project.

ECOLOGIA's Mini-Grant program is only available for the Baltic nations, but other organizations fund similar programs providing small project grants to NGOs in other parts of the world.

For more information, and for application guidelines, and addresses of local Advisory Committees, please contact ECOLOGIA's Baltic Programs Office in Vilnius.

What Can Be Done With Small Grants? Some Examples of NGO Projects

"Green Wall":

teachers and schoolchildren plant trees and shrubs betweeen their schoolhouse and a busy road, Harjumaa, Estonia $500

Monthly ecological information supplement

published in regional newspaper, Daugavpils, Latvia $100 Dune Action in Talsi Region - Clean-up activities involving school children, club members and volunteers, Latvia $660

"Nature's Tale" Children's Environmental Poster Competition:

In the first year, over 1500 children entered the contest; over 3,000 people visited the final exhibition of award-winning posters; Vilnius Lithuania: $475

Ecotour Along Dubysa River:

water monitoring and campaign to publicize pollution and encourage construction of a waster water treatment plant in Siauliai, Lithuania $647

Ecology Circles:

city children study bioindicators and then do field work in a national park; Tallinn Estonia $518

Sustainable Development

training seminar for Latvian NGO members, Riga Latvia, $500

Oak Forest Planting

in conjunction with teaching about traditional Lithuanian nature religion beliefs, customs and crafts, Vilnius Lithuania, $498

Green Library for Latvia:

books on ecology were taken to small towns outside Riga; lectures and contests for school children were provided in those towns; $410

Returning of the Pond Turtle:

protection of the habitat and public information about the endangered species Emys orbicularis, Kaunas Lithuania $700

ECOLOGIA Homepage