Nongovernmental organizations get state support

Written by HRH Moscow/ Inna Komar

According to the Order “About providing in 2007 a state support for nongovernmental organizations, taking part in civil society institutions development” it`s provided to appropriate 1. 245 billion rubles in 2007 for carrying out a competition between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), registered in the Russian Federation. NGOs, which projects turn out to be more social significant, will get the money. Some more 4.216 million rubles would be appropriated to NGOs directly.

-Grant distribution mechanism will be open and clear
The Head of President’s Administration Deputy Mikhail Ostrovskiy stressed that grants distribution mechanism would be open and clear for the society to the limit. And it would be controlled by civil sphere at the head of six NGOs. They will establish special Competitive Commissions. The Commissions on competitive base should determine which NGOs will get the money from the State. The Administration representative reported that hereafter the government intends to increase NGOs state support. By his words, in 2008 it`s expected to appropriate 1.5 billion rubles, and in 2009 – up to 2 billion.

Comments from human rights activists
Many human rights defenders commented on the President´s Order. -We can only solute the President`s decision, for recently NGOs financial situation is going down by leaps and bounds: many foreign foundations left the country (the Open Society Institute first of all), rise of prices for rent. However it`s of fundamental importance who will decide which organizations in particular get the support from the state, and also how and who would estimate mentioned above “social significant” projects` quality and assign grants, said Liubov Vinogradova, above right, board member of the Russian Research Center for Human Rights (RRCHR) and the HRH Network Advisory Team.
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-We hope that new conditions will let us win
Last year the Public Chamber carried out the NGOs projects competition and the RRCHR presented a project called “Development of resource center for human rights NGOs”. In spite of the project`s high social significance and our organization`s reputation, the RRCHR wasn’t in the list of grant-recipients. First of all grants got the organizations, which heads were the Public Chamber members. So to say, we decide who among us we must reward. Liudmila Alekseeva, Moscow Helsinki Group Chairman, right, said that the fact that the State appropriates more funds for NGOs gladdens us. It´s quite another matter what conditions will be for the funds appropriation. This year we´re going to participate in the competition for grants and we hope that new conditions will let us win´.