The two days of the International Stronger Roots Conference in Prague were filled with inspiring discussions, insightful workshops, and meaningful connections. More than 100 international representatives of civil society organizations reflected on the program’s accomplishments and looked back at what this long-term cooperation brought. Together, we also looked to the future, exploring how emerging trends, such as the rise of AI, populist movements, and the power of impactful storytelling, will shape the landscape of civil society.
At the conference, we celebrated the achievements of 111 civil society organizations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary and charted a bold path forward for our shared mission. We are thrilled that Poland has recently joined the consortium as well.
The Stronger Roots Program was established more than five years ago in cooperation with partners from Glopolis (Czech Republic), NIOK Foundation (Hungary), and Open Society Foundation Bratislava (Slovakia). It aims to increase the effectiveness and resilience of civil society organizations and their networks, strengthen their social capital, and embed them in the communities and societies in which they operate. Although the second round of the program has ended, we are already preparing for the third round, which will last until 2027.
What are the common achievements of the second round of the program?
- 43 organizations strengthened their communities of supporters
- 52 organizations held crowdfunding campaigns
- 16 networks strengthened collaboration with divergent partners and deepened relations with local and regional members
- 6 networks contributed to adoption or amendment of national bills and methodologies
- 96 % organizations increased their social media followers
- 86 % organizations increased their individual donor base
“Over the past 18 months, we have worked closely with supported organizations to help them expand and strengthen their communities of supporters and partners. I see every individual engaged by these organizations as a small yet powerful root of their future resilience. Together, with the supporting community, these organizations will resist populists’ attacks and keep working on improving the lives of people in their country.”
Marie Peřinová, Program Director, Open Society Fund Prague
What do our partners say?
“We consider Stronger Roots program to be one of the outstanding and maybe the best program we have ever been running. It has all what it needs to have: international cooperation, it contributes to fulfilling our mission which means bringing money and core institutional support to NGOs, supporting ekosystems, supporting international but also domestic networks. We applied this model to other programs too.
Fedor Blaščák, Director, Open Society Foundation Bratislava, Slovakia
“For us, the Stronger Roots Program provided an opportunity to support organizations in building communities. I really believe that communities are key to creating trust among people which is something that is really needed in our society today.”
Renata Scheili, Program Manager, NIOK Foundation, Hungary
And how do the organizations themselves perceive the Stronger Roots program?
“We greatly appreciate the support we have received through the Stronger Roots program. Not only financial support, but also opportunities for educational development and, last but not least, for sharing with other organizations, which has shaped interdisciplinary cooperation. We believe that the project has contributed to a long-term process, namely joint discussion and coordinated cooperation between actors in education.”
Tamara Kováčová, SKAV (Permanent Conference of Associations in Education), Czechia
“With the help of the Stronger Roots Program, we gained concrete tools to identify local needs and solve them. And also, we were able to organize many programs, especially for women and children.”
Zora Kerekes, Pécsbánya Cultural Association, Hungary
To relive the moments, we’re excited to share a selection of photos from the conference. Capture the memories, the laughter, and the impactful moments we shared.
Photo credit: Ondřej Besperát
