ROOTS: Collective Fundraising Program for the Cultural and Civic Sector in Banská Bystrica

Civil society organisations in Banská Bystrica and the wider region face growing financialinstability, high dependence on short-term public funding and limited capacity to buildsustainable income streams. This weakens their ability to plan strategically, retain teams,provide spaces and services for communities, and continue work in areas such as democraticparticipation, human rights, inclusion, culture and community development.

Záhrada CNK, a key cultural and civic infrastructure in Banská Bystrica, has lost around one third of its budget due to changes in public funding and must cover at least 30% of its budget from non-public sources. Similar challenges are faced by other regional organisations. Smaller and local CSOs often lack fundraising capacity, access to private donors, strong  communication tools and stable mechanisms for cooperation.

At the same time, public support for CSOs at local and regional level is often insufficiently transparent, predictable and evidence-based. This limits the ability of civil society to operate independently and to contribute to democratic public life. The project responds to these challenges by addressing both the financial vulnerability of CSOs and the need for a moreenabling environment for civil society in the region.

The project will build a collective community fundraising programme for the cultural and civic sector in Banská Bystrica. The programme will bring together Záhrada CNK, the Healthy City Community Foundation, Laputa, o.z. (Literárna bašta publishing house) and the Centre forCommunity Organising under one shared fundraising identity, while strengthening the visibility and role of each organisation.

Over 18 months, the project will set up the fundraising infrastructure, communication identity,donor database, CRM and reporting systems; run continuous donor acquisition and retention campaigns; organise fundraising events; and build the fundraising and communication capacities of the four participating organisations. The programme aims to reach 540 regular donors by the end of the project, with a milestone of 330 donors by month 12.

Part of the income generated through private donations will be redistributed (not from EEA grant funding, but from private sources—fundraising income) through the Healthy City Community Foundation to support local civic initiatives and a renewed microgrant programme for young people, including young people from minority communities. The project will also prepare an analysis of public support for CSOs in Banská Bystrica, Zvolen and the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region, organise consultations and round tables, and publish recommendations for more transparent and predictable public funding of civil society.

The project will create a functioning regional fundraising infrastructure that strengthens the financial resilience of civil society organisations in Banská Bystrica and the surrounding region.By the end of the project, the collective programme will reach 540 regular donors and generateEUR 53,865 during the project period, creating an annual fundraising potential of approximately EUR 68,000 after the donor base is established.

Four participating organisations — Záhrada CNK, the Healthy City Community Foundation,Laputa, o.z. (Literárna bašta publishing house) and the Centre for Community Organising — will improve their organisational capacity in fundraising, communication, reporting and financial planning. The wider civic ecosystem will benefit through two grant rounds supporting at least six local civic initiatives and through at least ten microgrants for young people, including young people from Roma, queer and Ukrainian communities.

The project will also benefit regional CSOs and public institutions by creating a data-based analysis of public support for civil society, involving at least 14 CSOs in consultations and producing recommendations for more transparent public funding schemes. Donors and thewider public will benefit from regular transparent reporting on how funds are raised and used. Inthe long term, the project will strengthen trust, cooperation and sustainability within the regional civil society sector.