Polish-American Freedom Foundation

“The foundation has entered into an agreement with norlund, inc., pursuant to which norlund, inc. Provides the consulting services of norman e. Haslun iii. Mr. Haslun owns norlund, inc. 100%. For 2024, norlund, inc. Issued invoices to the foundation for a total of $121,176, of which $121,000 was for the consulting services of mr. Haslun and $176 was for reimbursement of expenses. The board of directors has elected mr. Haslun to serve as treasurer, secretary and chief financial officer of the foundation.”

“The organization has members as required for delaware non-stock corporations. The organization's certificate of incorporation provides that the members are the directors and that if any member ceases to be a director he or she will also cease to be member. The members elect the directors and may approve certain corporate actions as provided under delaware law. The members do not have any economic rights in the organization.”

“The organization has members as required for delaware non-stock corporations. The organization's certificate of incorporation provides that the members are the directors and that if any member ceases to be a director he or she will also cease to be member. The members elect the directors and may approve certain corporate actions as provided under delaware law. The members do not have any economic rights in the organization.”

“The organization has members as required for delaware non-stock corporations. The organization's certificate of incorporation provides that the members are the directors and that if any member ceases to be a director he or she will also cease to be member. The members elect the directors and may approve certain corporate actions as provided under delaware law. The members do not have any economic rights in the organization.”

“Process for preparation of the 2024 form 990 (including schedules) (the "form 990"): the form 990 was prepared by management of the foundation and reviewed by (i) baker hostetler, legal counsel to the foundation, and (ii) deloitte tax llp., who was engaged by the foundation to review and sign the form 990. The form 990 was then distributed to all directors of the foundation prior to filing form 990 with the internal revenue service.”

“The organization's conflict of interest policy (the "conflicts policy") requires that all current directors, officers, key employees and others who have the ability to exercise substantial influence over the organization ("covered persons") complete a conflict of interest questionnaire each year of his or her affiliation with the organization. The conflicts policy requires the covered person to disclose any actual, potential or apparent conflicts, and affirm that they have read, understand, and have and will continue to adhere to the conflicts policy. Covered persons must also submit a new questionnaire disclosing any relevant change in circumstances. Questionnaires are distributed and collected by the organization's counsel on behalf of the audit committee and any disclosures of potential or actual conflicts of interests are forwarded to the audit committee for review and evaluation. At such time as a conflict is reported, the audit committee makes inquiries to determine the extent and nature of any actual or potential conflict of interest, investigates alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement, and if appropriate refers the matter to the organization's board of directors. After disclosure of the potentially conflicting interest and all material facts, and after answering any questions, the interested person is required to recuse himself or herself from deliberations and voting relating to the matter and is required to refrain from attempting to influence other decision-makers relating to the matter. The audit committee reports its findings from its review of counsel's memorandum to the audit committee summarizing all annual conflicts questionnaires to the board of directors annually.”

“Process for determining compensation. The compensation of the president and chief executive officer and other officers is evaluated by the compensation committee of the board of directors, who evaluate the compensation level and comparable compensation of ceo's and officers of comparable foundations. The compensation committee develops a recommendation, which is presented to the board of directors for approval. Neither the president and chief executive officer nor the other officers are part of any of the compensation committee or board of directors discussions regarding their compensation. Minutes of the compensation committee and board of directors meetings are prepared and retained. The president's compensation was last changed effective january 1, 2025, and his compensation was evaluated in the manner described above in 2024. The secretary, treasurer and chief financial officer's compensation was last changed in 2022 (such change was effective january 1, 2023), and his compensation was evaluated in the manner described above in 2024. The coo and head of the rep office compensation was last changed effective january 1, 2025 and his compensation was evaluated in the manner described above in 2024.”

“Our annual audited financial statements are included in our annual report, which is available to the public once posted on our website (www.pafw.pl). Our governing documents and conflict of interest policy are available upon request and upon management's discretion.”

“The polish-american freedom foundation seeks to advance democracy, civil society, economic development and equal opportunity in poland and ultimately in other central and eastern european countries.”

“The polish-american freedom foundation's (the "foundation or "paff") primary exempt purpose and one program service is to advance the purposes of section 201(a) of the support for east european democracy act by continuing and building upon certain assistance activities established by the polish-american enterprise fund (the "fund"), and to undertake developmental initiatives designed to solidify poland's transition to democracy and free markets. In furtherance of this primary exempt purpose the foundation focuses its efforts on (i) making investments in and grants (including matching grants) and/or loans to non-governmental institutions, non-profit community organizations, and individuals throughout poland; and (ii)sponsoring scholarships, fellowships, awards, student loans and exchange programs throughout poland, by allocating its resources to support private sector development in the areas of economic reform, leadership development, fostering civil society, and supporting local government and legal reform. The foundation concentrates its efforts in three targeted areas of support of its program service: i. Initiatives in education ii. Development of local communities iii. Sharing polish experiences in transformation presented below is a summary of the foundation's program service accomplishments:programs as of 31 december 2024 initiatives in education english teaching since 2000 this program has initiated and supported actions to promote the english language and improve its teaching standards among children and youth from small towns and villages, thus strengthening their educational opportunities overall. At the same time, the program fosters the professional development of english teachers working in small towns and rural areas. Promoting learning english, "english teaching" also stimulates and develops a variety of social initiatives. Their results often surpass the initial goal, leading to the general stimulating of activity in local communities. The program is aimed mostly at english language teachers working in primary schools and kindergartens based in rural areas and small towns. In the past many initiatives were organized at junior high schools, but those schools no longer exist. The program includes training sessions for teachers, coupled with the possibility of implementing projects with their pupils; it also provides help in preparing these actions. Between 2000 and 2024, grant competitions addressed to small-town schools and non-governmental organizations funded 1,284 projects to organize school clubs for fans of anglo-saxon culture and the english language, create libraries with english literature and press, and form theatrical clubs. The program led to organizing numerous contests focused on anglo-saxon writers, culture, and history, as well as song festivals. Children and teenagers were invited to watch english films and take part in lessons with native speakers of english. More than 75,000 pupils and nearly 5,000 teachers participated in the projects directly, and over 200,000 parents and other representatives of local communities were engaged indirectly. Summer language camps for children and youth are also organized, which attracted over 2,000 participants from 2006 to 2024. "weekends with english teaching" are methodology training sessions for english teachers based in towns and villages with populations of up to 20,000. To date, 169 such training sessions have been arranged for a total of 7,800 participants. 20 nation-wide educational meetings english teaching markets were organized for english teachers and representatives of interested institutions, organizations, schools, and publishing houses; they attracted more than 9,000 attendees. These annual meetings help expand the cooperation network of english teachers from smaller localities; they are backed up with a social media portal and regular e-news about other educational initiatives, such as grants for projects, training, or contests. In 2024 over 3”

“In 20222023, onet.pl was the media partner of the "ready for the future" campaign. In 2024, this role was passed on to the goniec website; and the orange foundation, martyna wojciechowska's unaweza foundation and the school with class foundation joined the group of partner organizations. Commissioner for children's rights monika horna-cielak and unicef polska have extended honorary patronage over the campaign. The "equal opportunities" program is the winner of the janusz korczak award in the "institutions and organizations" category in 2023. The aim of the award, organized by the korczak university academy of applied sciences, is to promote janusz korczak's ideas and support changes in education by rewarding institutions and people who are guided by the principle of empowering children, as well as supporting children and their families in difficult situations, and creating environments favorable to a happy childhood. The program enables the foundation to support the young explorer clubs initiative, which is a continuation of a model project initiated as part of the program in 2002 by the education society of kodzko, now carried out by the copernicus science center. The purpose of the young explorer clubs is to attract children and young people to the sciences. The club format helps young people learn through experimentation using simple, easily available materials. The year 2024 saw the 13th international young explorer clubs forum, held at the copernicus science center in warsaw. The event gathered ca. 300 people from armenia, georgia, moldova, romania and ukraine, as well as ethiopia, israel, kenya and cuba. The forum is a contact and experience-sharing platform which promotes the clubs. Nearly 1,300 units belong to the yec network; over 200 of them operate in georgia and several dozen in other countries. The polish children and youth foundation was program manager from 2001 to 2020. Program manager: the civis polonus foundation rownacszanse.pl learning schools (les) comprehensive action to improve polish education, using the best international standards, has been carried out under this program since its launch in 2000. The quality of schools improves mostly thanks to training delivered to teachers and headmasters, in rural areas and small towns in particular. The "les" training offer includes long-term actions for holistic school development, year-long e-learning courses for teachers, and one-day workshops for teaching staff. "les" also cooperates with collegium civitas to offer postgraduate courses for education leaders. "les" introduces an original quality assurance system into the daily operation of schools, which improves teaching effectiveness and supports pupils' learning outcomes. The system is based on formative assessment and other teaching strategies focused on students. By encouraging learners and teachers to become partners in learning, the system develops learning skills, strengthens internal motivation, and gives children and youth a sense of authorship. Participation in "les" program is beneficial for the whole school community young people take over the responsibility for the getting knowledge process and are better prepared for adulthood; teachers develop ways to perfect their performance and learn innovative methods of working; school directors get competencies necessary to run a modern school; and schools build good relations in their school community and the local environment. The schools participating in the program improve the teachers' work, monitor results of activities, and share best practices with each other. As a result, the "learning schools" program improves the effectiveness of teaching and learning, organizing the functioning of a school as "a learning institution", increasing the competencies and autonomy of teaching staff, and promoting cooperation between the school and its outside environment. In the course of 24 years the program gathered some 12,000 schools, of which 1,600 participated”

“The paff and uw school of education offers long-term support for more than 220 alumni and also provides assistance in securing a teaching job. Former students have ongoing contact with se lecturers, regularly refining their methods and sharing teaching experiences. Education facilities that hire the alumni are welcome to benefit from the rich training offer of the school of education. Since 2017 the school has added to its offer professional development for in-service teachers in teaching literature and polish, mathematics, biology, history, as well as didactic and communication competencies. The 2023/24 academic year the courses were attended by 225 people. Ever since 2023, the program taps into the "thinking class" experience. This innovative teaching method was designed by a canadian math teaching expert, professor peter lijledahl of the simon fraser university in vancouver, canada. After being trained by prof. Lijledahl, se mentors hold workshops to introduce this method to all lessons not just math, but polish, history, and biology as well. A total of about 1,500 teachers have taken part in the workshops to date. Additionally, under the program the research is carried out to scientifically verify this method and related teaching tools used at the school of education. Tried-and-tested practices are promoted not just at schools but also at other universities and teacher development centers. In 2024 nearly 7,000 participants attended conferences, training sessions, and webinars which showcased se methods and tools used in work with students. The foundation for quality education, established by paff in 2014, is responsible for the management and development of the school of education. Program manager: the foundation for quality education szkolaedukacji.pl projector student volunteers the purpose of the program is to equalize education opportunities of children and youth from villages and small towns. Under this program, groups of volunteer university students carry out projects that expand knowledge, skills, and personal interests of children and teenagers. The projects are carried out in free time during the school year and during summer and winter holidays. They focus on several leading topics, including: responsible use of the internet, ecology, as well as building and maintaining social relationships. The program encourages pupils to develop their skills by promoting positive role models and shaping university students' sense of social responsibility and solidarity, while providing them with an attractive way to discover and follow their passions. Since 2003 more than 45,000 educational projects have been organized across poland in about 3,000 schools with over 16,000 student- volunteers, involving nearly 467,000 pupils. In 2024, more than 700 student-volunteers carried out almost 1,800 educational projects for nearly 10,000 pupils at 250 primary schools. More than half had participated in "bridge scholarships; for many, this program was their first experience of social activity. In 2022, nearly 100 student-volunteers became involved in about 600 educational projects for more than 3,000 ukrainian children at 93 educational facilities. The program offer is supplemented with ekampus.pl, a digital platform with educational materials for volunteers to use in their projects. The program gained support from two former prime ministers: professor jerzy buzek and professor marek belka who, during the 2007 summer holidays, took on the role of volunteers and taught classes for school pupils in several rural communes. In 2012, in cooperation with the chancellery of president bronisaw komorowski, the modern patriotism project was carried out as part of the program where chancellery ministers and advisors visited schools in small localities. The project was designed to stimulate discussion about patriotism, shaping citizen attitudes in young people, introducing them to national symbols and local traditions, as well as promoting respect”

“Surveys conducted among program graduates show that 98 percent believe their bridge scholarship significantly improved their financial standing during their studies. 90 percent of scholarship holders achieve good or very good academic results, 70 percent finish their studies on time, and only 5 percent discontinued their studies. Under this program paff supports the entrepreneurship olympics, a joint initiative of the foundation for the promotion and accreditation of economic education and the five largest polish economic universities: the warsaw school of economics (sgh), and the economic universities in katowice, cracow, pozna, and wrocaw. The aim of the initiative is to promote entrepreneurship among high school students across poland. The 2024 olympics attracted almost 7,000 pupils from nearly 700 schools. The bridge scholarships program enables paff to support the development of scholarships and volunteer services carried out by the good network foundation which runs the my scholarship website (mojestypendium.pl) the largest polish website about scholarships. "rzeczpospolita," "forum akademickie," "perspektywy and the dlastudenta.pl website provide media sponsorship for the program. Program manager: the educational enterprise foundation www.stypendia-pomostowe.pl polish-american internship initiative: www.paii.pl the good network foundation ("my scholarship and "e-volunteering") www.dobrasiec.org fostering resilience in children and youth that is the latest undertaking of paff aimed at enhancing children's and youth's mental resilience. The objective of the program is to develop teachers and other educators' competence to deal with young people who are depressed, have low motivation, experience loneliness and lack of self-esteem. The program is implemented in cooperation with the school with class foundation and the education for democracy foundation. "fostering resilience in children and youth" is based on experience gained in the implementation of other paff programs, in particular "the relief fund for ngos and civic initiatives" conducted from 2020 to 2023 as the response to the covid-19 pandemic. The effects of that undertaking have shown that the pandemic had a heavy impact on children's and young people's well-being which resulted in a sense of insecurity, depressed moods, low motivation, and difficulties in establishing relationships as well as getting involved in social activities. The poor mental condition of polish teenagers was confirmed by the results of the latest pisa study. Polish young people ranked far below the average in oecd countries as regards persistence, curiosity, readiness to cooperate, empathy, assertiveness, immunity to stress, and emotional control. Meanwhile, unicef notes that 630,000 children in poland need ongoing specialist support. Teachers, educators, parents and experts who participate in paff programs call not only for interventions but first of all for securing effective prevention in the form of educational programs that will enhance social skills, mental toughness, and the well-being of the youngest. That new paff program offers a comprehensive approach to building children's and youth's mental resilience. Activities are addressed to teachers and implemented at schools as well as to people involved in the non-formal education; in that second case they are provided by ngos, libraries, and culture centers. Thanks to the program, people working with children and young people learn ways of building relationships within their peer groups, enhancing their self-esteem, self-assessment, or digital hygiene. They also learn how to recognize symptoms of mood disorders in the youngest children and react in crisis situations. The offer for schools consists of supporting teachers in developing students' social and emotional competence through building empowerment. The participants will have access to workshops, webinars and ongoing experts' assistance. That component of the program is based on th”

“Additionally, from 2005 to 2008 under the grant competition addressed directly to the third age universities, 131 grants were awarded for projects improving the quality of tau educational offers, including computer and internet courses enabling third age universities to reach a wider audience of senior citizens, as well as stimulating seniors' involvement in activities for the benefit of their local communities, particularly through voluntary work. Program manager: the association of the creative initiatives "" seniorzywakcji.pl development of local communities support for ngos the purpose of the program is to support non-governmental organizations and community leaders in poland, especially in small towns and villages, by providing them with information, guidance, and training. This allows improving conditions of functioning of third-sector organizations, and quality of managing them, which leads to more efficient acting and improved effectiveness of social undertakings. The program operates along three paths. The first, "mutual information society" ("mis@ngo") is an information system for civil society organizations, the main component of which is the non-governmental organizations portal ngo.pl the largest polish portal about civil society, recognized by almost 80% of ngos in poland. In 2023, 4.4 million users visited the portal, whose database currently contains information about 200,000 polish ngos. The system also has an information center with a free infoline at 801-646-719 (more than 4,000 consultations annually), plus research papers and publications. The second path, "euro-ngo+", aims to increase ngo capacity for acquiring eu funds. This is the continuation of the 2003-2006 paff "euro-ngo" program which helped polish non-governmental organizations obtain knowledge about eu funds and raise their competencies, thus enabling them to apply for these grants with greater success. Both then and in subsequent years they received support in building partnerships, advocacy and participating in planning structural funds, implementing individual programs, and monitoring distribution of funds earmarked for social initiatives. In this respect, the national federation of polish ngos (ofop) is responsible for information and advocacy. The third path, "ngo training", has two components. The first, "financial management for ngos" (fimango), consists of providing training, guidance, and publications to persons responsible for financial management in non-profit organizations, mostly those operating outside major metropolitan areas. In total, nearly 6,600 representatives of almost 4,450 organizations across poland participated in this training in the years 20002024. Training sessions were provided by the civil society development foundation. The second component, launched in 2013, is a comprehensive educational offer for ngo managers, consisting of the "promengo" training program, the "kursodrom" e-learning platform that has been used by more than 9,000 persons, and workshops in ngo management whose important part is the fundraising education program addressed to people who are focused on obtaining funds for non-profit organizations. The third sector quarterly completes the offer. It is a scientific publication wholly dedicated to research and analysis of issues pertinent to the development of ngos in poland. This part is implemented by the academy of civic organizations foundation, created by paff. For many years, paff co-organized the annual polish meeting of rural organizations in marz, which was attended by several hundreds of representatives of organizations from various polish regions. The present format of the initiative has been changed. It is now targeting village heads and cooperates with the rural development foundation. Paff also supports regular research on the condition of ngos in poland carried out by klon/jawor association. Program manager: mutual information society (mis): the klon/jawor association non-governmental orga”

“An eligible purpose of 2024 grants awarded in regular local competitions was mitigating the aftermath of the flood that swept across south-west poland. Also, under the already existing "anti-crisis support fund" also provided several alcs with support to enable channeling grants to local flood-affected ngos. As part of "act locally," paff also participates in various undertakings that serve the development and promotion of social philanthropy. The foundation supports the "benefactor of the year" competition and holds patronage over its "local partnership" category promoting the social activity of businesses which, together with act locally centers, help introduce permanent changes in local communities. As part of the program, the foundation also supports the "charity stars" competition organized by the academy, which awards public figures for their charitable activities. . Program manager: the academy for the development of philanthropy in poland dzialajlokalnie.pl sector 3.0 this program, operated since 2012, is a continuation of earlier actions implemented by paff to support the use of modern information and communication technologies in local development and civic activity. Its purpose is to broaden the knowledge and increase the skills of ngo activists and employees for effective ict use in their daily work. The program was preceded by an analysis conducted by the shipyard foundation, as well as consultations with polish and international experts. Information was gathered and published about the advancement of non-governmental organizations in utilizing digital tools, including adequate knowledge and competencies of their staff. Under the program, thematic training for ngos was carried out showing examples of effective use of modern technologies in communication, marketing, and management. Some of the ngos received grants to buy hardware and software as well as to carry out projects aimed at practical use of ict in the third sector. Local organizations have also been supported by a mobile ict advisors' network. So far they have provided over 9,000 pieces of consultations; almost 15,000 ngo representatives from across poland benefited from their help. Mobile advisors support was supplemented by a network of techclubs. These cyclical meetings of experts, representatives of business, local governments, and academia helped share experience in applying modern technologies. They attracted more than 18,000 people. Currently, the focus is mainly on delivering the latest knowledge that helps identify potential areas where ngos can employ ict. To this end, the sector 3.0 blog showcases diverse technological solutions that aid the digital transition of ngos, while the elearning.sektor3-0.pl platform offers online courses. Over last two years the program experts held numerous training sessions on ai use in ngos operations. They were attended by representatives of almost all managers of paff programs. Through sector 3.0 innovation fund, the program also offers funds and expert support for new ict tools that can be used by non-profit organizations. The fund channeled support to over 100 project teams and enabled creation of over twenty valuable applications, such as the tudu e-volunteering portal, the "patients for patients" application for patients with chronic diseases, and the "search: induction loop" database of locations and events where an induction loop is available for the hearing impaired to enable them to better enjoy their social lives. Annual international conferences, "sector 3.0" festivals, play an important role in the program. These events attract representatives from non-governmental organizations, business ict experts, politicians, scientists, and foreign experts from the usa, the uk, south korea, israel, and india. They offer a platform to share information about modern trends in how to utilize icts for social/civic actions. More than 8,000 people participated in 13 rounds of the sector 3.0 conference held in warsaw i”

“The program's twenty editions that have been held to date have resulted in raising the qualifications of 935 local leaders from across poland as well as creating their active nation-wide network, and educating 72 experts in employing the tutoring method. Program manager: zbigniew peczyski school for leaders foundation programliderski.pl pro publico bono the "pro publico bono" competition for the best civic initiative was initiated in 1999 by then prime minister jerzy buzek. From 2000 until 2014, the polish-american freedom foundation funded the competition awards. The objective of the competition was to support the development of civil society by annually selecting and promoting the most valuable and creative ngo activities on a national, regional, and especially local community level. The competition reviewed actions taken in the fields of education, culture and national heritage, healthcare, social assistance and charity, environment and regional development, as well as social diplomacy and european integration. When considering an initiative submitted for the competition, the competition chapter (jury), whose first honorary chairman was jan nowak-jezioraski, took into account the social importance of the initiative, its innovativeness, its impact on development and competitiveness of local communities, as well as the effectiveness and transparency of how public funds were used. Additionally, the chapter assessed the institutional stability of a given organization, its adherence to ethical methods, and the quality of cooperation with the public administration and other institutions. In 2007 the bolesaw wierzbiaski award for the editorial staff of local press was established and was funded by paff. Until 2011 the initiative was conducted by the polish journalists association. At present, it is awarded by the local press association. The 2024 bolesaw wierzbiaski award went to the editorial staff of nowiny.pl portal. In 2021, a new undertaking, "media forum. Local development", was launched, based on the experience gained within the competition for the bolesaw wierzbiaski award. The objective of this project is to support the professional development of local journalists by improving their competencies through training sessions conducted by experienced journalists of local and national media along with other experts. Between 2021 and 2024, 350 local media journalists attended training sessions organized by the media forum foundation as part of the "media forum. Local development" project. As part of the "pro publico bono" program, the foundation also supports the civic congress, organized annually by the institute for market economics. This event, held since 2005, is a unique method of engaging citizens in discussions about the directions of poland's development, the condition of society and the common good. The congress is an open event which each time attracts nearly a thousand participants, including representatives of central and local administrations, non-governmental organizations, the academic milieu, business people, student organizations, and local community leaders. Additionally, the congress offers an opportunity to present paff's experience in activating local communities. The 19th civic congress, held in hybrid form, took place in 2024 under the motto "time for responsibility time to build your own strength!". The civic congress offer is complete with interactive "ideas for poland" newsletters, which provide a platform for discussion about issues pertinent to poland's national and regional development. Every week the newsletter, containing expert-authored texts, is sent out to subscribers via e-mail. Program manager: the local press association (the bolesaw wierzbiaski award) the media forum foundation ("media forum. Local development") the institute for market economics (civic congress) the pro publico bono competition foundation (2000-2014) library development program the library development program (ldp) has ope”

“The present program offer is addressed to the entire network of 4,224 facilities, who are welcome to seek assistance in, among other things, aiding the integration of ukrainian refugees with local communities, delivering non-formal education on climate change and natural environment protection to residents under the "library for climate" component, as well as providing digital education combined with assistance in improving critical media literacy. The program promotes a wide array of socially activating efforts, public consultations and actions aimed at involving the residents concerned in relevant issues. Libraries are flexible in their response to changing needs and emerging challenges. Involving program participants in existing initiatives and networks ensures a higher sustainability of program outcomes. Among these networks is the labib association, which brings together library directors who run support groups for other directors of nearby facilities. Another is the "initiatives" library director association, which is composed of library directors who advocate for librarians and develop leadership skills. Program manager: the information society development foundation biblioteki.org paff local partnerships the objective of the program is to initiate and develop cooperation among participants of various paff programs to promote establishing partnerships capable of implementing social projects important to entire local communities. The program uses the local community civic activation method to build common good on the basis of a social needs diagnosis. Thanks to the diversified paff programmatic offer many local communities in poland have carried out projects which have created opportunities for gaining experience and building resources that unleash civic energy. The "paff local partnerships" program offers participants of these projects the possibility of building joint partnership initiatives using the accumulated potential for work benefiting their local communities. This contributes to strengthening local social capital through a synergy of experiences and results of various initiatives. Partnerships primarily composed of participants of several paff programs, who constitute an initiative group within each coalition, are established. They are joined by local governments, businesses, the local media, as well as non-governmental organizations and institutions that have not previously participated in any paff programs. Organizations participating in one of the following paff programs can become partnership leaders: "act locally", "english teaching", "equal opportunities", "the learning schools" (les), "paff leaders", the library development program, "region in transition" (rita), "seniors in action", and "green leader." many local residents and volunteers are engaged in the execution of the projects. In the nine editions held since 2009, 83 paff local partnerships have been formed, including 19 partner start-ups, reaching 130 communes and engaging 1,200 partners. Thanks to the partner projects it was possible to amend existing legal regulations and reduce air pollution in ywiec, create a local citizen television channel in grodzisk mazowiecki, develop a public park in bigoraj, and regenerate a historical park in drawsko pomorskie. Dbica gained a poviat volunteer center, punica a "co-sharing point," which provides a resident-friendly and modern space of informal education. A "local integration center" now operates in orneta, while oborniki lskie and ubiany have acquired educational spaces. Project outcomes also promote local products. A "carp trail" now runs through barycza valley, warka offers an "apple route," while mielw cultivates its porcelain-making traditions. Podkarpacie now hosts a network of youth-friendly places, zotoryja gained a "volcano" activity center which seeks to engage young people, while niemce established a youth forest guard, which helps keep the kozowieckie forests clean and beautiful by promoting”

“An important component of the "green leader" program is "the green euro-ngo advisors" network, which is the national information and advisory system on the rules and mechanisms of managing environment and climate protection funds, mainly from the eu. The network supports ngo's as well as local government partnership's leaders in small towns and villages. The support is provided by specialized experts present in all poland's regions. At present, such support is delivered by 40 specialist advisors in each polish voivodship (2 experts per voivodship). Program manager: the sendzimir foundation zielonylider.org lane kirkland scholarship program the objective of this program, launched in 2000, is to share the polish experiences in transformation and european integration with representatives of eastern european countries, the south caucasus, and central asia by offering them two-semester complementary courses at polish universities. The program is currently addressed to candidates from armenia, azerbaijan, belarus, georgia, kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, moldova, tajikistan, ukraine, and uzbekistan. In the course of their individual programs, the scholarship holders study selected aspects of economics and management, public administration and business, law, social and political sciences, journalism, ngo management or culture management. Starting from the 2023/24 academic year, the thematic scope of the scholarship was expanded to cover issues related to the recovery of war-stricken ukrainian areas, e.g., urban planning, civil engineering, and forensic science. The scholarship begins with a preparatory course, which aims to present and systematize knowledge about poland's history and the current socio-political situation. Scholarship holders then go on to attend their individual programs at universities in either warsaw, cracow, pozna, wrocaw, or lublin, where they write semester and diploma papers under the tutelage of their academic supervisors. Integration and knowledge-sharing meetings are organized for the scholarship holders, as well as internships in public, non-governmental, and private institutions (e.g. The supreme court, the national bank of poland, or regional marshal offices). Participants are also welcome to take part in classes concerning the preparation and execution of civic projects and teamwork. In 2016 the kirkland research program was launched. This is a one-semester offer of research and scientific internships for academics holding an established position in participating countries. Interns following this path write a scientific article under the supervision of their academic supervisor. Each year, the program is attended by ca. 45 individuals. Over the years 2000-2024 the program was completed by 1,073 people from 13 countries (including 53 kirkland research scholarship holders): 571 from ukraine, and 189 from belarus, 71 from georgia, 69 from russia, 45 from armenia, 33 from kazakhstan, 25 from moldova, 20 from kyrgyzstan, 15 from azerbaijan, 12 from lithuania, 10 from slovakia, 7 from uzbekistan and 6 from tajikistan. The most popular faculties are economics and management, and law. Also, popular are social sciences, journalism, political sciences, and international relations. Academic staff, public institutions' representatives and experts have accounted for the largest number of professionals coming to poland. After the program's completion, the graduates keep in regular touch between themselves and with their polish hosts through the bulletin, alumni reunions, and the www.kirkland.edu.pl website. The alumni conferences held every 45 years, help maintain alumni ties with poland and with each other, as well as establishing new contacts. They also offer an opportunity to broaden alumni knowledge about poland and the european union, and to discuss possible directions of changes in countries of the region. Former scholarship holders are supported by the coordinator of post-scholarship projects, whose task is to maintai”

“Information exchange between organizations and civic leaders is facilitated by the www.civicportal.org social networking site. The portal is also an e-learning platform offering training to polish and foreign ngos. Between 2000 and 2024, "rita" provided support to 1,234 projects. In the first days of march 2022, in response to russia's aggression against ukraine and the immediate aid efforts of polish ngos, "rita" opened an ad-hoc "ukrainian path" in its grant competition. Available organizational and financial "rita" resources were redirected to the new path. The "ukrainian path" became the seed of a newly created, separate "support for ukraine" program. Thanks to that, the fund in the amount of a total of pln 1.7 million was allocated to ad-hoc projects. Program manager: the education for democracy foundation programrita.org study tours to poland (stp) launched in 2004, the program is addressed to active university students and professionals from countries of eastern europe and other post-communist states. The objective of the program is to show participants the realities of poland and the european union, as well as develop and strengthen professional and personal contacts between young leaders from eastern europe and their polish hosts. University students are offered a study tour of a dozen or so days to poland; currently the eligible to participate candidates at the age of 18 to 23 who want to meet representatives of the polish academic community, civic organizations, leaders of public life; they also participate in lectures, workshops, seminars, and cultural events come from belarus, moldova, and ukraine. Students apply to the program individually. The tours are organized for mixed groups of about a dozen people coming from various countries. They are held twice a year, in the spring and the fall, and are managed by experienced polish ngos, selected in an open competition. Study tours for students are coordinated by the borussia foundation. The offer for professionals is addressed to representatives of local governments, state administration, central state institutions, ngos, media, education, and other professional groups from eastern europe, the southern caucasus, and central asia. The tours, aimed at sharing the polish experiences in transformation and european integration, are held in cooperation with polish ngos as well as central and local administration bodies. After the maidan events of 2014, special emphasis in contacts with ukraine has been placed on sharing experience with people involved in local government reform and activities related to integration of ukraine with eu structures. From 2004 to 2024, study tours to poland were held for 7,219 citizens of ukraine, including 4,916 professionals and 2,203 students. The recruitment of participants in study tours for professionals is preceded by a letter of intent sent to the "stp" program office in warsaw by an interested institution and its partner organization from the countries of the region, or by a polish ngo and other institutions. Between 2004 and 2024, a total of 11,000 participants, including 4,000 university students and 7,500 professionals representing various environments took part in the study tours. In 2022, after the russian aggression in ukraine has started, paff launched the "stp for ukraine" initiative with a budget of pln 900,000. Polish ngos who had hosted student and professional leader groups in poland channeled material and financial aid through program alumni to people affected by the war. Aid reached most of ukraine's 24 oblasts, including the city and oblast of kyiv, as well as the oblasts of lviv, ternopil, dnipropetrovsk, kharkiv, sumy, and luhansk. Under the "study tours to poland" program, the foundation is involved in the warsaw euro-atlantic summer academy weasa a joint initiative of paff, the german marshall fund of the united states and the college of europe. The academy offer involves two weeks of classes, based at the natolin ca”

“Alongside "support for ukraine," program managers raised more than pln 30 million for several domestic paff programs from such foreign organizations as save the children and plan international. These funds were used to assist ukrainian refugees in poland, chiefly children and youth integration, through the library development program, "learning schools", "school with class", and "act locally". Program manager: the education for democracy foundation fed.org.pl/wspieramy-ukraine monitoring, evaluation and analyses (meva) "meva" is an expert-research undertaking initiated in 2005. The primary purpose is to carry out regular analytic research in order to maximize the impact and effectiveness of paff programs. The methods developed under "meva and the results of its analyses are also used by other ngos to pursue their activities. The analytical work aids in determining the extent to which the goals defined in paff programs and activities, as well as achieved results, meet the existing needs and are capable of resolving the problems addressed, especially with regard to local communities, equal education opportunities and overall education quality improvement. For example the results of evaluation studies of programs, such as "act locally," "third age universities, or paff and uw school of education, helped the foundation both to determine future program initiatives and modify existing ones. One of the tasks of "meva" is to monitor completed paff projects in terms of the durability of their outcomes. Paff's potential actions are evaluated in the context of existing and anticipated social needs. To that end selected social groups and communities are studied for example village youth, librarians, or ngo employees and new initiatives are tested. An example is the study on key trends influencing social activities in villages and small towns and their impact on the role of a local leader, carried out in 2019 under the "paff leaders" program. Another example is the analysis of the library development program's impact on its participants, which compared program libraries with the libraries and communities that did not participate in the program. In 2024, a qualitative research "rural youth 2024" on the behaviors, attitudes and factors influencing the social activity of young people living in towns and villages within municipalities of up to 20,000 inhabitants was carried out. Between 2022 and 2023, some analyses and evaluations (including "act locally and the library development program) were aimed at identifying the problems faced by ngos and local institutions due to the influx of refugees from ukraine, so as to adjust their actions. As in previous years, meva analyses and studies provided the basis for modifying programs and adjusting them to the changing conditions just as during the pandemic. An analysis was also carried out to assess the possibilities for paff and cooperating institutions to join local community educational and animation activities aimed at protecting the environment and climate. These led to the creation of the "green leader" program. As part of the "meva" program, mutually complementing and strengthening elements of paff programs are analyzed in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of the foundation's activities overall. Among the projects serving that goal is the "squared evaluation" initiative helping foster evaluation culture among the organizations closely cooperating with paff, part of which the "evaluation how do you carry it out?" guide was prepared. Cyclical seminars about evaluation research are also being held. Special among these is the "impact on social capital in paff communities" project (the so-called "box") that helped create and test a set of methods and research techniques enabling the determination of changes in the level of social capital resulting from the impact of foundation programs on local communities. Through "meva," paff supports also the "shipyard" foundation, which it co-found”

“Currency re-measurement loss -275,345.”