Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe

Building Civil Society After Communism

  • Overseas
  • 2000

In 2000, six U.S. foundations joined together to form the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe. Its charge was to help build up the fragile elements of civil society in countries emerging from decades of communist rule. The foundations invested $66 million in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to strengthen service organizations, journalism, watchdog groups, think tanks, and other private organizations and charities that could help sustain democratic governance. The trust completed its grantmaking at the end of 2012. By then its target countries were holding regular elections and integrating with other European nations to the west.