The National Institute of Freedom – Center for the Development of Civil Society selected six organizations from over 150 applications, each of which received half a million zlotys in funding under the Civic Organizations Development Program. Among these selected initiatives was our organization – GAIA. The money will be used to implement the project “Iron Capital – Fundament Rozwoju”, which will allow the development of the construction and investment strategy of endowment capital, which in the future will contribute to the stable financing of GAIA-related projects.
A reliable source of income allows you to safely implement your activities and strategies. Such a guarantee for non-governmental organizations is the effective implementation of endowment capital in their structures. It is made of money that the organization collects for profits later allocated to statutory goals. Endowment is based on its inviolability and constant multiplication. The mere accumulation of such funds proves the correct direction of development of a given undertaking. Endowment money can make an organization independent from external financing. This allows for long-term actions that are important to society but do not have to generate quick income in the short term.
Financing non-governmental organizations has for years been a great problem for all those who ran such organizations. After Poland joined the European Union, the situation of Polish NGOs has definitely improved. The non-governmental sector started to develop, but the organizations still operated “from project to project”, it was difficult to maintain financial liquidity. Often, the lack of positive information about funding caused organizations to reduce their teams, freeze their activities, and, in extreme cases, to collapse.
GAIA’s financial strategic assumptions assume the fastest possible independence from European and national funds. We focus on the development of a fundraising plot and partnerships with business. In the future, we plan to create an umbrella organization whose individual departments will earn money for themselves, with priority to our mission and values. By implementing the project of building endowment capital, we prove that our activities are not short-term. We focus on long-term, stable development of the organization. Endowment capital is the first of our strategic activities that will be built not only by GAIA’s finances, but most importantly by a coalition of people and entities sharing similar values. We hope that such enthusiasts and experts will help the world become a better place thanks to the synergy of human creativity with the potential of artificial intelligence.
Due to the financing rules and the time needed for implementation, the planned date of mobilizing the endowment capital is February 2024.
