In February 2003 the Trust for Civil Society in Central & Eastern Europe organized an intensive four-day study tour for executives of grantmaking foundations operating in the region. The event was conceived as part of a learning process to improve institutional grantmaking in Trust target countries. What did participants learn from the tour?

There are several institutional strengthening programmes just starting up in Central and Eastern Europe. The Czech VIA Foundation has just launched one and Soros Foundation Hungary is about to launch one. Freedom House Budapest plans to make institutional grants within its Regional Networking Programme, and the Baltic American Partnership Fund has been running an institutional grants programme for the past three years. Two indigenous organizations that have experience in institutional grantmaking are Ekopolis Foundation/ETP in Slovakia and the Polish Stefan Batory Foundation.