The 15th annual Grantmakers East Forum (GEF), entitled ‘Facing the Extremes’, will take place 26-27 October in Tbilisi, Georgia. Established in 1992 by the European Foundation Centre, GEF aims to promote the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Eurasia by providing funders with an annual meeting space to discuss the effectiveness of their grantmaking efforts, exchange experiences, get inspired and encourage new donor activity in the region.

GEF is about change and transformation in the ‘East’, which for many funders increasingly means beyond the EU member countries. Georgia, aspiring for many centuries to be more closely integrated with Europe, with real prospects for European integration today, has experienced significant change in recent years, which has often involved extremes, both positive and negative. This dynamic is not unique to Georgia. The issues and trends of transformations and extremes resonate throughout CEE and Eurasia.

The conference aims to help funders active in these regions both to examine their own programming and to understand better the work of their peers – and, ultimately, the people they seek to serve through funding commitments. The plenary sessions will focus on noteworthy trends while also considering whether extremes are inherently negative or might bring welcome innovation and constructive change. Additionally, through so-called ‘auctioned’ sessions, participants will have a chance to propose and organize sessions on issues of interest to them with a view to exploring them with peers. The conference will provide plenty of time for networking, one of the most appreciated features of the Forum, including pre-conference meetings, site visits and social events.

For more information
http://www.gef.efc.be or contact the GEF Secretariat, gef@efc.be

A special report on the EFC’s Foundation Week, held in Brussels in early June, is published alongside the September issue of Alliance. See the PDF here.