Philanthropy

Though philanthropy has languished in Serbia in recent years, it is far from lacking in historical precedent. Indeed, Serbia's tradition of giving reaches deep into the country's history and culture, though it is often forgotten by the history books. In the 12th century, ruler Stefan Nemanja established Studenica Monastery, Serbia's first philanthropic endowment. More recently, the period between the World Wars saw a golden age of philanthropy, when public figures such as Kapetan Misa Anastasijević, Nikola Spasić, Ilija Milosavljević Kolarac, Marija Trandafil, Djoka Vlajković contributed hugely to culture, education, and helping the poor, leaving spectacular buildings as a legacy.

In 2004, faced with a largely nonexistent donor scene and a weakened civil society sector, our implementing partner Balkan Community Initiative Fund (BCIF) launched a Local Philanthropy Program to revive and promote philanthropic ideas and attitudes. The LPP seeks to strengthen cooperation between non-profit organizations, local sources of funding such as Serbian businesses and citizens, and to make charitable actions an integral part of everyday life for Serbians.

To educate people about the culture of giving, BCIF has published "Messages of Past Times," a history and tradition of philanthrophy in Serbia in 19th and 20th century, launched Serbia's first philanthropy web portal, and organized regular seminars about giving for the public good and study visits for representatives of the business sector. In collaboration with the Deputy Prime Minister's PRS team, in 2007 BCIF created the Virtus Award for Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy, given yearly to the companies who best support their communities. BCIF also worked with the Czech VIA foundation to establish a grant matching program for Serbian organizations that also gives training in local fundraising, worked with the Ministry of Finance and Civic Initiatives to advocate for tax incentives for giving by citizens and companies, and authored a Draft Law on Endowments and Foundations to create a legal framework on giving for the public good.