Key Achievements

Key Achievements

ISC Serbia

Civil Society Advocacy Initiative (CSAI)

ISC Serbia

CSAI Key Achievements

CSAI strengthens the civic sector by helping CSO coalitions to improve the legal and regulatory framework and operate with maximum leeway in the current environment.

The Civil Society Advocacy Initiative (CSAI) program is a seven-year, $27.5 million initiative funded by USAID that supports Serbian civil society in its ability to influence public policy, serve as government watchdogs, and conduct sustained advocacy campaigns on a wide

variety of reform issues.

CSAI promotes civil society advocacy through grants, training and tailored technical assistance to Serbian CSOs to develop institutional capacity and the ability to promote causes of relevance to Serbian citizens.

ISC Serbia


$13.5 milion

364 grants

230 CSOs

The CSAI program directly supported 230 CSOs throughout the country through 364 grants worth a total of $13.5 million dollars.

The program has assisted CSOs of all sizes, ranging in experience and capacity,

and operating in a range of different sectors. The program has also worked with CSOs in all five regions of Serbia and supported CSO-led initiatives in over one-third of all Serbian cities and municipalities.

Vojvodina

West Serbia

Central Serbia

East Serbia

South Serbia

ISC Serbia


CSAI trained more than 1430 civic activists and leaders, based in 50 communities across the country, from 250 CSOs in principlesof effective advocacy initiatives and citizen engagement.

The program’s Mobile Advocacy School (MAS)

Designed by ISC in 2008, MAS trainings help improve grantees and non-grantees’ advocacy skills, particularly individuals residing in ethnically mixed and economically underdeveloped municipalities, by providing year-round technical assistance to the civic sector.

CSAI formed the Advocacy Resource Persons (ARP) team of consultants

Under the guidance of CSAI’s ARP team, participating CSOs learned how to develop strategic action plans to maximize the impact of their issue-based advocacy campaigns.

1430 civic activists

From 250 CSO

In 50 communities

ISC Serbia


Supported provision of legal and policy reforms (national and local) on election legislation, promotion of government transparency and accountability, socio-economic development, environment, youth, vulnerable populations and other issues. From the beginning of CSAI program authorities passed 30 national laws and statutes and 56 local decisions.

The CSAI program improved the legal framework for CSO work and supported provision of legal and policy reforms.

The program assisted with the establishment of the Office for CSO/Government Cooperation And the Local Gender, Roma and Environmental Councils in tens of Serbian municipalities and cities.

The program drafted legal provisions for:

o Law on Associations, o Law on Volunteers, o Law on Endowments and Foundations,o Law on Social Housing, o Law on Personal Data Protection, o Law on Data Confidentiality, o Unified Voter List,o Corporate Tax Law and Property

Tax Law.

ISC Serbia


Supported numerous issue-based advocacy campaigns that helped to build a culture of democracy and stimulate effective citizen

engagement in key reform areas.

Supported numerous issue-based advocacy campaigns to:

o revitalize local school yards and playgrounds;

o clean up of rivers and illegal dumps;

o create employment for people with disabilities;

o provide goods and services;o support human rights for

all communities.

CSAI established three innovative CSO-led joint initiatives bringing together strategic coalitions of stakeholders to tackle the most pressing societal issues.

ISC Serbia


The CSAI program helped develop CSO-private sector partnerships and encourage corporate philanthropy and CSR

CSAI successfully organized highly visible and important corporate volunteer events, such as “Our Belgrade” and “Our Gornji Milenovac,” which helped forge sustainable CSO-private sector partnerships.

CSAI helped launch the first ever Business Leaders Forum in Serbia with members from 17 leading Serbian and international companies to encourage CSR and philanthropy within the private sector.

CSAI organized five consecutive VIRTUS Corporate Philanthropy Excellence Awards to honor socially responsible businesses operating in Serbia.

ISC Serbia


CSAI took the lead in highlighting the role of social media in digital activism, galvanized CSOs to get engaged in new and innovative ways and showed

citizens how significant change can be crated through social media and new technologies.

CSAI supported the establishments of the Share Conference

CSAI’s New World program helpedincrease the capacity of CSOs to effectively use social media and new technologies to advocate more effectively for their causes, recruit additional support, and become more efficient in their work.

ISC Serbia


CSAI supported various youth-related issues ranging from youth advocacy and activism to youth employment and entrepreneurship.

CSAI supported:

o The establishment of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and 70+ Youth offices around the country;

o The adoption of the Government of Serbia’s National Youth Strategy;

o Junior Achievement (JA) program; o Partnership@Work program to

develop cross-boarder relations between Serbian and German high-school students.

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34 youth focused grants in total value of $1.2 million USD.

CSAI participated in:

o increasing youth participation in cultural life through various activities;

o creating volunteering programs for youth to support the elderly;

o preventing youth violence;o developing models for working with at-

risk youth;o improving the socio-economic position

of disabled and at-risk youth.

ISC Serbia


CSAI undertook significant effort to improve the image and visibility of the civic sector and to cultivate an improved understanding, and

appreciation, of CSO achievements.

CSAI’s supported Visibly Better

Campaign to highlight the important role that CSOs play in towns and communities across the country.

This national-level campaign highlighted the impact of a cross-section of CSOs operating in the country. The campaign involved a series of high-profile events that significantly increased the presence of CSOs in both traditional media outlets and social media networks to show the important work that CSOs do throughout Serbia.