NAChO: distribution system of presidential grants needs reforming

The National Association of Charitable Organizations (NAChO) of Russia has studied the peculiarities of allocation of presidential grants and concluded that budgetary funds in the country are often granted to organizations and projects whose aims are foggy, and relation to declared activities y is non-evident.

The "Caucasian Knot" possesses the report entitled "Presidential Grant. Case Studies", prepared by Vice-President of the NAChO Nodari Khananashvili. The document analyzes the outcomes of the two latest (of 2007 and 2008) contests on the so-called "presidential grants".

The author reminds that since the notion of "grant" is absent now in the budgetary code of Russia, the budgetary funds are distributed not directly, but via several "entrusted" organizations. The report analyzes the work of two of them - the International Humanitarian Public Fund "Znanie" (Knowledge) and Non-Commercial Partnership "Independent Organization in Support of Civil Society".

The author of the report narrates that in 2007 he submitted an application for a grant on behalf of one of public organizations and was rejected, and when he asked about the reasons, he was told that his application was not coordinated by the administration of the President of the Russian Federation. Besides, the author gives examples of the applications which were awarded grants, where criteria of satisfaction, in his opinion, were absolutely unclear. The report presents 16 examples of this kind.

In the opinion of the author, the situation should be remedied by means of clearly developed mechanisms of submitting and selection of applications for budgetary funds.