About Via Foundation

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Via Foundation is an independent Czech foundation committed to community and philanthropy development in the Czech Republic. Via Foundation was established in 1997 to carry on the work of the Czech office of the American Foundation for a Civil Society. Since then, thanks to the generosity of donors, Via Foundation has supported over 6,000 projects in Czech communities.

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Via’s Work

Via’s mission is to help citizens engage in the development of their communities and spread the art of giving in the Czech Republic.

What does this mean in practical terms? Via Foundation provides grant and learning opportunities to people and non-profit organizations who share a drive to change communities for the better. This model of combined assistance is key to increasing the impact and sustainability of a community initiative – i.e., wherever possible, grants are complemented with workshops, mentoring and individual consultations.

Supported projects

We invite you to read about some of the projects Via has supported recently.

RESTORING AN ALCOVE CHAPEL

With the help of a Via grant, artist Vladana Šrámková and her neighbors are restoring a small chapel embedded in a wall in their small village near Prague. The chapel has been in a state of disrepair for years. Vladana’s group plans on renovating the stonework and decorating the chapel with mosaics, and also fixing up the surrounding green space. They believe the chapel area could become a community gathering spot and rest stop for tourists and hikers. You can read more about the chapel and other small monument restoration projects here.

CREATING AN OASIS BEHIND A PILGRIMAGE CHURCH

In the village of Štípa in Moravia, a group of residents have been transforming an unused area behind a pilgrimage church over the past few years. With a grant from Via, they were able to build a gazebo and make landscaping improvements so that the space can be used by local residents, pilgrims and other visitors. Read more here.

ENCOURAGING YOUNG PHILANTHROPISTS

Through the Young Philanthropists program, Via Foundation encourages children and young people to help other people in need, their community or the landscape. Via provides guidance in project or event organization and a matching grant. In the town of Vápenná, for example, a group spent several months restoring a site where a Sudetenland village used to be. They restored a spring, built a bell tower and a shelter for hikers and tourists. To celebrate the opening of the site, they organized a festival with a musical performance, creative workshops and a put on a play. You can read more about the Young Philanthropists program here.

REVITALIZATION OF HEŘMANSKÝ HILL IN MORAVSKÉ BUDĚJOVICE

The top of Heřmanský Hill in Moravské Budějovice affords a great view of the town. With a grant from Via’s program The Community In Which We Live, a group of residents engaged fellow citizens in a revitalization project to make this popular destination even more appealing. A sensitive design was created that introduces new seating and plantings while minimizing impacts on the surrounding natural area. There was no shortage of volunteers during the final planting event in November 2022 (photo, above). Read more here.

COMMUNITY SAUNA IN THE JELÍNEK FOREST AREA

A forest sauna now offers relaxation to the community of Kunštát in South Moravia. With a grant from Via’s program The Community In Which We Live, a local group engaged fellow residents in finding new uses for a popular forest site, which is home to a dilapidated old lodge set in an oasis of pine, spruce, beech and oak trees. They gathered citizen input, commissioned a site design and dendrological study, and built the first site improvement – a sauna to warm residents during the cold winter. Read more here.

VODŇANY LIBRARY COURTYARD

Another project in Via’s program The Community In Which We Live revolved around a transformation of the Vodňany community library courtyard. Pictured above are residents of this town in South Bohemia as they demolish defunct outbuildings to make way for the new community space. Via recently supported another 6 public space improvement projects – read more here.

INTEGRATING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES INTO CZECH COMMUNITIES

Breaking the ice in Sulíkov. A teacher in the small South Moravian town of Sulíkov organized a teambuilding event for local students and invited them and their parents to a picnic. The event helped everyone gain a better understanding of one another and forget their initial mistrust. Even citizens who had viewed the Ukrainian refugees negatively at first began engaging in conversation with them.

After the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, hundreds of thousands of refugees began flooding into the Czech Republic. Community leaders and groups across the country – many of whom Via Foundation supported in the past – immediately began organizing to provide housing, food, language courses and other activities to ease the newcomers’ integration. In aid their efforts, Via quickly created a grant program that we call “Welcoming Ukraine”. Between May and October 2022, Via supported 139 small integration projects. Read an update about the program here.

URBAN DESIGN WORKSHOP HELPED SAVE RESIDENTS FROM RESETTLEMENT

Families in the village of Bedřiška near Ostrava faced resettlement under a local government plan to demolish their houses. With Via support, residents held an urban design workshop that showed alternative ways of developing and revitalizing Bedřiška. As a result, the local government commissioned a comprehensive analysis as the next step towards a village revitalization plan. Via supported the residents through its Fast Grants program, which is designed for people defending public interests at the local level.