History

The Horizonti Foundation has been working directly for the creation of non-profit organizations in Georgia since 1997. Before this, it was active as an American organization, ISAR, starting its activities back in 1994. Horizonti is one of the initiators, a pioneer and a serious reliable force supporting NGO sector creation in the country. During the years by being closely in touch with the society and NGOs, Horizonti was always well aware of the needs of the people, the country, and has directed its programs to satisfy them.

Simultaneously with being in service of the Third Sector, Horizonti has made serious steps to start cooperation with governmental and business sectors and thus it has been actively involved in building civil society.

During the past years, Horizonti has achieved a serious level of inner organizational development and its professional level fully corresponds international standards what is proved by the reports made by the outside auditors and evaluators examining Horizonti’s programmic and financial condition.

Horizonti Remarkable Achievements

During its existence from 1997 to 2002, Horizonti assisted more than 1703 NGO representatives in institutional development on management issues regarding their organizations in the form of one-on-one consulting, training sessions, workshops and other activities all over the country. Horizonti organized about 73 “NGO-Management and Development” courses in Tbilisi and in regions, held 22 training retreats and thematic trainings on Financial Management, NGO-Governmental Relation, Structural/Board Development, NGO-Media Relation, Human Resource Management and Proposal Writing as well as different seminars attended by over 1383 NGO and initiative group representatives.

Horizonti conducted regular grants rounds ,and since 1998 distributed a total of $ 873.712,59 (though various funding) to Georgia’s NGOs in Tbilisi and in Georgia’s regions. The grants programs were aimed to initiate and enhance cooperation among NGOs, NGO-Government partnerships, NGO–Business partnerships, contribute to rule of law, to support IDPs civic initiatives, develop Georgia-Azerbaijan NGO cooperation in social and environmental fields, to support and develop CBOs, to initiate adult education opportunities, to support regional development, NGO coalition building, etc

Horizonti actively worked to inform the NGOs and general public about the events in the Third Sector and the civil society through its own publications, TV programs and with the assistance of mass media in Tbilisi and in Georgia’s regions to provide Georgia's society with the stimulus necessary to build more active civic community. Horizonti’s programs actively publicized information about both newly formed and more highly developed NGOs to the public – through direct mailings, through the Internet, and through the information covered by the printed media.

Horizonti hosted several meetings organized to develop cooperation between the NGOs and mass media on the topics of health care, women, education, human rights, business and children issues; over 200 articles were published in the newspapers; formed a network of 12 Horizonti associated trainers in NGO-Media Relations from the regions. In 2001 and 2002, Horizonti carried out NGO PR campaign consisting of lectures, meetings, exhibitions, fairs, competitions, raffles and various other events to publicize NGO activities.

Horizonti published and distributed 233 issues of the trilingual (Georgian-English-Russian) weekly “NGO News Bulletin.”

Horizonti prepared comprehensive television programs on NGOs in Georgia. The programs were broadcast through the First and the Second Channels of Georgian television. These films were publicizing the development of the NGO Sector in Georgia. In addition, Horizonti prepared programs of the TV version of “NGOs News” through Channel II and Channel 9, as well as through “Lomsia” TV station in Akhaltsikhe and the Tanamgzavri station in Telavi.

Horizonti prepared and published 6 books, among them, “Georgian NGOs in the Process of Formation of Civil Society”, Georgian language manual “Towards Organizational Management", Manual on “Effective NGO – Media Cooperation”, “Marketing for NGOs”, translations from American authors, Lester Salamon’s "Government and the Third Sector” and Peter Druker’s book “Management of Non-profit Organizations.” Among Horizonti publications are annual reports of 1998, 1999, 2000 and success stories of Horizonti grantees in 1999, 2000, and Horizonti training brochures.

During 1998-2001, Horizonti intensively researched the needs and requirements of the Third Sector population ,and conducted over 17 surveys in Tbilisi and in other regions of Georgia.

The Social Policy Initiative Group and Cross-Sectoral Program of Horizonti closely cooperated with citizens and all levels of the local and central government to address the problems of communities, to raise citizen awareness, to advocate policy changes,and to support constructive dialogue with government. For this purpose, a number of working meetings, conferences and workshops were held with participation of the government and citizen representatives. Horizonti is actively involved in preparation of legislative base concerning the Third Sector. It became the initiator of new laws and the packages of draft laws making easier the development and existence of the Third Sector in Georgia.