Strategic Fund for Turkey

The Strategic Fund for Turkey supports local groups in order to encourage a culture of respect for human rights and to help cement the foundations of civil society. Its grantmaking structures are designed to allow very small grassroots groups, who don’t have experience of working with international donors, to apply for funding. The fund has a particular focus on the rights of vulnerable minorities.

The Fund was developed for SRT by Trustees in 2005. The Strategic Fund became part of Global Dialogue in 2007 whose staff took charge of grant administration. From 2008, the Turkey Strategic Fund staff have been based in Istanbul. Oak Foundation and the Bromley Trust also provide grants to the Fund.

The projects funded by the SRT grant include:

• A Project to develop teaching modules on discrimination for school curriculums run by Istanbul Bilgi University Sociology Department;
• Core support to Helsinki Citizens Assembly for legal/ psychosocial support to refugees and a programme helping teachers discuss the democratisation and peace process with Turkish and Kurdish students;
• A project on preparing a draft law on hate crimes to Association for Social Change;
• Core support to Van Women’s Organisation which informs women of their rights and provides information on domestic violence and health;
• Core support to Pink Life and project support for a report on violation of rights of transgendered people;
• Project support to Kumbara Art Association for a documentary on families of LGBT people;
• Project grant to International Hrant Dink Association monitoring hate speech in the media;
• Core support to Afro-Turk Culture and Solidarity Association and project support for a panel series on the Afroturks in Anatolian Culture;
• Core support to Zero Discrimination Association (a Roma rights NGO) and support for a project aiming to establish a dialogue between public bodies and Roma NGOs.

A full list of grantees can be found on Global Dialogue website.