Developing Leadership in Regions and Helping Mothers After Child Loss. Impact Lab Continues to Support Meaningful Projects

The challenges we face are constantly evolving, and civil society is responding accordingly. This year’s Impact Lab Incubator and Accelerator projects demonstrated how non-profits can direct their activities precisely to where they are most needed. 

This time, 99 organizations applied for the Impact Lab Incubator, which is designed for small and emerging organizations. The selected participants presented their theories of change at a one-day mentoring event called the Minibootcamp. Based on the concepts, we chose the final 20 organizations, 9 of which focus on education, while 11 address the topic of democracy and the rule of law through their activities. 

The Incubator is primarily aimed at stabilizing smaller organizations. We offer them an educational program composed of workshops focused on financial sustainability, impact monitoring, and overall organizational setup – skills intended to ensure the organization operates sustainably and maximizes the impact of its activities. The support also includes a grant of up to 30,000 euros for the implementation of a specific project. An added value is networking among organizations and inspiration from the more experienced ones from the Impact Lab Accelerator. 

Among this year’s supported Incubator projects there is for example an initiative from the Institute for Democracy at Matej Bel University, which aims to increase civic engagement in Slovak regions by connecting active citizens. This will enable small towns and villages to effectively address the challenges which their locals understand best. A similar focus is found in the Community Event Lab project by the civic association Verejnô, which helps build organizational, digital, and leadership skills among youth in the Liptov region. 

For mothers who have lost a child before or shortly after birth, the organization Tanana offers a project focused on mapping the needs of women after such a loss and on issues of women’s reproductive health, which are often overlooked. 

People from the organizations during icebreaker activities at the Minibootcamp. Photo: Marek Mucha

Established non-profits had the opportunity to engage in the Impact Lab Accelerator. This year, 78 organizations responded to the call, from which independent expert committees selected 15 to attend a three-day mentoring event called the Bootcamp. From these, 10 final organizations were chosen to receive, in addition to a grant of up to 60,000 euros, capacity-building support through tailored individual mentoring based on each organization’s needs. Organizations in both the Accelerator and the Incubator are also invited to our largest event — the Impact Summit. 

In the 2025 Accelerator, we will support organizations tackling both everyday and complex issues. In education, for example, we are supporting the Emotional Compass project, which develops children’s soft skills and helps create a safe school environment, and the Mentória organization project, which will be helping teachers during the implementation of the curricular reform. Thanks to special AI assistants, teachers will have opportunities for professional self-development and for improving the quality of their lessons. 

In the area of democracy and the rule of law, the Center for Community Organizing, active in the Banská Bystrica region, will also implement a project focused on identifying and supporting active citizens and civic initiatives aiming to contribute to positive local changes. 

We will also support the establishment of the first medical doctor’s practice for homeless people and initiatives aimed at cultivating the public discussion. 

Read also:

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Supported Projects

Incubator 

Education (9 organizations) 

Organization: Diligo
Project: “Psst, Don’t Tell Anyone!” – Fórum Theater as a Prevention of Discrimination and Bullying at Schools 
Approved Amount for Support: €25 410  

Organization: Trnava Region Volunteer Center
Project: Volunteering at High Schools in the Trnava Region
Approved Amount for Support: €29 060  

Organization: OZ Ladenie
Project: I Can Be Myself: Supporting Children’s Wellbeing through Music and Movement Activities at Elementary Schools 
Approved Amount for Support: €19 251  

Organization: OZ TEAM
Project: Self-Development Program TEACHERS
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: OZ Verejnô
Project: Community Event Lab
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: The Law Institute
Project: Academy of the Law Institute 
Approved Amount for Support: €29 900  

Organization: UP – Down Syndrome
Project: WONDER in Society
Approved Amount for Support: €29 792  

Organization: VYDRA – Rural Development Activity
Project: Vydra: Eco-Center, Volunteering and Sustainable Development
Approved Amount for Support: €28 797,80  

Organization: Zdravé zdravotníctvo
Project: Playful Exhibition on Metal Health
Approved Amount for Support: €29 765,64  

Democracy and the Rule of Law (11 organizations) 

Organization: ALKA – autenticky a láskavo (ALKA – Authentically and With Love)
Project: ALKA – Inclusion at Cultural Centers
Approved Amount for Support: €20 000  

Organization: Antena – Network for Independent Culture
Project: Strengthening Cooperation and the Resistance of Culture
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: Bez sexizmu (Without Sexism)
Project: Parliament Without Sexism
Approved Amount for Support: €29 850  

Organization: Bronco n.o.
Project: DEPOZIT
Approved Amount for Support: €29 810  

Organization: HANS
Project: Creating Comprehensive Support for Families with a Member with AS/ASD
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: Institute for Democracy at UMB
Project: Stronger Civic Society Across Slovakia
Approved Amount for Support: €29 840  

Organization: Jalta – Cultural and Social Centre
Project: Jalta – Center for Cultural and Social Innovations
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: Petit Academy Foundation
Project: Novyny.sk
Approved Amount for Support: €29 880  

Organization: P*AKT
Project: P*AKT: Engaged Cultural-Community and Educational Hub
Approved Amount for Support: €30 000  

Organization: Tanana
Project: (In)Visible – Mapping the Needs of Women After Prenatal and Perinatal Loss in Relation to Mental and Reproductive Health
Approved Amount for Support: €23 010  

Organization: The Association of Parents and Friends of LGBTIQ+ People
Project: Increasing the Emotional Resilience of the Community of the Association of Parents and Friends of LGBTIQ+ People and Their Loved Ones
Approved Amount for Support: €29 957  

Accelerator 

Education (5 organizations) 

Organization: DASATO
Project: DASATO for Teachers – DASATO PBL (Project Based Learning)
Approved Amount for Support: €60 000  

Organization: EMTEGRA
Project: Emotional Compass
Approved Amount for Support: €57 460  

Organization: Mentória
Project: MentorIA Boost – AI Innovation for Teachers’ Self-Development and a High-Quality Education
Approved Amount for Support: €59 999,60  

Organization: Rozmanita
Project: IN School of Rozmanita
Approved Amount for Support: €58 393,83  

Organization: Slovak Debate Association
Project: Middle School Debate Program – Infrastructure for Scaling 
Approved Amount for Support: €50 604  

Democracy and the Rule of Law (5 organizations) 

Organization: Center for Community Organizing 
Project: Local Power for Democratic Future
Approved Amount for Support: €59 800  

Organization: Centre for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture (CVEK)
Project: Perspectives and Potential of Young Migrants – Developing an Inclusive Support System
Approved Amount for Support: €59 920  

Organization: DEMDIS
Project: Slovak Democratic Discussion Forum 2025 
Approved Amount for Support: €60 000  

Organization: EQUITA
Project: Establishing the First Doctor’s Practice for Homeless People 
Approved Amount for Support: €59 975,20  

Organization: VIA IURIS
Project: Protecting the Civic Society in Slovakia 
Approved Amount for Support: €53 875 

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The supporter of the Democracy and Transparency topic is The Fund for Transparent Slovakia.