Non-governmental organisations in Poland’s post-coal regions face several unique challenges. The specific socio-economic conditions prevalent in these areas often impede the growth of a fully professionalised and well-organised environment that allows civil society to thrive. Yet, despite these challenges, signs of progressive change are emerging.
An often thankless task
In Poland, many activists carry out their work after hours on top of their daily salaried jobs, and it’s not uncommon for small local grants to serve as the only source of funding for organising events and activities. A major issue, however, is that these funds rarely provide remuneration for the people driving efforts behind the scenes.
The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of these activists – who continually strive to make positive societal changes and improve the welfare of their communities out of concern for the common good – don’t earn a penny.
That’s why it’s so important for regions supported by the EU’s Just Transition Fund to specifically allocate funds that support the development of community organisations.
Łódź and Silesia show the way
Fortunately, there’s now a growing recognition of how crucial it is to genuinely involve the public in shaping regional development. This is especially evident in regions like Silesia and Łódzkie voivodeship. For instance, the regional government in Łódzkie voivodeship has taken inspiration from a progressive measure adopted in Silesia that places social inclusion at the heart of its shift towards a more sustainable economy. And now the Łódz administration is preparing to roll out a similar programme of its own.
Simply creating space for this kind of initiative is already a meaningful step forward.
In an encouraging move, officials in Łódz have already started reaching out to potential participants well ahead of the programme’s anticipated launch in October 2025. In March, they presented their initial ideas during a conference in Bełchatów, the centre of just transition process in Łódzkie voivodeship, focused on empowering local communities in post-mining regions as they transition to a green economy.
Community and collaboration
The programme will mainly support small, local organisations in Łódz’s post-coal regions eligible for funding from the Just Transition Fund, with a particular focus on groups that work on a non-profit basis. The range of activities that can receive funding is broad, with priority naturally given to projects linked to the energy transition, ecology and social inclusion.
The programme will also promote initiatives aimed at building a strong sense of local identity, particularly those focused on regional history and heritage. The types of activities encouraged include workshops, conferences, study visits, information campaigns, counselling services, and a wide range of cultural education projects.
A key feature of the programme is its emphasis on partnerships between various stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, local authorities and small businesses. However, one issue that’s provoked much debate is the programme’s requirement for a 5 per cent ‘own contribution’, which is likely to prove problematic for non-governmental organisations that generate no income.
In response, the Łódź municipality – the managing authority for the distribution of EU funds in the region – has proposed establishing a dedicated fund to cover the contribution, which would provide applicants with direct financial support for their chosen projects.
Bridging the urban–rural divide
While Polish cities tend to be home to more traditional non-governmental organisations, in rural areas of the country, it’s often groups like rural housewives’ associations that play a central role in social life. To reflect these differences, efforts have been made to expand the range of eligible applicants to include all types of grassroots organisations, as well as their potential partners, such as local media outlets.
Indeed, there has been strong opposition to the idea of allowing large-scale national non-governmental organisations to participate in the programme, since smaller local groups typically lack the experience and resources to compete with larger organisations in writing applications and raising funds, putting them at a disadvantage from the very start.
Cause for hope?
From the perspective of the members of the monitoring committees tasked with overseeing the fair distribution of EU funds, this move to recognise the diversity of the non-profit space is an unusual but welcome development.
Typically, these committees are given a set of predefined criteria with limited scope to change anything other than minor details. Additionally, the managing authorities often come under pressure to quickly allocate funds, which means they tend to resist any input that might slow things down.
In Łódź, however, something refreshingly different has happened. The regional government has opened up the basic outline of the programme for public consultation long before any concrete decisions have been made. And there’s also an understanding that the finer details will still be worked out and reviewed in collaboration with local organisations.
The final shape of the programme is still to be ironed out, and the initial ideas may not be perfect – but they offer real promise. More importantly, the consultation process led by the officials in Łódź stands out as a model of good practice worth celebrating. At a time when meaningful public involvement in EU funding decisions is still too rare in Poland, this approach needs to be recognised and replicated.