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News: August 2012

The Fund for Sustainable Development and the Citi Foundation Continue to Support Small Business Development
A new program Small Business for Local Sustainable Development (2012-2013) has been launch in September 2012

Starting from 2008, several programs aimed at community development through supporting small businesses and expanding the local labor market were successfully fulfilled by the Fund for Sustainable Development with funding from the Citi Foundation:

• Improving Communities Right Now! (2008-2010)
• Small Business Development in Local Communities (2011-2012)
• Promoting Sustainable Development in Russia (2011-2012)

These programs provided support to citizens in dozens of communities opening before them new business prospects and involving them in tackling the challenges of adapting to a market economy and implementing new innovative approaches to promoting sustainable development in their communities. An important result of this effort is the increased business and civic activity of people living in remote regions of the country and engagement of all available resources (material, financial and intellectual) for local community development. The joint programs of the Fund for Sustainable Communities and the Citi Foundation are directed toward these particular objectives.

The new program   Small Business for Local Sustainable Development (2012-2013) that has begun in September of this year will promote sustainable community development in Moscow and Ryazan oblasts through small business development programs. This program builds on the initiatives of the Fund for Sustainable Development implemented in 2008-2011 and consists of two components:

• Training for Trainers – improving  professional skills of the staff of municipal Small Business Support Centers
• Communications – dissemination of information on best practices of small business development projects.

As a result of this program, 320 first-time entrepreneurs and unemployed citizens will be trained in the basics of starting and running their own business. Trainings will be conduced by the staff of municipal Small Business Development Centers who have been trained under the Program.

After the end of the training component of the Program, a contest of mini grants for small business development will be held; and at least 8 best projects will be awarded funding.