What Fundacja Civis Polonus does

Fundacja Civis Polonus is a Polish nonprofit foundation headquartered in Warsaw, established in 1994 and actively operating since 2004. The organization's mission is developing civic competencies that enable active participation in public life, with primary focus on youth, schools, public libraries, youth councils, and local communities. Its core offerings include open and customized training programs, an extensive library of publications and lesson plans on civic education, student self-governance, and youth participation, and online resource portals such as Młodzieżowa Rada (Youth Council) and the SOS dla edukacji coalition of 80+ organizations. Major programs include the Równać Szanse (Equal Opportunities) program implemented for the Polish-American Freedom Foundation since 2021, the European Congress of Youth Councils, Library Community Engagement (BLISKO), and Warsaw Volunteers. The foundation has trained over 600 teachers in Ukraine on student self-governance methodology, demonstrating cross-border reach of its curriculum.

The foundation operates a hybrid GTM combining event-driven delivery (training sessions, conferences, congresses), community-led partnerships with schools, libraries, and municipal governments, and sales-led consulting for institutional clients. It is funded through a diversified mix of grants from Polish-American Freedom Foundation, Active Citizens Fund, EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, European Social Fund, Erasmus+), EEA/Norwegian Funds, the City of Warsaw, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Centre for Culture, and foundations including Stefan Batory, Heinrich Böll, and PZU. The foundation also generates revenue from paid statutory activities (training services) and accepts donations. Management is led by President Joanna Pietrasik and Vice President Olga Napiontek, with a Council of Founders providing governance oversight. The small 9-person core team is supplemented by regular contributors, trainers, and volunteers delivering programs nationally.

Name

Fundacja Civis Polonus

Legal name

Fundacja Civis Polonus

Website

https://civispolonus.org.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundacja Civis Polonus is a Warsaw-based nonprofit foundation providing practical civic education, training, and educational resources to schools, public libraries, youth councils, and local governments across Poland, with extended reach into Ukraine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Youth council training
• Student self-governance
• Library community engagement
• Democratic participation education

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Receives financial support from governmental institutions, EU programs, international grant programs, and Norwegian/EEA funds
2. Donations: Accepts donations from individuals, companies, and foundations for statutory objectives
3. Paid Statutory Activities: Conducts paid activities within their statutory mission including training services and educational programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fundacja Civis Polonus delivers practical civic education programs, training sessions, and educational resources for schools, public libraries, municipal youth councils, and local communities across Poland. Its offerings include open and customized training programs, a downloadable library of publications and lesson plans, structured programs supporting student self-governance and youth participation, library community engagement initiatives, and coalition-building efforts such as the SOS dla edukacji network.

Product overview

Fundacja Civis Polonus offers a portfolio of civic education programs and resources rather than a unified tech product. The core offerings include training programs (open enrollment and custom), educational publications/materials (publications, audio, video, lesson plans), and online resource portals (SOS dla edukacji coalition, Równać Szanse program, Młodzieżowa Rada portal). Major project areas include youth council support, student self-governance development, library community engagement, volunteering programs in Warsaw institutions, and global education for vocational schools. These offerings work together to build civic competencies across schools, libraries, and local communities throughout Poland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOS dla edukacji (SOS for Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools with strengthened student self-governance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered international and core.

• Rada Europy (Council of Europe)internationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation on civic education standards and youth participation frameworks
• Fundacja Edukacja dla Demokracji (Education for Democracy Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for RITA programme (Region in Transition) and global education regranting

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation: Global alliance strengthening citizen action and civil society worldwide, with monitoring, advocacy, and civil society capacity building. Broader incumbent operating in adjacent civic society strengthening space across many geographies.
• Stefan Batory Foundation (Fundacja Batorego): One of Poland's leading democracy-supporting philanthropic foundations, funding civic society, civic education, and democratic participation across multiple issue areas. Comparable Polish civic space actor with broader portfolio and longer operating history.

Direct peers

• Fundacja Edukacja dla Demokracji: Polish NGO focused on global education, civic participation, and civil society capacity building; operates the RITA programme and is an active implementing partner of Civis Polonus. Highly comparable civic education delivery model and NGO/funder ecosystem.
• Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego (FRSO): Polish foundation focused on civil society development, civic participation, and capacity building for NGOs and local communities. Direct peer addressing overlapping themes of citizen engagement and democratic local development.
• Fundacja Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej (CEO): Poland's largest civic education foundation, delivering school-based civic education programs, teacher training, and student self-governance support. Direct peer with overlapping mission in Polish civic education, similar institutional funder base, and comparable target audience of schools, teachers, and youth.
• European Youth Parliament (EYP): Non-partisan youth organization running transnational European youth parliament events focused on democratic participation, intercultural dialogue, and civic skills. Direct peer in the youth civic participation space and overlapping target audience of politically engaged young Europeans.

Regional players

• European Civic Forum: Pan-European network of civic society organizations promoting active citizenship, democratic participation, and civic education across EU member states. Regional peer working with similar constituencies and EU institutional funders.

Emerging players

• Ashoka Poland: Polish affiliate of global social entrepreneurship network supporting systems-change leaders in education and civic engagement. Comparable in mission scope (youth empowerment, civic education) though focused on individual social entrepreneurs rather than direct civic education curriculum delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_1dpa4Qc6IS9uUoKZATH8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/fundacjacivis
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacja_civispolonus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundacja-civis-polonus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundacja Civis Polonus