SOROS INSTITUTE GRANTS US850K

ZAGREB, Aug 20 (Hina) - The Open Society of Croatia Institute will support 88 "Civil Society" projects with grants valued at US$850K. The institute is to finance 34 non-government organisations which will be involved in the period leading to elections with motivating citizens to take the vote as well as educating them of their voting rights, project director Drago Vrucinic told journalists at a press conference Friday. He informed the press of the results of submissions made within the "Civil Society" project which were concluded on May 3. The commission has received 360 project proposals to date of which 88 have been approved. Seventy per cent of that number will be conducted in areas outside Zagreb. In keeping with the approved projects, the institute will support 12 organisations involved with women's issues and several non- government organisations that will be involved in particularly motivating young people not to abstain from voting at the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Organisations elligible for support must be completely objective, not favouring any particular party, Vrucinic emphasised or else their grants will be revoked. Financial support was approved to four organisations dealing with handicapped persons. Forty-five in all applied for assistance and Vrucinic appealed to the government for assistance, on behalf of these organisations. (hina) sp