With a population of over 70 million, Turkey is a vast and diverse country that exhibits the complexities and promises produced through its unique geography, society, and history. Though Turkey has made considerable advances in adopting democratic measures over the past few years, the country continues to grapple with a range of deep-seated social, political, and economic problems. Regional disparity, gender inequity, and poor educational standards comprise many of the issues that present formidable challenges to society.
Despite the persistence of these factors, civil society has emerged in recent years as a critical voice and actor in problem-solving and community building in Turkey. The considerable strides made by civil society organizations across many fields over the years present a wealth of possibilities in addressing society’s systemic problems. In imagining a future where women can be strong and independent, children safe and hopeful, and cultural diversity celebrated and appreciated, the Chrest Foundation relies on the energy, talent, and dedication of civil society organizations in Turkey to transform these visions into reality.
The Foundation believes that modest grants can allow civil society organizations to promote and advance new ideas, practices, and partnerships, which can ultimately lead to measurable impacts in the lives of women and other vulnerable groups. Although the Foundation could have directed its resources towards supporting a variety of activities in Turkey, Chrest has chosen to dedicate itself to strengthening the long-term institutional capacity of the women’s movement as well as the cultural field, in recognition of their roles in encouraging and supporting women, cultivating tolerance and understanding, encouraging critical reflection, and nurturing the creative potential of humanity.
The Chrest Foundation concentrates its grantmaking in program areas addressing two major fields: Gender Equality and Communication and Dialogue Through Arts and Culture. The Foundation has additional interests beyond gender and the arts, which it carries out through a program called Special Projects (see below). Activities supported by the Foundation are distributed across Turkey, though occasional programs are supported in the immediate region, including Cyprus and the Caucasus. Priority is given to organizations which operate in Turkey, particularly those organizations based directly within the communities in which they serve.
The Foundation believes it can make the greatest impact in advancing gender equality and fostering understanding across social divides by building and strengthening the infrastructure of civil society. Therefore, it primarily seeks out opportunities to support programs with the aim of strenthening the infrastructure in the two main fields - the women’s movement and areas of the cultural field that benefit from increased communication and dialogue - in line with the civic infrastructure dimensions listed below.
Civic Infrastructure*
While there are many different interpretations of what constitutes a robust civic infrastructure, the Foundation mainly considers the following factors in assessing where its resources can best be used to support the growth and success of the fields within which we work:
Vision: Does the field have a well articulated vision and agenda? Does the vision resonate across society?
Strategy: Is the field thinking strategically about change and the steps needed to achieve change?
Leadership and Networking: Is the field promoting leadership across many different levels? Are there ‘strong anchor organizations’ with the ability to mobilize constituencies?
Capacity: Does the field command the skills and knowledge required of it to successfully pursue its strategy?
Sustainability: Is the field thinking
about the financing arrangements that are required for its long-term
sustainability?
In following through with this line of thinking, the Foundation seeks gender and cultural projects which fulfill the following objectives:
To advance knowledge and learning that contribute to the
field overall;
To increase the scale, scope, and nature of funding and partnership possibilities which benefit the
field or its goals overall;
To promote innovative applications which can serve as a model (OR which embody civic leadership potential);
To enhance local civic innovation that fosters connectivity between local community leaders and the wider
field; and
To promote agenda-setting efforts.
Civil society organizations with projects that reflect similar approaches are welcome to present their proposals to the Foundation (
click here). Below, further information is provided on the core areas of the Foundation’s work with several examples of the initiatives the Foundation currently supports. A full list of grants may be found on this website (
click here).
Program 1: Gender Equality
Gender inequity remains a serious problem in Turkey, with access to education, vulnerability to domestic and other forms of violence, and barriers to political participation forming only some of the many challenges which add up to an environment that excludes women from social, economic, political, and cultural life. While the legal setting has indeed changed as a result of new legislation, the social and cultural context remains male-dominated, preventing women from taking full advantage of their rights and opportunities. The Chrest Foundation supports efforts that enhance the capacity and impact of the women’s movement in Turkey.
The Chrest Foundation supported a project through the Association of Women Entrepreneurs - The Women’s Fund (KAGİDER) to support the efforts of the Women’s Labor and Employment Initiative (KEİG). KEİG is a group of practitioners, academics, and activists from the women’s movement in Turkey that specialize in the field of women’s employment. While the women’s movement has predominantly emphasized rights, education, and anti-violence initiatives, the area of employment has remained under-examined. But now, with labor and other areas of social inclusion currently under negotiation between Turkey and the European Union, there is both a need and an important window of opportunity to press for key policy changes. This grant supported a set of research and dialogue efforts to develop a more concise approach and strategy around reshaping employment policies for women.
KA-MER is a long-term partner of the Chrest Foundation. KA-MER’s work in southeastern Turkey has been pioneering, tackling domestic violence while also developing entrepreneurial approaches that support women’s self-sufficiency. Awareness-raising is a core method employed by KA-MER to overcome the deep-rooted cultural barriers facing women in the region. Focusing on self-respect and self-reflection, women undergo an intense series of workshops which aim to empower them. KA-MER further advances the capacity of the women by providing opportunities for them to build their own businesses. Working on both a national and local basis, it is one of the frontline organizations in the women’s movement in Turkey. KA-MER has now expanded its network to twenty-three towns in the region, enabling it to reach and support women in diverse areas.
Click here to see a complete list of supported projects.
Program 2: Communication and Dialogue Through Arts and Culture
This program offers grants to projects that promote understanding and tolerance, and that seek to foster dialogue and communication through innovative cultural initiatives. The Chrest Foundation recognizes that challenging social circumstances can often be confronted and overcome through efforts which promote critical reflection and exchange between communities. One of the ways the Chrest Foundation fosters understanding is through promoting the development of cultural activities, which can function as an important means to bring together cultures and communities, to elevate new voices, raise questions, and propose alternative ways of thinking. The Foundation does not support individual artistic projects, but prefers to support collective endeavors bringing together artists and/or intellectuals who wish to address a specific issue, engage in bridge-building, or tackle the needs of the cultural sphere overall.
The Chrest Foundation is supporting İstanbul Bilgi University to carry out research on cultural policy frameworks in Turkey in order to generate new approaches to the way cultural strategies are shaped and carried out on the local level. Since cultural policy is a new field of inquiry in Turkey, research and analysis is a necessary first step. Topics to be covered in the research process include an analysis of challenges at the local level in particular cities, dilemmas posed by social exclusion and migration, approaches to city cultural development, and European-Turkish cultural integration. The project will result in a publication which will complement activities being pursued within a wider initiative on cultural policy with their core partner, Anadolu Kültür (see below). These activities, funded primarily by the European Cultural Foundation, include ongoing dialogue and exchange with key stakeholders in six Anatolian cities, preliminary roundtables which will bring together local government officials and cultural activists to discuss future cultural strategies, and a training of trainers program.
Sharing and diffusing cultural programs and supporting artistic production across Anatolia is the central mission of Anadolu Kültür (AK). Regional disparities have affected not only the economic, but also the social and cultural lives of cities across Turkey. Addressing these imbalances requires taking into consideration that culture can be a key factor in discussing and furthering notions of citizenship, identity, and social cohesion, particularly in places undergoing rapid transformation and challenges on these fronts. In addition to funding a number of activities of AK’s Diyarbakır Art Center and Kars Art Center, the Chrest Foundation also supports AK’s efforts to circulate art projects to other cities of Anatolia, such as Hakkari. Many of these projects seek to provide opportunities for young local artists to express themselves, through activities such as intensive workshops on photography and film, and by striving to build a supportive network and open up space for discussion among various sectors of the private and public spheres, such as academia, local government, activists, artists, and the business community. Support is also being given to carry out joint projects with partners in the Caucasian countries towards enhancing contacts and understanding. One such endeavor supported was the publication of the catalogue of Merhabarev, a project bridging Yerevan and İstanbul, which brought together a group of Turkish and Armenian photographers.
Click here to see a complete list of supported projects.
Program 3: Special Projects (solicited applications only)
While the Foundation mainly works in the areas of gender equality and arts and culture, it will also support innovative and promising approaches in other areas of development, particularly if they resonate with the core values of the Foundation. Currently, the Foundation is supporting two organizations that are pursuing new approaches to working with at-risk children and in the area of rural development.
At-Risk Children / Children Under the Same Roof Association (ÇAÇA)
The Children Under the Same Roof Association (ÇAÇA) implements the Big Brother-Big Sister Program at its center in the Ben-U-Sen neighborhood of Diyarbakır. The progam matches university aged students with over 550 young children between the ages of 5 and 15. The aims of the program are to strengthen the communication skills of the participating children, to alleviate their feelings of being marginalized and to transform and change their perception and understanding of gender. ÇAÇA’s approach is unique for Turkey since there are few long-term, grassroots oriented programs for at-risk children available. One key method of working with the children focuses on art based activities, in which ÇAÇA has developed expertise which it shares with other organizations in the region. Over the long-term ÇAÇA aims to influence children’s policies and practices at local and national levels by increasing public sensitivity on this topic and carrying out pilot projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to working with at-risk children.
Rural Development / Development Centre Association
Development Centre (DC) was established by a group of development practitioners from
Southeastern Turkey, who have expertise in the areas of gender, urban poverty, business development, rural development, communications, and media. DC is embarking on a major three year initiative in the area of rural development. After carrying out preliminary fieldwork and inquiries in four villages in the immediate vicinity of Diyarbakır, DC developed a comprehensive project with the intention to increase the quality of life in the villages through a wide range of programs that include literacy courses, computer training, as well as education on crop growing and animal breeding techniques. In addition to enhancing the livelihoods of the villagers, the methodology being implemented could present policy makers and practitioners with a new ‘model’ for viable rural development in Turkey, based on a combination of income generating activities, intensive training for the villagers, and coaching of local village leaders.
