Programme Active Citizenship and Inclusion is a grant scheme for supporting activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in enhancing participative democracy, decreasing social inequalities, poverty and exclusion, supporting children and youth, protecting the environment and providing welfare and basic social services.

Horizontal priorities of the Programme are bilateral co-operation between Slovak NGOs and partners from the donor states, capacity building of NGOs and enhancing the position of NGOs in society.

A special interest of the Program is paid to supporting projects with broader positive impact in society, especially when reducing hate speech, extremism, racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, encourage multicultural understanding, gender balance and involvement of marginalised groups, including Roma, foster equal opportunities and supressing sexual harassment, violence against women and trafficking.

The Programme supports projects of NGOs through open calls in the following areas of support:

- Active citizenship
- Protection of the environment and climate change
- Children and youth, including children and youth at risk
- Welfare and basic services to vulnerable groups.

Programme is operated by the consortium led by the Ekopolis Foundation in partnership with Children of Slovakia Foundation and SOCIA – Social Reform Foundation. It is be implemented in the period January 2013 – December 2015. The total financial allocation for supporting projects of NGOs is 2.9 million €, which includes allocation of 100,000 € for supporting bilateral cooperation.

The Programme is a part of the implementation of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014, financed by Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. In Slovakia, there are two NGO Programmes supported by the EEA Financial Mechanism – along with the Active citizenship and inclusion there is Human rights and democracy Programme operated by the Open Society Foundation and including the areas i) Democracy, good governance and transparency, ii) Human rights, including minorities’ rights iii) Gender equality and Gender based violence, iv) Anti-discrimination and Combat racism and xenophobia. The information about both Programmes is available through the webpage www.eeango.sk.