The Eurasia Foundation works within three broad mandate areas: private enterprise development, public administration and policy and civil society.

Private Enterprise Development

Goal: Accelerated development and growth of private enterprises.

Private enterprise serves as the primary engine of economic growth throughout the world. While the percentage of private businesses in the economies of the former Soviet Union has grown significantly over the past decade, this transition is not yet complete. New and aspiring entrepreneurs still need support and assistance in establishing and operating their businesses. The Eurasia Foundation's private enterprise development program has supported projects that meet these needs, specifically by improving business practices, increasing access to capital and reducing legal and regulatory barriers to business development.

Improved Business Practices
Establishing and running a successful business takes more than just a good idea, it requires leaders with management, marketing, finance, planning, accounting and other critical skills. The Eurasia Foundation has met the demand for such skills by supporting the creation and development of high quality, sustainable business training and education programs that provide students, entrepreneurs and business leaders with the skills they need to transform their ideas into successful enterprises. In addition to building skills, the Foundation has promoted ethical practices in business and sound corporate governance.

Increased Access to Capital
Entrepreneurs also need access to capital to establish and grow their businesses. To increase the amount of capital that is available, the Eurasia Foundation has supported the creation and expansion of financially sustainable credit mechanisms aimed at micro, small and medium-sized businesses, both through existing banking systems and through innovative mechanisms such as micro-lending programs, equity funds, credit unions and savings and credit associations.

Reduced Legal and Regulatory Barriers to Business Development

Given that central and local governmental policies directly impact private sector development, the Eurasia Foundation has supported projects aimed at creating a more favorable legal and regulatory environment for the growth of private enterprise. This category includes projects aimed at reducing regulatory barriers, protecting economic rights or developing efficient mechanisms for resolving disputes. The Foundation has promoted tax policies that enhance growth in the small business sector and regulations that enable credit mechanisms to emerge and prosper. Finally, the Foundation has helped to build the capacity of business and professional associations to advocate for sound public policies.

Public Administration and Policy

Goal: More effective, responsive and accountable government.

Democratic and economic transitions are changing the functions for which governments in the NIS are responsible. On the one hand, government agencies now perform functions that did not exist during Soviet times, such as the rational regulation of markets and the defense of individual rights. On the other hand, central governments are transferring responsibility for many of the functions they used to perform to local and regional levels of government. Governments are also transferring many responsibilities to the private sector and civil society. The Eurasia Foundation has supported a broad array of projects aimed at increasing the effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability of governmental bodies at all levels.

Improved Performance of Civil Servants
Civil servants must develop a range of new skills in order to operate effectively within a market-oriented economy. The Eurasia Foundation has sought to improve the effectiveness of civil servants by supporting professional training and university-level economics and public administration programs that meet international standards and local needs. The Foundation also promotes civil service reform and projects to restructure government functions in order to increase opportunities for newly-trained professionals to apply their skills. At the same time, the Foundation has supported programs that enhance capacity to carry out independent public policy analysis. In particular, the Foundation has encouraged cooperation between policymakers and independent analysts working to develop concrete solutions to societal problems.

Improved Fiscal Management in Local Government
Difficult fiscal circumstances are forcing local governments to use their limited resources effectively in order to address the increasing number of social and economic issues in their communities. The Eurasia Foundation has supported a variety of projects aimed at improving fiscal management in local governments. Such projects have focused on the introduction and impovement of competitive bidding for municipal services, the development and implementation of new budget and tax systems and promotion of policy-oriented economic analysis.  

Civil Society

Goal: Increased citizen participation in political and economic decision-making.

Central to the Eurasia Foundation's mission is the belief that local communities are best able to determine their own needs and priorities. The Foundation promotes the development of effective mechanisms for citizen participation in political and economic decision-making by engaging and strengthening civil society. In particular, the Foundation has encouraged independent media to act as a voice for their communities and community-based civic organizations to advocate for public policies that further democratic and market reforms. The Foundation's civil society program has emphasized projects that advance the financial sustainability and create a more nurturing legal and regulatory environment for the civil society sector as a whole. 

More Effective Community-Based Civic Organizations and Media
Like their counterparts in the private sector, leaders of civic and media organizations need to develop new skills to operate their organizations effectively. The Eurasia Foundation has supported the development of training programs that provide civil society leaders with the financial management skills they need to operate financially viable and effective institutions. The Foundation also has supported programs to provide media professionals with the journalism skills they need to better contribute to public policy debates.

Increased Sustainability of Civic Organizations and Media
Generating a steady stream of revenue from local sources is one of the greatest challenges faced by both civic organizations and independent media outlets. To promote the financial sustainability of civic organizations, the Eurasia Foundation has supported projects that develop local models of philanthropy and volunteerism. The Foundation has placed a high priority on projects aimed at mobilizing community resources, both financial and human, around community development issues. Projects supported by the Foundation in the sphere of media include models of effective management that lead to increased revenues from advertising and subscriptions, and initiatives that decrease the costs of newspaper printing and distribution.

Reduced Obstacles to the Development of Civic Organizations and Media
Legal and regulatory factors, such as tax policies, registration procedures, access to information, and protection of civil liberties directly impact the development of civic and media organizations. The Eurasia Foundation has supported initiatives aimed at reducing obstacles to the development of civic and media organizations, thereby strengthening the mechanisms through which citizens can participate in and influence local public policy. The Foundation has also supported the introduction of procedures, such as public hearings, that provide citizens with greater opportunities to participate in the policy-making process.