The Open World Leadership Center recently announced 16 grant recipients for the 2004 Civic Program for Russia. The organizations chosen will develop and manage professional programs for approximately 1,450 Open World Program participants, including governors, mayors, judges, NGO directors, and entrepreneurs.

Open World’s grantee organizations either conduct programming for delegations themselves, or recruit and coordinate local organizations to fulfill this role. This network of grantees and local host organizations gives Open World the ability to host in nearly every corner of every state. Since 1999, over 1,200 communities have welcomed Open World participants. The network of U.S. host organizations has expanded each year of Open World’s five years.

Thirteen of the organizations have previously served as Open World grantees. These returning grantee organizations are the Academy for Educational Development; the American International Health Alliance; American University – Transnational Crime and Corruption Center; American University – Women & Politics Institute; CONNECT/US-RUSSIA; Duke University’s DeWitt Wallace Center for Communications and Journalism; Friendship Force International; Meridian International; the National Peace Foundation; Rotary International; the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium; the International Institute of the USDA Graduate School; and World Services of La Crosse, Inc.

Open World’s three first-time grantees are:

The Center for Safe Energy, a California-based organization that facilitates programs concerning sustainable energy development, as well as programs involving women’s leadership and civil rights issues.

ISAR: Resources for Environmental Activists, an organization based in Washington, DC, that supports collaborative resolutions to the environmental threats faced by many communities throughout the former Soviet Union.

Magee Womancare International, a Pittsburgh-based organization that administers the United Nations’ largest health outreach program in Russia, taking on the challenge of providing refugees in and around Moscow with family planning services, domestic violence awareness, and improved health care.

“Open World’s grantee organizations make tremendous efforts to ensure that the Open World Program is a success,” said Open World Executive Director Geraldine Otremba. “We are fortunate to have 13 returning grantees that understand the complexities and the excitement of Open World, as well as three new organizations that will provide fresh perspectives and experiences.”

To learn more about Open World’s 2004 grantee organizations click here.

Published by The PBN Company for the Open World Leadership Center, whose Open World Program has hosted nearly 9,000 citizens from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan since its inception in 1999. The Center is an independent legislative branch agency that works cooperatively with the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. executive and judicial branch agencies. For additional information, please visit the Open World Leadership Center's website at www.openworld.gov or contact the office at +1 202-707-8943.