Sowing Season: Experience Sharing Meeting October 25, 2017

On October 25, 2017, representatives of 6 civil society organizations who completed their projects with the support from the Sabancı Foundation Grant Programs convened at a meeting held at Sabancı Center in Istanbul, hosted by the Chair of the Sabancı Foundation Board of Trustees, Ms. Güler Sabancı.

At the Experience Sharing Meeting moderated by the famous journalist and broadcaster Mirgün Cabas, project representatives from the Association of Persons with Visual Impairments in Education, Bilgi University Sociology and Education Implementation and Research Center, Down Syndrome Association, Mardin Culture Association, Tohum Autism Foundation and Woman Life Center Association, shared their project outcomes, project experiences, plans for the future as well as the stories of project beneficiaries.

Please click here for the book “Sowing Season Grant Program Stories” which shares the stories of projects implemented with the support of Sabancı Foundation.

In her opening speech, the Chair of the Sabancı Foundation Board of Trustees, Ms. Güler Sabancı emphasized that for 43 years Sabancı Foundation has been working with the “love for humanity” and the philosophy of “sharing what we have gained from this land with its people”. Ms. Sabancı continued “Our philosophy never changes; however we renew and improve our programs according to social needs and the developments in our country.”

Stating that the Foundation has been working with the principles of “sharing with people” and “supporting the solution of social problems”, Ms. Sabancı continued “Last year we conducted a strategic review and designed our new road map addressing current social needs. In order to increase and strengthen our impact, we decided our new strategy as ‘creating lasting impact’. We will establish long-term relations with civil society organizations that work for women, youth and persons with disabilities.”

Announcing that under the Grant Programs they have supported 137 projects with 16 million Turkish Liras in 10 years, Ms. Sabancı added “With the projects we supported, we touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The seeds we planted for 10 years have sprouted in each corner of our country and created a huge forest.”

Following the opening speeches, success stories of projects in the Sabancı Foundation Grant Program were shared with participants, public, and the media. Participants then answered the questions raised by media members and the audience.

Prior to this meeting, on October 24, 2017, project representatives of Sabancı Foundation Grant Program 2016 convened at a workshop to share experiences during their project implementation period.