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The Interior Ministry's Directorate General of Civil Society Relations has requested an administrative inquiry against the associations which have "received funds" from the US-based Chreast Foundation.
Releasing a written statement about the issue, the Directorate General has said, "It has been recently reported in the press that a list was published on the website of the Texas / US-based Chrest Foundation and it was indicated on that list that dozens of media outlets and NGOs operating in Turkey were granted thousands of dollars in donations."
The statement has added, "As a result of the audits of these associations, it is detected that some acted contrary to the Law on Associations and relevant legislation; they did not fulfill the foreseen obligations; and the basis and procedures in the laws were not abided by and it has been requested that the judicial and administrative authorities carry out the necessary proceedings against the executives of the association."
The Chrest Foundation has so far supported 160 projects of 44 associations, foundations and institutions in Turkey since 2001. It has granted 7 million 88 thousand 906 USD in total. All these donations, as in the case of all fund-receiving processes, are done by the institutions affiliated with the Interior Ministry such as the Directorate General of Foundations or the Associations' Department, depending on the type of the organization in question. All payments are made via banks and the funded institution cannot start using the money until the information about the project and the bank receipt of the funding is presented to the inspecting authority. |
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Chrest Foundation and Turkey
Chrest Foundation was established by Jeff Jensen and Lou Anne King Jensen in Texas, US in 1999.
Coming from families with a tradition of donations and supporting disadvantaged children, research on diabetes and social initiatives in the United States, Jeff and Lou Anne Jensen's donations took an international turn in 2001 and they started offering financial and technical support to the non-governmental organizations in Turkey in 2001.
The Foundation has been supporting NGOs, giving priority to the organizations and programs working for increasing gender equality and fostering communication and dialogue in Turkey through arts and culture.
Within this context, it supported nearly 100 projects of 40 NGOs operating in various provinces such as Ankara, Batman, Bingöl, Kapadokya, Diyarbakır, İstanbul and Van from the year 2001 to 2012.
It offers grants (min. 2 thousand USD; max. 150 thousand USD) to 2 to 16 projects a year and the support provided to the organizations and projects is transparently shared on its website.
Among the Turkey-based institutions and organizations getting funds from the Chrest Foundation are also Sabancı University, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Boğaziçi University Foundation and Women's Solidarity Foundation (KADAV).
Developing projects, receiving funds* A project can be defined as the work to be undertaken by organizations such as associations/ foundations and the institutions working in the fields of gender, children, education, violence, media, etc. The budget of this work is called "fund." * In some countries, citizens apply for "public funds" for such works, they receive their support from the state and realize their projects. In some countries, it is not possible for every organization to access "public funds." You apply for global organizations, primarily to the European Union (EU), with your projects. * If the application covering the activities, the projected outputs and expenditures is accepted, an agreement is signed. The payment is made to the bank. For Instance, if you are a foundation, you fill out the Foreign Grant Notification Form and upload it to the Foundation Information Management System https://vbys2.vgm.gov.tr/login.aspx of the General Directorate of Foundations' Foundation Services Department, together with the bank receipt of the fund. As the information regarding your project is also included in the Form, it is now known from the very first step onward why the fund is sent. * At this stage, your application is added to the list of "pending approval." If the person responsible for your foundation at the Regional Directorate of Foundations approves the fund, you start using it. You cannot withdraw the money from the bank without getting the related approval. In that case, you are being fined for this behavior. * The activities and expenditures of the project are made in line with the agreement signed with the funding institution. * Generally, annual activity and expenditure reports are prepared. * It is inspected by an internationally recognized audit company whether the expenditures are made in line with the activities and the standards indicated in the agreement. * The reports sent by the audit company are discussed and approved by the funding institution as well. * An income and expense report on all types of expenditures are submitted to the Revenue Office once a year (by March 30). * Together with the profit and loss account statement, it is also sent to the Regional Directorate of Foundations every year by June 30. * Moreover, in addition to all these procedures, the state can place associations and foundations under inspections and audits any time. European Union (EU) fundsIn addition to the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), which is the main financial support instrument, Turkey has been benefiting from the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT), the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and the EU's Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) within the frame of its financial cooperation with the EU. https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/instrument-pre-accession-assistance-ipa-880 As Turkey is an official candidate for EU accession, the EU supports political and economic reforms in the country with financial and technical help through the IPA. These funds aim at aligning Turkish legislation and standards with the EU's, building authorities' capacity for undertaking this harmonisation, and implementing the reforms throughout the accession process. The ultimate aim of pre-accession funds is to improve the lives of individuals, by providing them with better opportunities and ensuring they enjoy standards equal to EU citizens. The EU has allocated €4,453.9 million under IPA 2014-2020 for Turkey. The priority sectors to be supported are: democracy and governance; the rule of law and fundamental rights; environment and climate action; transport; energy; competitiveness and innovation; education, employment, and social policies; agriculture and rural development; and regional and territorial cooperation. The EU has been providing funds to Turkey in the below fields. As can be seen here, the funds are principally given to non-governmental organizations: Supporting Reforms in Justice, Home Affairs and Fundamental Rights |
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