The Hellenic Initiative announces a new grant of $25,000 to HIGGS. THI’S grant will aid the organization in its efforts to reinforce NGO’s operating in Greece, through educational and support activities. Specifically, the funding will help HIGGS increase the capacity of its Accelerator program.
HIGGS is the 1st Incubator for nonprofits in Greece. It has adopted practices and approaches often found in the more traditional startup incubators and has translated these same values to the field of the nonprofits. The goal of HIGGS is to help nonprofits operating in Greece to maximize their impact.
Within the last 2 years, it has helped more than 60 nonprofits, which have benefited more than 100,000 people of the most vulnerable groups of the population. Also, these nonprofits have created over 20 jobs and have raised more than €500,000 in grants from institutions and companies based in Greece and abroad.
The grant of The Hellenic Initiative will assist HIGGS to increase the capacity of its Accelerator program for two upcoming cycles. The HIGGS team and their partners conduct tailor-made educational seminars based on the nonprofits’ needs. GIVMED, Ithaca Laundry and Emfasis, THI supported organizations, are some of the examples of teams that have gained necessary skills and expertise to effectively contribute to Greek society through the assistance provided by HIGGS.
Michael Printzos, THI’s Director of Programming, stated: “The Hellenic Initiative is proud to contribute towards the efforts of HIGGS. For NGOs to succeed meeting society’s needs, they need to have the necessary skills to be effective. THI has always stood side by side with organizations that aim to find innovative ways to solve the complicated problems that Greek society is facing, and, by reinforcing the domestic NGO ecosystem, HIGGS does just that”.
Sotiris Petropoulos, HIGGS Director, stated: “HIGGS believes in the power of ordinary people who have good intentions, innovative ideas, and willingness to make a valuable contribution to our society. By providing NGO’s with the necessary skills and supporting them throughout the development of their operations, we have had the distinct pleasure of meeting astonishing people and help them realize their potential in making a difference for those in need. We are grateful to THI for recognizing our efforts and towards ensuring that the Greek NGO ecosystem can become advanced and effective, to the point where our assistance is no longer required”.