In mid-2013, Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation was set up following an intense effort to raise funds. The mission of the Foundation is to inspire, promote and support local initiatives, bring together the people who have resources with those who have ideas, all to create a strong, resilient community that believes in its own forces.
In the first year, the members of the Foundation worked on already well-known programs in the community foundation environment, such as the YouthBank program, which raised 14,000 lei in its first year to support the initiatives of students in the community. Also, the first edition of the Donors Circle was organized, whereby 42 donors supported 3 initiatives, with a total of 5,400 lei. Increasing the quality of life of the community in which they live translated also in investing 15,000 lei for the purchase of new bedding for the municipal hospital.
In 2014, Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation was proud to have supported 42 projects, awarded 8 youth scholarships and implemented 11 community projects. The Donor Circle was organized again, this time in two editions, raising more than 15,000 lei, money that went directly to the initiators of the submitted projects. The YouthBank Fund supported eight projects initiated by students from the community, the total value exceeding 14,000 lei.
Authenticity is one of the values which guides the members of Țara Făgărașului Community Foundation, construed as the ability of the locals to blend the past with the present, to believe in local values and what the community has to offer. To uphold this value, the Foundation organized several cultural events in 2014, such as “Together at the Carnival” an event dedicated to children, organized on Children’s Day. Another example is the participation in the “InTransylvania” Festival, an event where the symbol of Țara Făgărașului – the Făgăraș Mountains were the focal point.
In the third year of activity, 2015, the Foundation has turned, as executive director Oana Mitea put it, from an organization at the beginning of the journey into a mature, landmark organization, well established in the community. The second edition of the “Bikeathon” was proof of the strength of a community united for common goals, where 320 cyclists have peddled for 15 projects and 400 people and companies have offered to donate. The numbers increased in 2016, when 47,420 lei were raised from 454 donors.
In recent years, the Foundation has created several themed funds for the development of the Făgăraș community. The “Mândră Chic” (Pretty Chic) Fund was established with the purpose of collecting funds for the building of the Canvas and Stories Museum, with 21,401 lei and being raised in two years (2015-2016). Another fund is the “Arvato Alternative Language Program”, developed with Arvato Bertelsmann Romania, to encourage and support foreign language learning among students. In the first edition of 2016, eleven projects from Brașov County have been selected.
The Foundation is aware of the important role that education plays in the development of a community, therefore, in 2016, the team coordinated 4 themed funds dedicated to students and young people. The Științescu Fund, through which over 6,800 direct and indirect beneficiaries have discovered the beauty of science, had its first edition in 2016. The Scholarship Fund “Fight against school dropout”, launched in 2015, offers scholarships to students with good results but who, for financial reasons, are in danger of dropping out of school; the “School after School” Fund, launched in 2015, aims to offer children from rural areas, but not limited thereto, the opportunity to pursue their studies and to be involved in educational activities. The “City in the Showcase” Fund, created by several young people, has been awarded the “Journalist for good deeds” scholarship. Their purpose was to support a working group interested in narrative journalism, at the crossing with creative writing, able to give a voice to initiatives in the area and to inspire cooperation between small and big projects in the area.
At the 2017 Țara Făgărașului Community Gala, we awarded those people, companies or organizations who are actively involved in the Făgăraș community, who are a source of inspiration, through their vision and their involvement. The jury had a choice of 97 nominations in 14 categories, reflecting the good deeds in Țara Făgărașului, the worthy and impactful initiatives, companies that drive change, leaders and coordinators who understand the importance of their role in the community and assume it daily through responsibility and civic spirit.
The Foundation is aware that the richness of the area is not just in the industry but in the cultural and social heritage it has gathered over the years. The Community Foundation has realized that the pride of the Făgăraș can be one of the engines that will lead to the strengthening and unification of the community. This pride, which does not "disappear" when leaving the city, can be seen at the many Romanians who have settled abroad.
In 2018, FC Ţara Făgăraş launched a program meant to unite and mobilize the diaspora. The foundation's team sees the “Țara Făgărașului is home” Program as an opportunity to involve people from abroad in the future of their community and to give them a voice. "The overall objective of the project is to consolidate the local communities in Făgăraş, where the diaspora will have an important place and, through participation, dedication and voluntary involvement, it will become an integral part of the local community", the members of the team say.