Launched in June 2016, Timișoara Community Foundation became the 16th foundation within the national movement. Located in one of the most dynamic cities in the West, the Foundation wants to channel new local resources to mobilize and strengthen the local community. The members of the Timișoara team say that “we are here because we believe that together we can support, discover, connect and grow prosperous communities.”
In the first year, the foundation began its mission with three main ideas: to fund local NGOs and initiative groups, to raise funds and develop philanthropy and, finally, to develop the Foundation into a key player in the community.
As far as the Foundation’s community initiatives are concerned, the team has proposed to successfully implement at least 3 funding programs in the first year of activity. At the same time, one of the objectives for 2016 was the initiation and organization of the Donor Circle program in Timișoara.
The first circle was held in December, when 40 individual donors, eager to get involved in micro-community projects, helped the Foundation reach its target, raising funds amounting to 13,000 lei.
In the first year, the Foundation, together with their partners from the Alergotura Association, managed to mobilize the community with the second edition of the sports fundraising event Timotion – Timișoara on the move!
Timișoara CF raised some of the necessary funds for its establishment during Timotion (51,092 lei). Since its establishment, the foundation has obtained a new grant of 54,106 lei from the Alergotura Association in order to finance 9 of the projects submitted to Timotion.
United by the desire to develop a stronger community, the teams of Alergotura and Timișoara Community Foundation have proposed to bring together several organizations, institutions and people to create an event in which city residents to enjoy open air exercise and the benefits of building together. Timișoara is the first Romanian city where amateur joggers have organized themselves into a community that promotes running and volunteer to help beginners who want to move for health.
Meanwhile, Timotion has become an event that has surpassed its sporting side, an event that unites the Timisoara community and makes it aware of the city's needs. In 2018, at the fourth edition of the event, more than 4,000 runners crossed the starting line and raised funds for the 18 causes enrolled. Over the years, Timotion has supported 47 local initiatives worth 543,000 lei, in four editions.
The Foundation joined and collaborated with stakeholders interested in the development of the local community, and throughout the year it acted as a partner of Upgrade my City and Team 2021 conferences and initiated Talk the Walk, a series of guided tours for those who want to know the city better and (re)become tourists in Timișoara. “We started the Talk the Walk project with the aim of activating small community groups, of mapping the neighborhoods, winning community trust, and identifying actors concerned with the welfare of the city and communities", the Foundation team announced in 2017.
“Community foundations are successful stories because they have an impact on the communities in their area of action, and communities are beginning to realize that solutions are often in their power, in how well they know one another, how they unite and fight for what they want”, says Daniela Chesaru, executive director of Timișoara Community Foundation.