Olivia Centre, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz and Przemysław Skokowski, councillor of the Przymorze Małe district, invite all interested parties to apply for funds from the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget – a local programme to support initiatives developing Oliwia and its residents.

This year is the 6th edition of the initiative, which since 2020 has aimed to support projects important to residents. Initiatives are submitted by them, as well as by charities and non-governmental organizations. This year’s pool of funds from the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget amounts to PLN 24 thousand and was funded by the Olivia Centre business centre, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, an entrepreneur, activist and culture lover from Oliwa, and Przemysław Skokowski, a councillor of the Przymorze Małe district. Together, they funded funds that can be applied for until 14 September this year.

The history of the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget dates back to 2020, when a platform was created to support local initiatives aimed at the development of Oliwa and Przymorze Małe – two districts of Gdańsk, located directly at the Olivia Centre, and whose residents most often work in Olivia. In this way, we want to support all initiatives that are important for residents and contribute to the development of the environment in which we operate ,” says Bogusław Wieczorek, Olivia Centre’s Board Representative. As the largest business center in Poland, we support the development of Gdańsk and Pomerania, offering jobs and contributing to many investments that permanently change the economic face of the region and Polish, but the micro-community, of which we are a part on a daily basis, is also important to us. We want to support the organization of extracurricular activities, activation workshops addressed to seniors and people in need, but also the development of common spaces with new facilities or elements of small architecture. Experience shows that the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget works well where support is needed on a daily basis, and other sources of financing do not provide such a possibility or it is necessary to supplement them. We are glad that in this way we can contribute to improving the quality of life and be good neighbors for our local community.

From the very beginning, the initiative has been supported by Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, a local entrepreneur, cultural activist and long-time Gdańsk councillor. The Oliwa Neighborhood Budget, which includes two districts: Oliwa and Przymorze Małe, i.e. the former Oliwa za Torami, is a model to be followed by entrepreneurs from other districts. I dream of such initiatives appearing in other Gdańsk districts, and we have as many as 35 of them. I am glad that our Oliwa budget is developing, but I encourage other entrepreneurs from Oliwa and Przymorze Małe to join this great initiative – emphasizes Andrzej Stelmasiewicz.

Since 2024, Przemysław Skokowski, Councillor of the Przymorze Małe district, also a Gdańsk entrepreneur, has also joined the activities of the Oliwa Budget: As one of the donors of the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget, I have a simple motivation: to give back a part of what I receive from our community. In the sixth edition, there is PLN 24 thousand in the pool, and the residents of Oliwa and Przymorze Małe can submit their ideas until September 14 in a very simple and very simplified path of awarding funds to receive them if the jury likes the idea. I keep my fingers crossed for projects that connect neighbors and leave a lasting mark on the community. In previous years, we have seen how great initiatives work – from ceramic workshops, through floorball tournaments for children, to field games that reveal the history of Oliwa. As a resident of Przymorze Małe and the Chairman of the District Council, I hope that this year there will also be initiatives from our district and I will strongly support their implementation.

Projects can be submitted via the form available on the OBS website. The selection of co-financed projects is decided by a jury consisting of District Councillors, city activists, representatives of public institutions and one representative of the Olivia Centre. The winners are chosen through democratic voting, in which each vote has equal weight.