-
Initiated an English Language Program in Fall 1992 by bringing 36 English language teachers to the Baltics (12 in each country) in cooperation with the Experiment in International Living.
- Surveyed U.S. private sector assistance to the Baltics by questioning 11,000 U.S. private sector organizations in order to establish database for exchange programs, completed in October 1992. This resulted in the U.S.- Baltic Partnerships directory of American private sector, non-governmental organizations with detailed descriptions of organizations willing to support development programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – and in particular, to host interns from the Baltics. USBF published and widely distributed the directory in the Baltics. Funding: U.S. Information Agency
- Established the Citizens’ Ambassador Program in May with the Ministries of Justice of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which enabled American and Canadian legal experts to work side by side with lawmakers in each country as they developed legislation on the following issues: bank charters and regulation, civil and criminal codes, municipal authority and finance, human rights protection, insurance, and constitutional law.
- Sponsored student exchange program for 21 Baltic high school students in Fall 1993 (full-semester) to attend school and live with an American family in Maryland. Co-sponsored by the Governor of Maryland and the State Department of Education. Funding: U.S. Information Agency
- Created the Estonian Ferry Victim Relief Fund in Fall 1994, which provided $60,000 in assistance to children and families of victims of the maritime tragedy that took more than 800 lives.
- Participated in White House preparations for President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Baltic States in 1994 and helped the U.S. Embassy Tallinn to organize a reception for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and DemNet NGO’s in 1996.
- Sponsored Stanford’s Students for Eastern European Development program to send eight students from Stanford University to spend two months teaching English as a second language in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Summer 1996.
- Provided a grant to establish Junior Achievement economics education programs in rural Estonian schools for grades K-12 in 1997. The unemployed father of one Estonian 7th grader got a job after learning resumé-writing skills from his child’s homework book.
- U.S.- Baltic Partnerships (survey of 11,000 U.S. private sector organizations to establish data base for exchange programs; completed in October 1992.
A Record of Leveraging U.S. Private Sector Resources
-
The U.S.- Baltic Foundation (USBF) was founded in 1990, prior to Baltic independence, to support democratic and free market reforms in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Under challenging circumstances and with a modest budget, USBF has leveraged more than $8 million dollars in assistance and established 11 local democratic institutions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- USBF’s professional educational and training programs have improved and strengthened local public administration, independent media and NGO development. USBF managed the $2.9 million USAID-funded Democracy Network Program – which served as the model for the $15 million Baltic American Partnership Fund. The Foundation established Municipal Training Centers, Schools of Public Administration and Independent Media Centers in all three countries, which continue to train the next generation of Baltic leaders. Thousands of future Baltic leaders have participated in and benefited from these programs.
- The Pew Charitable Trusts selected USBF as one of four “Pew All-Stars” in all of Central Europe in 1997. Pew awarded multiple matching grants of nearly $1,000,000 for USBF public administration education programs. Private foundations, including the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and the National Endowment for Democracy, have also provided more than $250,000 for USBF programs.
- USBF has organized 12 dinners and luncheons with Baltic Presidents and Prime Ministers in Washington, Chicago and New York, and special events for business and government leaders in cities across the U.S. and the Baltics.
- USBF introduced millions of Americans to Baltic history and culture by assisting in the 3-year production of the public television documentary “One World: The Baltic States”hosted by Charles Osgood. USBF organized the American broadcast premiere event – attended by all three Baltic Presidents – at the Newseum and organized Baltic broadcast debut receptions at each U.S. Embassy in 1998.
- The Foundation sponsored the first-ever tour of Baltic art in the United States in 2000. USBF organized exhibitions at New York’s National Arts Club, the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, and prominent venues in Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
- USBF’s Ambassadors Council speaker series in the U.S. Capitol introduced Baltic leaders – including the Lithuanian and Latvian Presidents, the Estonian Prime Minister and the leader of the Jewish community of Vilnius – to Members of Congress, Senators, Congressional staff and Administration officials. USBF also introduced the Baltics to new American audiences through media appearances, including on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Reports, Fox News Channel, and in the Associated Press and a front-page feature in the Houston Chronicle. This contributed to strong U.S. support for the Baltics joining NATO in 2003.
- The Foundation assists with Congressional delegation visits to the Baltics by providing information and targeted research on the Baltics to Members and staff. USBF has hosted events in the Baltics for Co-Dels and works with partner organizations and leaders of the House and Senate Baltic Caucuses to recruit new Members.
- USBF programs in 2003 also included two training projects to improve ethics and combat corruption in the Baltics. With gifts from USBF donors, USBF supported scout camps and computer training projects for disadvantaged youth in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. USBF also brought professional mediators from each Baltic country for a two-week training program in U.S. cities, and sent three American journalists and the town manager of Culpeper, Virginia, to lead training seminars in the Baltics.
- USBF hosts A Baltic Celebration in Washington, DC, the premiere annual event for American friends of the Baltics. Past honorees include Lennart Meri, Winthrop Rockefeller and John Shimkus.