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Budujemy demokratyczną wspólnotę, zdolną sprostać wyzwaniom współczesności. Przyznajemy granty, stypendia i nagrody, które pomagają ją wzmacniać.

Think
the unthought

Roman Czernecki Educational Foundation is dedicated to supporting the Humanities and the Arts in East-Central Europe. Established in 2009, we are inspired by the legacy of our patron, Roman Czernecki, a visionary social innovator and educator.

About the patron

Foundation Patron Roman Czernecki with his students, high school in Krzemieniec (1930s)
Foundation's Patron Roman Czernecki with his students, high school in Krzemieniec (1930s)

What we do

We support humanistic thinking and initiatives in cultural and civic education. We work with people, institutions and ideas.

Scholarship holders of the “Horyzonty” program during the holidays (Jastarnia, 2016)
Scholarship holders of the “Horyzonty” program during the holidays (Jastarnia, 2016)

People

We support individuals through a dedicated scholarship program and awards.

Horyzonty Scholarship Program

Social Impact Award

Roman Czernecki Award

Press breakfast in Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, 2024
Press breakfast in Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, 2024

Institutions

We set up partnerships with institutions, offering grants and fellowships to further our educational aims.

Supported institutions

Roman Czernecki's students, 1930s
Roman Czernecki's students, 1930s

Ideas

We facilitate an exchange of ideas by supporting publications and seminars.

Supported publishers

Our mission

Democracy hinges on a capacity for hermeneutic hospitality...

…a quality cultivated through the liberal arts.

The context

The generation responsible for the future of East-Central Europe has liberal democracy to thank for three decades of unprecedented social and economic stability. But the fortune of this political construct is no longer a given. We’ve been accustomed to believe that laws and independent institutions would alone guarantee our political freedoms. Education was treated as subservient to the economy, a form of vocational training. We now see that this view was irresponsibly optimistic and intellectually wanting. In order to effectively stand up to the challenges posed by illiberal forces, artificial intelligence or the climate crises, we need to change the way we understand the role of education and see it for what it always was: a vital process of living up to our potential as humans and citizens.

The Inspiration

We draw inspiration from the educational legacy of Roman Czernecki — a teacher and educational activist, organizer of clandestine schooling during World War II, dean of the School of Pedagogy in Gdańsk, and lecturer in the history of philosophy at the Warsaw University of Technology.

The values that guided Professor Czernecki inspired his son, Andrzej—a nuclear physicist, entrepreneur, and member of the Polish Parliament—to establish EFC Foundation in 2009. Our work is possible thanks to an endowment he set up, the first philanthropic initiative of this scale in Poland.

Today, the Foundation is led by his sons, Igor and Andrzej, with the support of Jan Krzewiński.

We remain committed to the values embodied by the Foundation’s patron, Roman Czernecki, and its founder, Andrzej Czernecki, while continuously reflecting on and refining our strategy to keep pace with a changing world.

The team in the Warsaw office (2024)
The team in the Warsaw office (2024)

News

  • The future of culture depends on people who are curious, open to collaboration and ready to cross borders - both literally and intellectually. Supporting the next generation of curators means investing in new perspectives, stronger international networks, and a more connected cultural landscape. We’re proud to be part of this initiative alongside @friezeofficial, and @upefoundation, creating opportunities for emerging curators from Poland to learn, exchange ideas and expand their practice. If this sounds like you, we’d love to see your application. Application form → Link in bio. • education • arts • humanities • cultural exchange • curators • emerging professionals • Poland • Baltics • Central & Eastern Europe • @friezeofficial • Frieze London • @upefoundation
  • How do nations come into being? And how does a shared past shape different futures? In „The Reconstruction of Nations”, Timothy Snyder @thetimothysnyder traces the histories of Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus, showing that national identities are not fixed or inevitable - they are shaped through history, memory and political choices. More than twenty years after its original publication, Snyder’s work remains strikingly relevant, offering essential context for understanding Central and Eastern Europe today. This new Polish edition, published by @borderland.pogranicze with the support of the @efc.edu.pl Czernecki Educational Foundation, reflects a shared commitment to fostering thoughtful public debate, historical understanding and dialogue across borders. For many years, the EFC and the Borderland Foundation have worked together to strengthen education in the humanities and support initiatives that encourage critical reflection on the region’s complex past and its contemporary challenges. #TimothySnyder #TheReconstructionOfNations #Pogranicze #EFC • Humanities • History • Central Europe • Eastern Europe • Historical Memory • Dialogue • edukacja • education • cultural • civic • Borderland • Pogranicze • Edukacyjna Fundacja Czerneckiego
  • Our long-standing partnership with the @borderland.pogranicze enters a new chapter. The Czernecki Educational Foundation is proud to partner with the Borderland Foundation in supporting the Small Centres of the World program @small_centers_of_the_world continuing our shared commitment to education, dialogue, and strengthening local communities. • edukacja • education • cultural • civic • humanities • książka Małe Centrum Świata • Borderland • Pogranicze • Edukacyjna Fundacja Czerneckiego •
  • At the Czernecki Educational Foundation, we are committed to education through the arts and humanities. We believe that international exchange strengthens cultural ecosystems, sparks new ideas, and creates lasting connections. By supporting curators from Poland, we invest in people who will shape the future of culture across Central and Eastern Europe. Application form → Link in bio. • edukacja • education • cultural & civic • humanities • @upefoundation • FRIEZE LONDON • @friezeofficial • kulturotwórcza • kurator • kuratorka • Polska • Baltics • CEE •
  • EFC supports the @festiwal_poczatek_sezonu because it creates an open space where literature, art, and conversations about the contemporary world come together. By bringing together different disciplines and perspectives, the festival encourages audiences to engage with their surroundings, local history and the social changes shaping everyday life. Deeply rooted in Bydgoszcz, the festival demonstrates how ambitious cultural programmes can thrive beyond the largest metropolitan centres. It connects artists, writers, experts and local communities through experiences that are accessible, inclusive and designed for audiences of all ages. For @efc.edu.pl , supporting the festival is part of a broader commitment to strengthening local cultural ecosystems, advancing the humanities and creating opportunities for meaningful participation in culture. We believe that initiatives like Początek Sezonu help build communities grounded in curiosity, dialogue and a shared sense of responsibility for the places we live. 📸 Dariusz Gackowski • humanities • cultural • civic • education • central • eastern • Europe • Poland • Bydgoszcz • Fedtival Początek Sezonu • Edukacyjna Fundacja Czerneckiego •
  • Roman Czernecki Educational Foundation is dedicated to supporting the Humanities and the Arts in East-Central Europe. Established in 2009, we are inspired by the legacy of our patron, Roman Czernecki, a visionary social innovator and educator. We support humanistic thinking and initiatives in cultural and civic education. We work with people, institutions and ideas. We support individuals through a dedicated scholarship program and awards. We set up partnerships with institutions, offering grants and fellowships to further our educational aims. We facilitate an exchange of ideas by supporting publications and seminars. • edukacja • kulturotwórcza • obywatelska • humanistyczna • Edukacyjna Fundacja Czerneckiego • Humanities • Cultural & Civic Education • Stypendium Horyzonty •
  • OPEN CALL! 📣 Applications are now open until 30 September. Each year, the Czernecki Educational Foundation @efc.edu.pl awards a fellowship to an artist, writer, or researcher from Central and Eastern Europe to spend a year at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination @iii_snfphi in Paris. It’s our way of supporting bold ideas, artistic practice, and meaningful intellectual exchange across borders. Apply now. Link in bio. • culture-shaping • civic • humanistic • education • fellowship •
  • We’re excited to announce a new partnership between the Roman Czernecki Educational Foundation and Polska Wielki Projekt Foundation. As part of this collaboration, we are pleased to support and recommend the Academy of Great Books for high school students — a unique programme built around reading, discussion, and exploration of some of the most influential works of Polish and European literature. Through weekly Socratic seminars and an international study visit to Slovakia, participants develop critical thinking, focus, communication, and interpretation skills while engaging with ideas that have shaped our culture for centuries. Participation is fully funded by EFC, with only a small contribution required toward the study trip costs. For more information, please contact the programme coordinators at fundacja@polskawielkiprojekt.pl. • edukacja • kulturotwórcza • obywatelska • humanistyczna •
  • 💛 Over the past few months, we celebrated the finale of the fifth edition of Primary Forms, our cultural education programme developed in partnership with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw @msnwarszawa. We also presented the PRB Award named after EFC founder Andrzej Czernecki and bid farewell to the 15th cohort of @stypendium.horyzonty, our scholarship programme run together with the Starak Family Foundation @starakfoundation. Along the way, several new journals and three new books were published with our support. And, after a challenging selection process, we chose the students who will join the next cohort of Horyzonty. ✨ Despite appearances, we are not slowing down. In the coming days, we will share open calls for two entirely new programmes. Stay tuned! • education • civic society • critical thinking • fellowship • scholarship • edukacja • kulturotwórcza • obywatelska • humanistyczna • @alumni_efc_frs •
  • Something new is coming to Czernecki Educational Foundation’s agenda! Artists, writers, researchers, and curators seeking dedicated time, meaningful exchange, and opportunities to deepen your practice – we have two new programmes on the horizon! Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing more information soon. And if you’d like to get all the details and a reminder before the deadline, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter. • kuratorka • kurator • pisarz • pisarka • badacz • badaczka • edukacja • Edukacyjna Fundacja im. Romana Czerneckiego • kulturotwórcza •
  • We are proud to announce a new partnership between Czernecki Educational Foundation @efc.edu.pl and Więź @wiez_pl — home to one of Poland’s most respected intellectual magazines and a leading socio-cultural institution. For more than 65 years, Więź has been an important voice in Polish public life, creating space for thoughtful reflection on education, culture, society, faith, and democracy. Founded in 1958 by Tadeusz Mazowiecki, later Poland’s first democratic Prime Minister after 1989, Więź has consistently championed dialogue, critical thinking, openness, and civic responsibility. Today, through its quarterly magazine, publishing house, online platform, and independent think tank, Więź continues to enrich public debate with nuanced perspectives and rigorous analysis. Its mission — to build bridges, overcome stereotypes, and seek common ground across differences — feels more relevant than ever. At EFC, we believe education is not only about knowledge but also about learning how to think, question, listen, and engage with complexity. • education • edukacja obywatelska • wspólnota • pomyśl niepomyślane •
  • We are very pleased to announce that EFC has become a patron of the interdisciplinary festival Początek Sezonu in Bydgoszcz @festiwal_poczatek_sezonu We are proud to support this unique event, that creates a space for inspiring encounters and new perspectives. 📅 25-28 June 📍Bydgoszcz We look forward to being part of this extraordinary celebration of creativity and culture ✨

Friends