The PREPARE activities have drawn upon many sources of finance. The programme is based on partnership between the thirteen co-initiating NGOs and a wide network of organisations in the new EU member states and pre-accession countries. Initiative on any element may come from any point in the partnership, within a framework set by the Organising Group; and the partner responsible for each activity has taken the lead in finding the funds for that activity.

However, the Organising Group decided in 2002 that more flexible funding was needed, and made approaches to a number of Foundations. In late 2002, we received a $150,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. This was followed in 2004, and again in 2006, by further grant – each of $200,000 - from the same Foundation. These grants, awarded in the first periods to the Swedish Federation of Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies, and since 2008 to the Latvian Rural Forum (partner in the PREPARE programme), have been devoted mainly to support for the PREPARE activities in the new EU neighbour countries (mainly Western Balkans, Ukraine and Turkey), national capacity building programmes in Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia and Croatia, plus the net costs of the annual PREPARE Gatherings and central costs such as creation and maintenance of this Website.

Funding from other sources has been secured to contribute to the costs of multi-national gatherings, regional exchanges and international networking.

Funds for PREPARE activities have been drawn from the following sources :
  • British Embassy in Slovenia
  • Carpathian Foundation (see Links)
  • Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (see Links)
  • Civil Society Development Foundation (PHARE)
  • Czech National Rural Observatory
  • Czech Rural Revival Association
  • Czech Network of Local action Groups, and individual
  • LAGs
  • ECOVAST Sweden
  • European Commission
  • European Parliament
  • Fondation de France
  • Foundation for Local Government Reform, Bulgaria
  • GTZ
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Estonia
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Finland
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
  • Open Society Institute
  • Polish Rural Forum
  • Regional Council of Extramadura, Spain
  • Regional Governor, South Moravia
  • Soros East-East Foundation
  • Swedish International Development Agency
  • United Nations Development Programme
Many other individuals and organisations have provided help in cash or in kind to PREPARE activities.