FLVC logo

U.S.-Baltic Foundation records, 1990-2013, bulk 1992-1997

 

Summary

Creator:
U.S.-Baltic Foundation
Abstract:
The U.S.-Baltic Foundation records, 1990-2013, documents the work of the U.S.-Baltic Foundation, a non-profit organization that aimed to support the democratization of the Baltic States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The collection consists of financial reports, legal documents, newspaper articles, newsletters, magazines, and a small number of photographs documenting the Foundation's activities and programs in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. It also contains briefings, which offer broad information on various projects, monthly events, and final reports on a project's progress. Proposals, agreements, and modifications of grants awarded by the U.S.-Baltic Foundation are also included. The U.S.-Baltic Foundation (USBF) was founded in 1990 as a response to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the United States' desire to restore independence and democracy to the Baltic States. In 1990, they also obtained non-profit status. As part of the U.S. Democracy Network, the U.S.-Baltic Foundation received a 2.4-million-dollar budget from Congress to work with Baltic organizations and embassies to aid in the democratization of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. USBF held Baltic Municipal Management Seminars and established Municipal Training Centers, which taught local Baltic officials how to govern in a capitalist system. Municipal Training Centers were created in partnership with universities in the Baltic States, including the University of Tartu in Estonia, the University of Latvia, and the Kaunas Technological University in Lithuania, emphasizing decentralization and providing opportunities to visit America and observe how government operated in a capitalist society. USBF's operations slowed in 2011. In 2019, USBF donated $250,000, the last of its cash assets, to the University of Central Florida for a new dual undergraduate program in public administration and nonprofit management in partnership with Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania.
Extent:
6 Linear Feet 12 boxes
Language:
English Latvian Lithuanian Estonian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], U.S.-Baltic Foundation records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Background

Scope and content:

The U.S.-Baltic Foundation records, 1990-2013, documents the work of the U.S.-Baltic Foundation, a non-profit organization that aimed to support the democratization of the Baltic States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The collection consists of financial reports, legal documents, newspaper articles, newsletters, magazines, and a small number of photographs documenting the Foundation's activities and programs in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. It also contains briefings, which offer broad information on various projects, monthly events, and final reports on a project's progress. Proposals, agreements, and modifications of grants awarded by the U.S.-Baltic Foundation are also included. This collection offers insight into American efforts to restore democracy in former Soviet states of Eastern Europe, steering Baltic states away from communism and encouraging free markets. Through initiatives promoting press freedom, decentralization, and the creation of PhD programs in the Baltic States, the U.S.-Baltic Foundation significantly aided the Baltic States' transition to capitalism and democracy.

Series I: U.S.-Baltic Foundation Files, 1990 – 2008, contain organizational records and major project files that document the U.S.-Baltic Foundation's work with multiple Baltic countries. It includes grant agreements, modifications, the U.S.-Baltic Foundation in media such as new clippings or articles, emails, newsletters, financial documents, legal documents, and reports about programs, such as the Baltic Municipal Training Institute. It also documents the Foundation's efforts to obtain non-profit status. This series is arranged by like-item.

Series II: Latvian Files, 1991-1998, contain materials related to projects in Latvia. The series includes grant paperwork, emails, financial reports, and proposals. The files document the brand-new U.S.-Baltic Foundation's first contact with Latvian social programs.

Series III: Estonia Files, 1993-2001, contains materials related to projects in Estonia. The series includes grant paperwork, emails, and financial files. The U.S.-Baltic Foundation's work in Estonia is centered around protecting the environment. The U.S.-Baltic Foundation worked very closely with the Estonian Green Movement, providing financial aid.

Series IV: Lithuanian files, 1992 – 2006, contain materials related to projects in Lithuania. The series includes grant paperwork, emails, thank you letters, correspondence with local authorities, and financial files. The U.S.-Baltic Foundation's activities in Lithuania demonstrate the organization's evolving role over time. Initially, the Foundation supported Lithuania in a similar way as the other states by creating a Municipal Training Center and the Kaunas Technological University in Lithuania. This Municipal Training Center taught local officials how to govern in a capitalist democracy. Later, the U.S.-Baltic Foundation began to focus on community growth, such as creating summer camps for students and building a community center for the Jewish population.

Biographical / historical:

The U.S.-Baltic Foundation (USBF) was founded in 1990 as a response to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the United States' desire to restore independence and democracy to the Baltic States. In 1990, they also obtained non-profit status. As part of the U.S. Democracy Network, the U.S.-Baltic Foundation received a 2.4-million-dollar budget from Congress to work with Baltic organizations and embassies to aid in the democratization of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. USBF worked very closely with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on many of its projects and politicians from both U.S. political parties served on its board of trustees. USBF also received private support, accepting donations from American individuals and large non-profit organizations such as Pew Charitable Trusts and the Audrey Gruss Foundation.

The U.S.-Baltic Foundation held Baltic Municipal Management Seminars and established Municipal Training Centers, which taught local Baltic officials how to govern in a capitalist system. Municipal Training Centers were created in partnership with universities in the Baltic States, including the University of Tartu in Estonia, the University of Latvia, and the Kaunas Technological University in Lithuania, emphasizing decentralization and providing opportunities to visit America and observe how government operated in a capitalist society. The Foundation also worked to introduce free press to the Baltic states through exchange programs that allowed Baltic media personnel to visit news stations in Washington D.C. and Dallas, Texas. These visits gave Baltic media personnel examples of how the free press operated. USBF also had country-specific programs such as helping the Jewish community in Lithuania build a community center, creating an AIDS-Information and Support center in Estonia, and donating to the Latvian Society of Nature and Monuments Protection. USBF supported many organizations such as these and was a crucial part of democratizing the Baltic states. USBF's operations slowed in 2011. In 2019, USBF donated $250,000, the last of its cash assets, to the University of Central Florida for a new dual undergraduate program in public administration and nonprofit management in partnership with Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Jeff Nelson in 2023 (Accession no. CFM2023_04).
Processing information:

Processed by and finding aid prepared by Stanley Shen in 2024.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series as follows. Each series is arranged chronologically. 

  • I. U.S.-Baltic Foundation Files, 1990 – 2008
  • II. Latvia Files, 1991-1998
  • III. Estonia Files, 1993-2001
  • IV. Lithuania Files, 1992 – 2006

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The entire collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], U.S.-Baltic Foundation records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Location of this collection:
John C. Hitt Library
12701 Pegasus Drive, Building 2
Orlando
FL
32816-8030
USA