Civic Alliance Demands Real Cost of Redistributing SIF Programmes

The Latvian Civic Alliance (LPA), an association of non-governmental organisations, on 7 November 2026 called on the government to assess the actual costs and administrative impact of redistributing programmes run by the Society Integration Foundation (SIF) before making a decision. A Culture Ministry proposal would transfer some of the support programmes administered by the SIF to other public administration bodies. The alliance believes the change could create extra bureaucracy and increase state budget spending.

Cost estimates

An audit calculation indicates that the Culture Ministry's costs for directly administering several programmes could grow from 369,000 euros to 594,000 euros a year. That is 225,000 euros, or roughly 61.1%, more. The calculation does not include all information technology costs. The State Chancellery has identified a need for at least eight additional posts to take over programmes. The LPA says that in practice each ministry might have to hire new staff, build its own information systems and develop its own approach to competitions.

LPA director Elīna Grīnhofa stresses that the government has made reducing bureaucracy a priority, so it must explain how the redistribution would help achieve that goal.

Risks to independence and access

The alliance also points to risks for the independence of NGOs and media. In its view, funding decisions must be free from political influence, especially for organisations and media outlets that critically assess government work. Different institutions may set different application and reporting requirements, which could burden small and regional organisations with limited resources.

Audit findings

The state commissioned an independent audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers to evaluate the SIF; together with a working group, it cost the state up to 65,000 euros. The audit and an interinstitutional working group concluded that the SIF is effective and that a centralised system should be kept. During the legal coordination process, more than 100 opinions from 81 organisations and state institutions were submitted on the proposal.

The LPA asks the Cabinet of Ministers to publish the full impact assessment and to examine the objections on their merits before adopting an informative report.