This paper examines the small projects fund at the Polish-German border, a policy initiative funded through the Territorial Cooperation Objective of EU cohesion policy, aiming at stimulating 'social capital' in border regions by bringing people from both sides of the border together in small-scale social or cultural events.
The paper first presents the main properties of the fund in the 2007-2013 period; second, it assesses approaches to bringing Poles and Germans together. Drawing on interview data and field-notes from ten projects observed in 2013, the paper identifies the types of project that are particularly effective in stimulating trust building networks. It shows that projects that tap into people's interests, such as their professional development or a hobby, tend to be more successful than abstract cultural or academic projects at stimulating trust. The paper also examines different strategies employed by project organisers to facilitate communication and identifies the most promising ones.
