The Bulgarian School of Politics, founded in 2001, is a non-governmental nonprofit organization with public benefit purposes. Its mission is to support the creation of a community of civic and political leaders with an active stand in the national, European and global public life, devoted to contemporary democratic values based on pluralism, tolerance and informed debate. Through seminars, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the School seeks to promote democracy and democratization of government action in Bulgaria, the countries of the Balkans and the Black Sea region. The School is located in Sofia and conducts trainings in Bulgaria and the neighboring Balkan countries. Its network of partners includes schools from the Association of Schools of Political Studies founded under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the Dutch Institute for Political Participation (IPP), and Bulgarian public institutions and think tanks. The programs of the School are supported by the Bulgarian National Assembly, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Matra program), the Balkan Trust for Democracy, NED (Washington), the Trust for Civil Society in CEE.