The Foundation "Development YES – Open-Pit Mines NO" (abbreviated as "DY-OPMN")

Foundation "DY-OPMN" is the formal and legal representation of the Polish National Coalition „Development YES – Open-pit mines NO" – a civil society grassroots movement to prevent plans to build new lignite open-pit mines and supporting the transformation of the Polish economy - from the one based on fossil fuels to a resource-efficient and new renewables-based one.

The idea for ​​establishing the Foundation was unanimously accepted by the members of National Coalition DY-OPMN during a program meeting of the Coalition in Wroclaw, in February 2015.

Representatives of the„ anti-open-pit mines" associations, local authorities from threatened areas and non-governmental organizations forming the Coalition "Development YES - Open pit mines NO " agreed that the Foundation of the same name as the one used by the Coalition will efficiently and effectively achieve the objectives of the entire Coalition, enabling them as an entity to possess a legal personality, new opportunities and tools for the implementation of the Coaliton’s plans. Following an agreement between the Coalition partners of its statutory objectives and their implementation plans Foundation "DY-OPMN" has been entered in the National Court Register (KRS) with effect from 1 June 2015 No. 0000558840.

Foundation DY-OPMN headquarters are located in the city of Legnica. Foundation "Development YES - Open pit mines NO " and the National Coalition DY-OPMN are both connected by the person of Ms. Irena Rogowska as President of the Board of the Foundation and of the President of the Coalition. Radosław Gawlik is chairing the Programme Board, while simultaneously acting as a Vice-President of the Coalition and the president of the Association "EKO-UNIA".

Tomasz Waśniewski is the President of the Foundation "RT-ON" (co-founder of the Social Committee "STOP open pit mine" and the National Coalition "RT-ON" too). The other members of the Foundation Board and Founders are: Jakub "Kuba" Gogolewski (energy expert currently based in Brussels), Andrzej Holdenmajer (local government, ex-mayor of Ścinawa), Waldemar Kwaśny (local government, ex-mayor of Milkowice), Janusz Łucki (local government , a spokesman for the Coalition, vice president of the Foundation). The leaders of the organization have many years of experience working in the local government, business and NGO-s. They organized a successful referendum against an open-cast mine near Legnica and Lubin. In 2009 they were also the initiators of the creation of the Social Committee "Stop the open pit mine" and the National Coalition "Development YES - Open pit mines NO" in 2011. They have written and submitted a petition to the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, held talks with the Polish government and organized an official fact-finding mission of the Members of the European Parliament to Poland in 2013. The Foundation has vast personnel resources, knowledge, skills and experience.

Together with the Coalition it is willing to continue to shape the future of the Polish movement against opencast lignite mines.