Summary:

Local activity groups are new organizations in the sphere of social life in Polish rural areas. They were initiated immediately after Poland's accession to the EU structures owing to Leader +" Pilot Programme in the framework of "Sectoral Operational Programme of restructuring and modernization of food sector and rural development". Its objective was inspiring activity of rural communities and involving them in creating and realization of local development strategies. Another impulse for self-organization of local communities into LAGs was a potential selection of Local Development strategy for realization (in the framework of Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 - axis IV Leader). These activities apparently mobilizing local communities show that creating certain instruments and encouragement through real possibilities of development mobilize rural com-munities for action. Despite the fact that the funds allocated to realization of RDP are not substantial (constituting only c.a. 4.5% of the programme budget), they provide an impulse for local communities to think about a development and con-centrate their energy and resources on this aim, as well as seeking new, not stan-dard ways leading to life quality improvement in rural areas.
The article aims at presenting some general rules of constructing budgets for LAGs in Poland and characteristics of the budget of LAG Orawa Development Association with reference to budgets of other LAGs in Poland.