Rolling Call for Small Grants
These links open the Programme Operator's own site.
About this call
Thе Rolling Call for Small Grants is part of the broader programme EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria that is dedicated to strengthening civil society and supporting civil society organisations that contribute to a more democratic, inclusive and resilient society. It aims to foster civic participation, protect fundamental rights, encourage social justice and equality, and promote sustainable responses to emerging societal challenges. This specific call aims to support small projects with the potential to grow and generate lasting impact by strengthening the resilience of civil society and contributing to the protection of democratic values, fundamental rights, and civic participation. Its purpose is to enable organisations to develop approaches that address pressing social challenges, foster inclusion and equality, improve access to reliable information, and strengthen communities’ ability to respond to emerging needs. The call places particular emphasis on supporting smaller and community-based organisations, as well as initiatives working with underrepresented groups or groups in situations of vulnerability, through a simplified and accessible funding mechanism. It encourages projects that promote civic engagement, social justice, organisational development, cooperation, and long-term sustainability, while helping build a more active, inclusive, and resilient society capable of responding to current and future challenges. Information related to the processing of the personal data of applicants in the Rolling Call for Small Grants can be found in Downloads. Questions and answers related to the Rolling Call for Small Grants will be available here. The answers to questions submitted during the application periods will be published on the linked page.
Who can apply
The applicant is the entity responsible for the overall initiation, preparation and implementation of the project (the project promoter). Eligible applicants are civil society organisations registered in Bulgaria as non-profit legal entities, and those registered as chitalishta, that meet the following requirements: be registered in accordance with the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (NPLEA) or the Chitalishta Act (CA); be independent of local, regional, or central government bodies, or of other state and public bodies and institutions, as well as of political parties and commercial entities. A civil society organisation is considered dependent when more than half of the members of its governing or supervisory body are appointed by local, regional, or central government bodies, by other state or public bodies and institutions, by political parties, or by commercial entities, or when any of them can impose or obstruct decision-making or in any way exercise a dominant influence over the organisation’s activities. political parties, religious institutions, social partners, and cooperatives are not eligible applicants. organisations whose objectives are to promote and protect only the specific professional and occupational interests of their members are also ineligible. all eligible applicants must abide the core values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and comply the fundamental rights and obligations enshrined in relevant legal instruments and standards. the organisational structure of the applicants should ensure that principles for avoiding conflicts of interest are applied, including prohibiting the applicant’s representative from entering into contracts with himself/herself, if the representative is part of the project implementation team. The applicant must also meet the following requirements: the applicant does not have a current agreement for an organisational grant under EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria covering the year(s) in which the project they are applying for is planned to be implemented. At the project proposal submission stage, applicants have to confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria. Whether a grant agreement can be concluded with the applicant, in case the project is recommended for funding, is determined by the Fund Operator prior to signing the grant agreement, based on documents provided by the applicant certifying their eligibility.