First Call for Organisational Grants
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About this call
As part of the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria, the First Call for Organisational Grants has been launched with a total budget of EUR 4,000,000. The Call will contribute to the Programme’s objective by supporting the strategic and long-term goals of Bulgarian civil society organisations that promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Expected Results Projects funded under the First Call for Organisational Grants must contribute to the following programme-level outcome and output: Outcome: Civil society organisations that promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights are strengthened. Output: Organisational development is supported. At least 12% of the funding available under the Call will be allocated as a priority to organisations working to promote the inclusion and empowerment of Roma people, including Roma women and girls. Funding and Application Process Organisational grants are provided in the form of a lump sum, enabling civil society organisations to implement their strategies or work plans and strengthen their long-term institutional capacity. Grants range from EUR 100,000 to EUR 300,000 for a period of one to three calendar years (2027–2029). Applications must be submitted through the online application form in the EGRANT system, together with the mandatory annexes specified in the Call for Proposals. Full information on the terms and conditions of the Call is provided in the Call for Proposals, which all applicants should read carefully before submitting their project proposals. The Call for Proposals is available in the Downloads section. Questions concerning the Call may be submitted to konkurs@osi.bg by 20 September 2026. The answers will be published here. Within the framework of the Programme, the Open Society Institute – Sofia Foundation will manage the First Call for Organisational Grants.
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, including 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 and 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 him/herself. In addition, the following eligibility criteria shall apply: the applicant must have had legal personality for at least 60 months prior to the submission deadline; the applicant must demonstrate an average annual turnover over the past four financial years not less than the annualised value of the grant amount applied for. the applicant must have a multiannual work plan and/or strategy, outlining the organisation's goals and priorities and the corresponding planned budget, covering the period for which the organisation is applying for funding. A plan or a strategy covering a period of at least two years is deemed multiannual for this purpose*; *Note: Applicants may have different practices and policies regarding annual planning. In the application form, applicants must describe the organisation's usual practice and the approach used in preparing the strategy/annual plan with which they are applying under this call and how the grant they apply for under this call will contribute to its implementation. The Operator accepts the following documents (or combination thereof) as admissible: A strategy covering a minimum of 2 years, but not less than the period for which the applicant is applying under this call; or A work plan covering a minimum of 2 years, but not less than the period for which the applicant is applying under this call; or A strategy (minimum 2 years, but not less than the period for which the applicant is applying under this call) and a work plan for the period for which the applicant is applying. Regardless of which of the above documents or combination thereof is submitted, the relevant documents/combination of documents must, at a minimum, contain information on the organisation's objectives and priorities for the relevant period, the planned activities/projects, and indicators for monitoring progress. The submitted organisational strategy and/or work plan should be accompanied by the corresponding overall organisational budget demonstrating the total resources needed to implement the strategy/work plan. The submitted overall budget should cover the entire period for which the applicant is applying for funding under this call. If applying for only one calendar year, the budget may cover that year only. The applicant must be in compliance with their payment obligations with regards to taxes, social security contributions and health insurance. The applicant must also meet the following requirements: The applicant must not have any other contracted projects under the Calls of the Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria (as either a project promoter or a partner) where the project’s implementation period overlaps with any year covered by the requested organisational grant.