WCIF announces an additional call for initiatives under the “Together” Fund

As of today, 23 April 2025, the second, additional call for initiatives under the “Together” Fund, part of the “Rights and Values” project, is open.

The call targets initiatives that contribute to at least one of the project’s three thematic priorities:

  • EU Rights – promotion and clarification of EU citizens’ rights (freedom of movement, political participation, protection of fundamental rights, etc.);
  • Democracy – encouraging active civic participation, institutional transparency, free and fair elections, and media freedom;
  • Diversity and Equality – promoting tolerance, solidarity, anti-discrimination, and social inclusion.

The call will support initiatives with local-level impact in different regions of the country, including small settlements or hard-to-reach areas distant from the capital. Local initiatives also include those that may address the problems and needs of relatively small communities while creating new practices applicable at national level and/or having the potential to be replicated elsewhere, as well as to influence processes at national level.

The call is open to civil society organisations registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act, as well as to Community Cultural Centres (Chitalishta) registered under the Community Cultural Centres Act.

Organisations that, as of 23 June 2025, have completed an initiative under the “Together” Fund or the “Action” Fund of the “Rights and Values” project are also eligible to apply.

Approved proposals will receive non-repayable targeted funding ranging from EUR 10,000 to EUR 20,000 per initiative, with no co-financing required. The maximum implementation period is up to 6 months. More details about the application procedure can be found here.

Applications are submitted entirely online via the Electronic System for Submission and Management of Projects (ESSMP). The platform can be accessed through the “Rights and Values” project website. The system will accept proposals until 5:00 p.m. on 23 June 2025.

The call aims to support civil society organisations whose activities contribute to:

  • Raising awareness of European Union values and promoting their application in Bulgaria, including respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights, including the rights of minorities;
  • Strengthening the capacity and role of the civil society sector in safeguarding and advancing these values.

The call is implemented under the “Together” Fund of the project “Strengthening the Role of Civil Society Organisations in Bulgaria in Protecting and Promoting Fundamental European Rights and Values” (ProEUvaluesBG), hereinafter referred to as the “Rights and Values” project. The project is implemented in partnership by the Open Society Institute – Sofia Foundation (OSI–Sofia), the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF/FRGI), and the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) (in Bulgarian: International Non-Governmental Association “European Citizen Action Service”).

The project is implemented with financial support from the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme in the amount of EUR 2,570,299, representing 90% of the project budget. The funding authority is the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in accordance with the powers delegated to it by the European Commission.