About the program
The “Parenting 2.0, More than Care” program is implemented by the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF) with the support of the “Tanya’s Dream” Fund. The program works to build a sustainable network of engaged parents and parent groups who, through active participation and joint efforts, work for children to grow up in their families, and not to be separated from them. The focus is also on developing parental leadership, mobilizing parents and communities, supporting participation in decision-making processes, and advocacy actions to improve policies, programs, and practices to support children and families based on parents’ experiences.
Objectives of the program
The overall goal of the Parenthood 2.0 program is to strengthen the role of parents as a force for keeping children in the family, active partners and obligatory participants in decision-making for their children and the processes of changing policies, programs and practices to support children and families.
Specific objectives:
- Prevention of separation between children and parents and placement of children in institutional and residential care.
- Providing/providing family support and early intervention aimed at children at risk and/or with developmental difficulties and their parents.
- Increase understanding of the role of parents in children’s lives and contact with them, even when children are in alternative care.
- Creating working relationships between parent-activists and institutions.
- Promoting institutional support for vulnerable families.
- Building a network between parent organizations, groups and activists for exchange and cooperation.
The program puts parents at the center of change, as experts with life experience, who together build equitable, supportive and sustainable communities.
A central element of the program is the implementation of the Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) model, in which parents themselves are involved in setting priorities, deciding what will be funded and evaluating the results.
Basic principles of the program:
- Building a structure and standard of work with the participation of parent-activists: on the basis of an open competition, a Council of Parent-Activists is formed to provide funding to organizations and groups of parents of children in vulnerable situations. This Council, together with experts from the Programme Management Board, shall define the participation model, the funding criteria and the ethical principles of the Programme. Training and support needs are identified, especially for parents of children from vulnerable families, such as families of children with disabilities, children with educational difficulties, families living in poverty and economic difficulties, families belonging to different ethnic communities, etc., parents and families who are vulnerable and at risk of social exclusion.
- Capacity and Leadership Development: The program organizes trainings, workshops, mentoring and practical sessions led by experienced parents-activists and specialists. Parents gain skills in leadership, community organizing, advocacy, strategic communication, and working to change policies, programs, and practices. Mutual assistance and exchanges between participants through live and online meetings are encouraged.
- Funding parent initiatives built on the principles of child rights protection and non-discrimination: The program will provide flexible grants to informal groups and organizations led by activist parents. The application process is simplified, in Bulgarian and accompanied by technical assistance for applicants. The funding covers activities aimed at preventing the separation between children and parents through capacity building, advocacy and mobilization of parents and communities. Through the application of the “Participatory Grant-Making” approach, the program transfers control and decision-making for financing initiatives to the parents themselves – people with life experience as parents who know the challenges, needs and possible solutions for children and families. Parents set their own priorities, formulate their vision for change, and participate in building strategies and solutions that ensure that each child grows up in a family, not in an institution.
- Security, protection and well-being: The programme provides training and support for the implementation of policies to protect participants and their communities. Access to psychological and legal support, groups for exchange of experience and mutual assistance and flexible funding will be provided for all participants in the program.
Target groups of the program
The main target group of the program is parents who raise children in vulnerable situations – including, but not limited to, children with disabilities, children living in poverty, children from ethnic minorities, single parents, large families, victims of violence, families living in unfavorable housing conditions and others. The program pays special attention to parents who have personal experience of interacting with the child protection system, as their perspective and experiences are particularly valuable in formulating effective and context-sensitive solutions. Parents, together with their children, are end-users and they are expected to have tangible benefits from the implementation of the activities proposed by the applicants.
Secondary target groups – border partners include specialists and institutions with whom parents interact – such as social workers, pedagogues, doctors, police officers, lawyers, representatives of the local administration. Projects may envisage activities that engage these subgroups in order to build partnerships, improve communication between parents and institutions and form more effective and supportive sustainable community practices.
Projects may include activities targeting both end-users and border partners through which the change is realised.
Activities that the programme will support
The program provides an opportunity for the implementation of a wide range of activities that are related to the development of skills, knowledge and capacity in parents and their informal associations. This includes conducting trainings, seminars and workshops aimed at developing leadership, advocacy and community mobilization skills. Organizations can work on surveys of parents’ needs, their interaction with responsible institutions, their participation in decision-making processes related to their children, communities and policies, as well as building networks between parent groups, creating platforms for mutual assistance and exchange of experiences. Activities such as creating and disseminating information materials, developing new services and support mechanisms for parents and conducting awareness-raising campaigns are also eligible. Initiatives that address specific problems in the local community and offer sustainable solutions based on real experiences and needs of parents will be encouraged. It is important that the proposed activities are realistic, logically linked and directly related to the objectives of the programme.
First competitions under the Parenthood 2.0 program
Competition for civil society organizations
Eligible candidates for this competition are non-profit legal entities (registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act and the Chitalishtes Act).
When the applicant is an NGO, a social service provider, he must propose activities beyond those that are financed by the budget of the service and are expected to perform in accordance with the Ordinance on the Quality of Social Services.
The competition starts on 16.06.2025. More information about it can be found here. Applications for this competition are made through the WCIF application platform.
Competition for parents and informal civic groups
The competition is open to informal parent groups involving at least five people, most of whom must be parents.
The program encourages the creation of groups motivated to improve the lives of children and families in vulnerable situations.
The competition starts on 15.09. 2025. More information about it can be found here. Applications for this competition are made through the WCIF application platform.
Second competitions under the Parenthood 2.0 program
Competition for civil society organizations
Eligible candidates for this competition are non-profit legal entities (registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act and the Chitalishtes Act).
When the applicant is an NGO, a social service provider, he must propose activities beyond those that are financed by the budget of the service and are expected to perform in accordance with the Ordinance on the Quality of Social Services.
The competition starts on 04.03.2026. More information about it can be found here. Applications for this competition are made through the WCIF application platform.
Competition for parent groups
The competition is open to informal parent groups involving at least three people, most of whom must be parents.
The program encourages the creation of groups motivated to improve the lives of children and families in vulnerable situations.
The competition starts on 04.03.2026. More information about it can be found here. Applications for this competition are made through the WCIF application platform.
