The Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF) has prepared a report “Community Foundations in Bulgaria”, prepared within the framework of the regional project “Re-think” of the European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI). The study traces the development of community foundations in our country, analyzes the current state of local philanthropy and outlines the main challenges facing the civil sector in the period 2020-2025.
The report shows that while community foundations in Bulgaria have a significant role as intermediaries between local communities, business and civic initiatives, the sector remains fragile and financially unstable. As of 2025, there are only five active community foundations operating in the country, which work mainly through project funding, donation campaigns and local partnerships. Among the main problems are the lack of sustainable funding, limited tax incentives for donation, low community trust in civil society organizations and the difficulty in attracting young people to the sector.
The study highlights that despite these difficulties, community foundations continue to be important local leaders and organizers of civic participation. Good examples are the community donation funds in Stara Zagora, Sliven and Varna, which develop initiatives such as donation circles, youth banks, fundraising campaigns and support for local causes.
The future of community foundations depends both on creating a more conducive environment for philanthropy and on the ability of the organizations themselves to build trust, develop new fundraising models and engage a wider range of local donors. According to the report, community foundations have the potential to become key drivers of local development and civic sustainability if they receive stronger institutional and societal support.
The full version of the national report on community foundations in Bulgaria is available here, as part of a document with all other national reports on the countries participating in the regional project “Re-think“: https://communityfoundations.eu/knowledge-item/balkan-re-think-action-research-national-research-reports/
A synthesized version of the report in Bulgarian can be found here: