On May 12, 2026, the implementation of the EEA Civil Society Fund – the new civil society support program under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism – will be officially launched in Bulgaria.
The aim of the programme is to contribute to a strong, active and resilient civil society that protects and promotes democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
The Fund for Civil Society in Bulgaria is worth over EUR 23 million and is fully financed by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It represents the largest commitment made to date by donor countries to civil society in the country. It is expected that by the end of 2031 the fund will support more than 300 initiatives of civil society organizations in the following areas:
- Democratic values, civic participation, information integrity and media literacy.
- Participation of civil society organizations in democratic processes.
- Human rights, anti-discrimination and social justice.
- Gender equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, and rights of LGBTIQ+ people.
- Climate action, environmental protection and a just green transition.
- Organisational development and a favourable environment for civil society.
In addition, the Fund will support the empowerment of Roma, including their organisations and Roma women and girls, as well as refugees and migrants. Other Bulgarian-specific areas in the Fund’s work will be the challenges arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and countering gender-based violence. The Fund promotes the implementation of initiatives in partnership with organisations from donor countries.
The official opening of the EEA Civil Society Fund will take place in Sofia, and the event will be attended by representatives of the donor countries, the EEA Financial Mechanism, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as civil society organizations and institutions from Bulgaria.
A preliminary program of the event can be found here.
Representatives of civil society organizations and media can register interest in participating in the event here. Due to the limited capacity of the hall, access will be provided only for participants with confirmed registrations.
The official opening event of the EEA Civil Society Fund will be followed by a bilateral workshop to exchange ideas for future projects with organisations from donor countries: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The seminar will be held on May 13, 2026 and representatives of 50 organizations from Bulgaria and donor countries have registered to participate in it.
The program for the seminar can be found here.
The operator of the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria is a consortium of civil society organizations, led by the Open Society Institute – Sofia, with the participation of the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation, the Trust for Social Achievement Foundation and Civil Society Norway (Frivillighet Norge). The selection of the operator was carried out after an open and competitive tender procedure.
During the previous programming period, the implementation of which lasted from 2018 to the end of 2024, more than 250 civil society organizations were supported through the Active Citizens Fund under the EEA FM in Bulgaria, which implemented 211 projects in 32 settlements in the country. Over 300 thousand citizens actively participated in the initiatives, the results of which reached nearly one million people.