From February 16, 2026, the competition under the Code Success Fund is open – an opportunity for civil society organizations in Bulgaria to turn their ideas into real actions with a sustainable effect. With a total budget of €450,000, the initiative will support active civil society organisations that stand up for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The fund is part of the PACT project and is aimed at smaller organizations outside the large urban centers. Eligible applicants are non-profit legal entities registered in Bulgaria, including community centers and branches of foreign NGOs.
The Fund will support initiatives that raise awareness of EU rights and values, promote democracy and active citizen participation, protect media freedom and counter disinformation, and work for equality, inclusion and non-discrimination, etc.
The proposals must contribute to the priorities of the Pact project – EU Rights, Democracy and Diversity and Equality, with gender equality and non-discrimination being applied as a horizontal principle in all activities.
It is expected that about 30 initiatives will be supported. The maximum grant amount is up to EUR 15,000 per project, with no co-financing requirement. The duration of projects can be between 12 and 18 months.
The competition will be held in two stages: By April 20, 2026 (17:00), applicants submit an initiative concept. The approved concepts will be admitted to the second stage – development of a complete project proposal with a deadline of August 3, 2026 (17:00).
The application is made entirely online through the Electronic System for Submission and Management of Projects (ECSS). The guidelines and all necessary documents are available on the project website: https://pact.osis.bg.
To help the candidates, three face-to-face information meetings are planned – in Sofia (February 23), Stara Zagora (March 9) and Burgas (March 11), as well as two online webinars on February 24 and 27, 2026, where the criteria and practical guidelines for successful application will be presented. Participation in them is done after prior registration. You can register for the face-to-face meetings here, and for the webinars – here.
The Code Success Fund is managed by the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation and is part of the PACT project. The project is implemented with financial support from the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) program in the amount of EUR 4,264,112.97, representing 90% of its budget. The funding institution is the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), under its delegated powers by the European Commission.
The project is implemented by a consortium including: Open Society Institute – Sofia Foundation, Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation and The European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) – International Non-Governmental Association “European Citizen Action Service”.