Empowering Bulgarian Civil Society to Respond to Pandemic Challenges

Call for Project Proposals

Program Description

In response to the challenges posed on Bulgarian society and media landscape, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST) is launching a new call for proposals which aims to strengthen the capacity of Bulgarian civil society organizations (CSOs) to help communities adjust and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria.

Eligibility

Projects should be initiated by CSOs legally registered in Bulgaria. Project proposals should limit their geographic scope to Bulgaria. Priority will be given to proposals that address challenges in isolated/segregated communities with low vaccination rates, such as those outside of large urban centers. The involvement of local partners—for example, media, local authorities, general practitioners, faith-based actors, minority communities, youth, teachers, and/or parents—is encouraged.

The following indicative goals are eligible under this thematic area (non-exhaustive list):

  1. Enhance transparency and confidence of vaccination efforts, particularly among hard-to-reach populations and target groups with low levels of trust for state-approved vaccines;
  2. Pilot innovative initiatives against the COVID-19 “infodemic;”
  3. Empower new community leaders and new community-led organizations and initiatives to contribute to COVID-19 prevention and management efforts;
  4. Support rights-based and evidence-based advocacy actions to improve policy and practices regarding pandemic efforts;
  5. Strategically address the root causes of domestic violence (i.e., psychological and economic stress, increased exposure to exploitative relationships, police indifference, etc.) and support the victims of domestic violence;
  6. Document and counter hate speech and hate crimes, particularly Romaphobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic discourse.
Budget and Duration

An award ceiling of $24,999 may only be exceeded by exceptional projects. Proposals under $5,000 will not be taken into consideration. Management costs (excluding experts) and administrative costs are cumulatively limited to 25 percent of the overall award. The purchase of personal protective equipment for staff and end beneficiaries as well as needed information and communications technology equipment and services is allowable.

The minimum duration of a project is 6 months and the maximum duration is 12 months.

Application

Proposals will be received until January 3, 2022. Project proposals must be sent to [email protected]. In order to submit a project proposal, organizations must complete the forms below, in English only:

Only proposals submitted using these forms will be taken into consideration.

For more information, please email us at [email protected].