8 of March is a day to celebrate women’s political, economic, scientific and cultural achievements. It is also the day for political conversations and activism!

On the 8 of March, it is important to recall that women in Bulgaria have been fighting for equality for more than a century. Thanks to this long tradition of struggle, today we have the right to vote and participate in government, to study at university and to work for pay.

It is important to note that Women’s rights do not come granted, but are upheld every day. It is our responsibility to preserve and build on everything that the women’s movement of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers has won over the past hundred years. It is our responsibility to continue the fight for equality.

Therefore, the Bulgarian Fund for Women announces a Contest for conceptual projects dedicated to the International Women’s Day – March 8.

We look forward to your boldest ideas to celebrate the rights and contributions of women in Bulgaria and around the world, and to make public the current challenges for women and girls.

Information about the contest and application guidance

The contest is in relation with the vision of the BFW for a society in which there is no violence, discrimination and inequality, and in which every girl or woman has the conditions to develop her potential in a just and unbiased society.

There are no restrictions on the activities that can be funded. For instance, these activities can be: events and campaigns (online or offline), artivism, video, photographic or audio content, film screenings / discussions, exhibitions and pop-up installations, marches, flash mobs and other activities related to the 8 of March and political activism, as well as equality, non-discrimination and women’s rights. Project ideas must be implemented on March 8 (International Women’s Day) or within March 2021.

Nota Bene: All project ideas need to comply with current official regulations (and / or restrictive measures) related to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. Please, take this in consideration with the project proposals, planning and implementation of public events, meetings and activities.

Up to 10 projects with a maximum budget of up to BGN 2,000 (two thousand BGN) will be financed. In case of insufficient number of received and / or approved for funding project ideas, the Bulgarian Fund for Women reserves the right to change the terms of the competition, including the amount of funding.

Conditions for application

The contest is open to organizations registered under the Law on Non-Profit Legal Entities in public benefit, unregistered groups / collectives (through a fiscal sponsor – partner organization) and activists / individuals.

The budget of each project proposal must be well balanced and in line with the proposed idea. Eligible costs are also costs for administration, coordination and communication of the project.

In the assessment, priority will be given to:

• Project ideas relying on an intersectional approach / intersection of social inequalities;

• Project ideas that include or address the needs of vulnerable groups of women (subjected to multiple discrimination and / or marginalization);

• Project ideas that are implemented outside the capital Sofia.

How to apply?

The application is held only online. You can find access to the form (in Bulgarian) HERE.

The electronic form must be completed and sent by 23:59 on 1 February 2021.

Each organization, informal group or individual can participate with ONLY ONE project proposal.

Please, keep in mind the following:

There is no option to save the information in the online form. For your convenience, you can copy the questions to a separate text file and enter the answers in the online form later. After completing and submitting the electronic form, you have the option to print or save the answers by following the steps below:

After the deadline, the application form will close automatically.

For any additional information and questions, please write us on office@bgfundforwomen.org with subject of the email: “Contest 8 of March”

Evaluation Criteria

• Originality and adequacy of the proposed activities;

• Relation of the goals and activities of the project with the topic of the present competition;

• Realism of the set goals and expected results;

• Good knowledge of women’s discourse;

• Realistic budget and balance between administrative and implementation costs.

The projects will be evaluated by the BFW team.

Key dates and deadlines:

• Until February 1, 2021 – collection of project ideas;

• By February 8, 2021 – evaluation of project ideas and announcement of results;

• By February 12 – signing contracts and financing;

• February 12 – March 31, 2021 – implementation of projects;

• April 20, 2021 – deadline for reports.

Further information

All approved candidates sign a Target Funding Agreement with the Bulgarian Fund for Women, and after the completion of the projects, by April 20, 2021, the organizations must send both narrative and financial report, according the given instructions, which they will receive in advance from BFW.

The support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women must be credited in all communication activities and materials of the project, according to the terms and conditions of the financing agreement.

BFW is administrator of personal data and processes such data in accordance with the legislation on personal data protection and Regulation (EU) 2016/679. You can get acquainted with our policy for personal data processing HERE.

You can get acquainted with the General Terms and Conditions of the contest (in Bulgarian) HERE.