12 CSOs have been selected for funding within the BFW “Feminism in Action” Program. They will receive a total of BGN 116 222. The projects will be implemented in 16 settlements in the country – Stara Zagora, Lovech, Sofia, Kyustendil, Veliko Tarnovo, Dobrich, Vidin, Vratsa, Smolyan, Chepelare, Zlatograd, Banite, Dragoman, Samokov, Lom, Bratsigovo, and another part will have a national scope. The initiatives were selected among 50 project proposals submitted by 49 CSOs from 21 towns and villages.
The purpose of the Program is to support the development of the feminist movement in Bulgaria by supporting organizations and groups working for women’s rights. The Program is also part of the strategic activities of the BFW to address the needs of different groups of women and girls, to achieve gender equality and for a society free of violence, discrimination and inequalities.
The projects went through two evaluation phases – administrative and conceptual. The first phase included an assessment of the organizations and their status, the field of their activity, geographical scope and implementation capacity, the degree of compliance of the projects with the thematic priorities of the competition and the implementation budget. Proposals that relied on an intersectional approach focused on vulnerable groups of women and/or marginalized topics were prioritised.
In the second stage, the assessment was focused on the significance of the problems that the projects address, the adequacy of the specified activities and results in relation to the identified problem and goals of the project, a clear description of the set success indicators and the means of their measurement, analysis of the potential risks for the implementation of the activities and coping strategies, degree of involvement of target groups, the potential for project sustainability and social change.
In the second stage of evaluation, an external evaluator and a member of the BFW Board of Directors were invited. The jury was composed of the following:
Denitsa Lyuncheva – Lawyer and a member of the BFW Board of Trustees
Miroslava Georgieva – Project Coordinator, “Lale” Foundation
Gergana Kutseva – Deputy Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women
Rada Elenkova – Program Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women
Raya Raeva – Director of Campaigns and Communications of the Bulgarian Fund for Women
Denitsa Mishonova – Financial Director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women
Below is the ranking of the organizations approved for funding, according to the number of points received in the second stage (with a maximum of 200 points):
Foundation “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” – Dobrich
“We Can Too” Project, 188 Points, Budget: BGN 10 000.
The project is dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities placed under interdiction. Its purpose is to train women and girls so that they can gain knowledge about their rights and exercise their right to work by working in an assistant program for supported employment in the social enterprise of the St. Nikolay Chudtoverets” – “Wonderful Garden” in Dobrich.
Association “Inspire Bulgaria” – Sofia
“The Invisible Lines” Project, 184 Points, Budget: BGN 9 281.
The project aims to support girls aged between 14-21 who are growing up without parental care in family-type placement centers or supervised housing to recognise, set and assert their boundaries in order to reduce the risk of violence against them. The trainings will be held in Sofia, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Dragoman, Samokov, Lom, Bratsigovo.
Arte Urbana Collective – Sofia
“My Place in Cinema 2” Project, 182 Points, BGN 10 000.
The project aims to create a film education platform with films by women directors and to introduce the young participants to thematic feminist issues, to train them to recognize the stereotypes related to the image of women in the audiovisual space, to meet them with the basics of film language and with opportunities for professional development. Within the framework of the project, partnerships will be established with schools in Stara Zagora, Lovech, Sofia, Kyustendil, and Veliko Tarnovo.
Network for Cultural Studies – Sofia
Project “Feminism: Mobilizations and Contexts”, 176 Points, BGN 10 000.
The project aims to increase public sensitivity to the problems of women in Bulgaria and outline possible ways to consolidate a social movement. To achieve it, a conference will be organized, which will involve both researchers and activists from the non-governmental sector and informal collectives, discussing women’s activism and social feminist movements. The purpose of the conference is to increase the level of knowledge, which will serve as a better basis for the development of civic activism. As a consequence of the conference, an interdisciplinary issue of the established online journal Seminar-BG will be issued. The magazine will include articles in Bulgarian, but a selection of texts for translation into English will also be implemented.
Levfem – Sofia
Project “Care and Social Inequalities. Influences on the Social Life of Women due to the Shortage of Places in Municipal Nurseries and Kindergartens in Sofia”, 172 points, BGN 10,000.
The project aims to implement a representative sociological study among women with children aged 1 to 7 years in Sofia. In this way, through statistical indicators, it will be clarified what are the effects of the lack of municipal kindergartens on the lives of women. The aspiration is to turn the research into a tool for political pressure from a wide network of interested parties and for social mobilization of women from the bottom up.
“Doctors of the World” – Sliven
“Women’s Health” Project, 171 Points, BGN 10 000.
In Bulgaria, not a single method of contraception is covered by the National Health Insurance Fund. For many uninsured women, the price is even higher, as they also have to pay for an obstetrician-gynaecologist examination. Abortion on demand is also paid for. As a result, many vulnerable women do not freely dispose of their bodies and are physically and economically dependent. Since 2014, the “Doctors of the World” team has helped more than 560 women from the “Nadezhda” district in Sliven to obtain contraception and information about their sexual health. The project aims to build on what has been achieved and allow more women to gain access to gynaecological examinations and contraception. A wide range of activities is planned in social centers in the city of Sliven, as well as in schools in the city.
Association for psychosocial support and personal development – Smolyan
Project “Empowerment of Women with Specific Opportunities through the Acquisition of Social Skills for Equal Participation in Public Life”, 168 Points, BGN 8 555.
The idea of the project is to support women with intellectual disabilities in the territory of four mountain municipalities – Smolyan, Chepelare, Banite and Zlatograd. A number of activities are planned, including advocacy leadership training with sign interpretation provided, as well as an initiative to create a regional feminist network.
Impact Drive Foundation – Sofia
Project “DigiComs – the Voice of Organizations with a Mission”, 168 Points, BGN 10 000.
The project is part of a multi-step initiative, the ultimate goal of which is to build a systemic approach and a recognizable social business model for empowering young girls and women to become the communication specialists that civil society organizations need. It will further develop the efforts to create a new type of experts – digital communicators, focused on the specifics and needs of CSOs to communicate their causes and work online and gather support.
“Dignita” Foundation – Sofia
Project “My Body – My Rights” 163 Points, BGN 9 256.
The project envisages three meetings with sex workers and women at risk of trafficking in Vidin, Vratsa and Sofia. It is also planned to prepare a statement to the ECHR in the case of a sex worker against Bulgaria. A team of “Dignita”, including the representative of the applicant, attorney Natasha Dobreva, and social worker Verzhinia Ilieva, will gather groups of women to tell them about their access to court, about their possibilities to claim compensation (100% of the funds made), as well as about other basic rights. Northwest Bulgaria is the poorest region in the country and women there often choose sex work as their temporary occupation.
“Solidarity in Action” Foundation – Drugan Village, Radomir Municipality
Project “Research of the Needs Related to the Empowerment of Successful Aging Among Women in Bulgaria”, 163 Points, BGN 9 990.
The aim of the project is to study and document the needs of older women in social, economic, political, health and educational terms and to produce valuable resources for institutions and organizations working on the subject. It will carry out an in-depth study of their needs by interviewing representatives of the researched group, as well as persons representing institutions for care and support for the elderly.
Foundation for Community Development and Cooperation (FORS) – Sliven
Project “Power in the Hands of Roma Women”, 162 Points, BGN 9 340.
The project is aimed at 20 girls of Roma origin in Sliven, who are interested in activism and the role of Roma women in the development of the community. Through three interactive modules, important questions about Roma identity, the relationship between activism and feminism, what are the mechanisms for changing local policies will be answered. The modules will be in the form of bearings. The goal is to consolidate a local women’s advocacy group at the end of the project, which will enter into a dialogue with the local government.
Association “Saffo – Bulgaria” and “Golyama Rabota” – Sofia
“PRISMA” Project, 160 points, BGN 10,000.
“PRISMA” marks the beginning of an annual feminist LBTI festival, which will take place in April and May 2022 in Sofia. Its purpose is not only to bring to the fore the problems of the LBTI community in their feminist dimensions but also to stimulate a conversation about intersectional feminism in the direction of gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, etc. The festival includes seminars, workshops, an exhibition, and a social campaign.
The Program is held with the support of the Global Fund for Women, Mama Cash and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.
Due to limited resources, the BFW is unable to send individual feedback to individual organizations, whether or not they are shortlisted for funding unless it is imperative and part of the next steps for collaborative work. Consultations via telephone will also not be done.
The BFW will personally contact all applicants who will be supported by the Fund with information on the next steps.
We thank everyone who participated and submit project ideas. We wish success to the organizations that were not shortlisted for funding, and we look forward to your project proposals in one of our next programs! For more information, follow our page regularly.
More information
All approved organizations conclude a contract for targeted funding with the Bulgarian Women’s Fund, and after the completion of the projects, by the end of August 2022, the organizations must send a narrative and financial report according to the samples and instructions that they will receive in advance from the Bulgarian Women’s Fund.
The support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women must be reflected in all communication activities and materials of the project, according to the terms of the financing agreement.
BFW is the administrator of personal data and processes such data in accordance with the legislation on the protection of personal data and with Regulation (EU) 2016/679. You can familiarize yourself with our personal data processing policy HERE.
For further information and questions, write to us at office@bgfundforwomen.org
