Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) allocated over € 1.3 million to the civil sector in Bulgaria in 2023. The grants, marking a double increase compared to 2022, were directed towards 45 organizations across the country through 66 direct grants. 

2023 in Numbers 

BFW’s total budget for 2023 marked an increase of 55% compared to 2022 and reached € 1 898 193. Of this, 74% was directed towards allocating funds and capacity-building of our partners across the country. Through their efforts, the supported organizations reached 23,862 people directly in 19 locations, and over 1.2 million people indirectly. 

Last year, BFW was able to mobilize a total of € 2 923 828 which is a 62% increase compared to 2022. This was possible thanks to the support of 53 institutional, corporate and individual donors who stood behind our cause. Thank you to each and every one of them!  

Needs-Based Support  

91% of the allocated funds (43% more than in 2022) were dedicated to multi-year core funding support under our ‘Mission: Possible’ Program – the only donor program in Bulgaria that provides unrestricted funding for the overall functioning of an organization – staff salaries, office rent, equipment purchases, and other needs that are often overlooked by project funding but also fundamental to the existence of the organizations. 

The large increase in the amount, reaching € 1 247 530, allocated for core funding in 2023 is an expression of our desire to support organizations to be adaptive and to focus fully on delivering their mission, to plan strategically and long-term, because we know that social change takes time. 

Last year, these efforts of ours were supported by our partners from the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law and Impact Drive Foundation, with whom we work on the BIRDS in BG Project, implemented with the financial support of the European Commission, and who provide tailor-made trainings to civil society organizations. In this way, together we provide 360-degree support to the sector, consisting both of funding and capacity-building. 

The Open Opportunities Program is a flexible tool available all year round, developed by BFW specifically to support organizations in adapting to unforeseen external changes and new challenges – crises, security issues, emerging opportunities for advocacy and awareness raising, organizing protests, etc. In 2023, we distributed € 79,864 to 12 organizations under the program, some of which continued to exist solely because of the support provided by BFW within the context of the lack of government funding. In addition, through the Urgent Fund for Women and Children Affected by the War in Ukraine, we supported 5 organizations with the sum of over € 17,088.   

We also provided project funding under other thematic programs. These include BFW’s Fund for Art Projects by Women Artists, within which the “Needles in a Haystack” exhibition took place in 2023. The works of ten women artists and their interpretation of contemporary issues were presented at the National Gallery – the Palace and attracted thousands of visitors. 

Our partners advocated for important legislative changes and fought for them despite political instability, led key cases, mobilized their communities and local institutions for joint action, set the foundation for new organizations, overcame crises and continued to exist, researched and solved “invisible” social problems, worked on the ground with refugees, victims of violence and human trafficking, and more, and more… We thank them all for their dedication! 

Advocacy and Awareness Raising  

In 2023 BFW reached 4 277 623 people through its communications efforts. More than 1,700 media and other websites covered our work, and our team participated in 47 interviews on television, radio and online outlets to give visibility to the issues we work on and the pressing societal issues faced by women and vulnerable communities.  

We continued to advocate for overcoming domestic and gender-based violence. Our team joined parliamentary committees and supported the changes to the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act with opinion pieces and open letters with demands to politicians. We participated in marches and protests and thankfully, the amendments were finally passed, widening the range of victims who can seek support. 

We continued to be an active part of coalitions such as RavniBG and the Council for Civil Society Development, and we took part in two campaigns with a national scope related to their work.  

We have unfolded our work on initiatives addressing the issues of tackling fundamentalism and attacks from far-right groups that threaten democratic principles; the work of organizations in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Georgia within the context of the intertwining crises of recent years; the participation of women from migrant and/or ethnic minorities, etc.  

Learn all about our work in 2023! We invite you to read the full version of BFW’s Annual Report for last year. Download the file HERE.