ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) is a 10-year, $36-million grantmaking initiative that supports democracy, good governance, and Euroatlantic integration in Southeastern Europe. This award-winning public-private partnership was created in 2003 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. BTD operates with a small, experienced staff that actively seeks out and incorporates expertise from a wide variety of partners. These experts, along with GMF staff, make up the grantmaking committee that reviews proposals to ensure that BTD’s programs are effective, responsive to local needs, and complementary to other initiatives supported by the international community. An Advisory Board of experts from Southeastern Europe and key international organizations guides the Balkan Trust for Democracy’s strategic development.

BTD is structured to allow both European and U.S. partners to join the effort to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in the Balkans. Since its founding, additional contributions from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Belgrade, Compagnia di San Paolo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Robert Bosch Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and Tipping Point Foundation have made BTD a true transatlantic partnership.

Grantmaking
Operating from the German Marshall Fund's Belgrade office, BTD awards grants in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia. BTD also gives regional grants to organizations promoting the benefits of a pan-Balkan network.

Policy Dialogue
In addition to grantmaking, the Balkan Trust for Democracy continually works to accelerate the region's integration into Euroatlantic structures and to raise the profile of the Balkans. Together with GMF's Washington Headquarters and its other European offices, BTD connects local actors with European Union, American, and international individuals and institutions in order to build networks and consensus on Balkan issues from a broader, multi-stakeholder perspective.

The Bulgaria Fund
The Bulgaria Fund, also located in Belgrade, was a 3-year, $3-million grantmaking initiative of the United States Agency for International Development and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Created in 2007, the Fund continued the USAID reform agenda in Bulgaria. In 2009, the Fund completed its grantmaking activities, and now focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of supported projects.