Grantmaking

Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) supports democratic consolidation and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Balkans through assisting reform processes and strengthening regional cooperation and collaboration.
BTD does this by awarding grants to civil society organizations to support projects addressing themes of democracy and good governance, rule of law, policy dialogue and networking, and regional cooperation, and European integration. Priority areas within these themes include:

• Civic Engagement
• Youth Leadership and Empowerment
• Government Accountability and Transparency
• Culture of Giving
• Euro-Atlantic Integration
• Dialogue and Reconciliation

BTD prioritizes projects that use innovative approaches and solutions to resolve pertaining issues or problems designed to increase citizen engagement with government; measurably impact public policy; strengthen leadership skills of individuals and organizations; facilitate cross-border and/or cross-sector cooperation; and encourage the transfer of experiences and innovative ideas through clear communication and dissemination plans.
BTD seeks to support excellence and project ideas designed with clear objectives, goals, and deliverables. 

Geographical Scope

BTD’s grantmaking activities focus primarily on the six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. BTD also supports relevant cross-border and regional initiatives that include civil society stakeholders from other European countries.

Application Procedures

Organizations that are interested in receiving BTD funding are welcome to send a brief idea in English to [email protected].  The brief should include the following information:

• PROJECT TITLE
• ORGANIZATION (mission of the organization)
• TIMEFRAME 
• SHORT DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT IDEA 
• ACTIVITIES PROPOSED
• EXPECTED RESULTS: 
  • OUTCOMES
  • OUTPUTS
  • IMPACT
• BUDGET (total amount requested and, in case of co-funding, total amount needed for full project implementation with other donors’ share)

For information on our open calls for project proposals, please check the sidebar on the right side of this page. 

Eligibility Criteria

Project proposals should be initiated by civil society organizations legally registered in one of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Organizations registered in any other country may be eligible for BTD funding should they propose an action with the main focus on any or all of the Western Balkan six countries.   

BTD does not support humanitarian assistance, infrastructural projects, or any purchase of equipment.