PROTEUS is a project under the European Union's CERV program, aimed at strengthening the resilience of civil society organizations and supporting democratic participation through training and financial support.

The Sofia Platform Foundation announces a call for non-governmental organizations to apply for project funding under PROTEUS. The goal of this opportunity is to support civic participation and the protection of European rights and values in geographically remote and peripheral areas. Up to five projects will be supported, based on the maximum award amount.

➡ The application deadline is 23:59 on July 23, 2025.

✔ Project proposals with the following focus areas will be funded: supporting civic activism and participation in peripheral areas (see definition in the Application Guidelines).

Eligible activities include:

• awareness raising and outreach activities on topics related to the fundamental rights and values of the European Union;
• organization of civic dialogues and formats that provide a platform to discuss topics and themes linked to EU rights and values;
• supporting coalitions and partnerships among CSOs; coordination and strategic cooperation between CSOs and other stakeholders, public or private sector entities;
• provision of free advice, watchdog and monitoring activities on EU policies and related to the fundamental rights and values of the EU;
• promotion of the implementation of adopted laws, regulations and court cases;
• advocacy to influence policy and decision-making processes, including revision/updating/adoption of policies and legislation;
• research and analysis aimed at informing policymaking at the EU and national levels, development of tools and standards to support EU values;
• provision of support services to the target group, such as victim support, training to raise awareness of the target group’s rights, access to support, mechanisms to exercise their rights, and other training that is not exclusively educational, technical or vocational oriented.

Ineligible activities that will not be funded:

• scientific research;
• academic fellowships and scholarships;
• one-off events;
• humanitarian aid;
• social services;
• religious activities.

Grant award amount available ranges from a minimum of 500 EUR (977.91 BGN) to a maximum of 3,000 EUR (5 867.49 BGN).

Eligibility criteria:

• The applicant is a non-governmental organization registered in Bulgaria;
• The project proposal is in accordance with the fundamental rights and values of the EU, and meets the goals of this call as, described in section 2.2 of the Application Guidelines;
• All required documents are must be submitted on time and in the correct format as per according to the Application Guidelines;
• The proposed activities will be implemented in peripheral areas of the country or will benefit peripheral areas, and are in line with the eligible activities as listed in section 2 of the Application Guidelines;
• The activities will be completed by March 15, 2026.

Evaluation criteria:

• The proposal demonstrates alignment with the fundamental rights and values of the EU and the goals of this call, described in section 2.2 of the Application Guidelines;
• The proposal seeks to address a challenge for the target group or local community;
• The identified challenge is described; the selected approach well-presented and justified, with identifiable resources, activities, methods, expected results, and end users/ beneficiaries;
• The project proposal sets out activities that target those challenges and are in accordance with the list of eligible activities (see section 2.3 of the Application Guidelines);
• The budget is well-justified, with a clear logic for the proposed allocation of funds.

How to apply?

1. Review the Application Guidelines;
2. Download and complete the Microgrant Application Form;
3. Download and complete the Project Proposal Budget Form;

For more information, please watch the recording of the online session that took place on June 10, 2025 (in Bulgarian only):



For any questions during the preparation of the project proposal, please contact Denitsa Vidolova from the Sofia Platform Foundation team via email proteus@sofiaplatform.org or phone +359 878 877 739.

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The PROTEUS project is co-funded by the CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) program of the European Union. Responsibility for this content lies with the Transatlantic Foundation and the project partners. This content does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.