Call for CSOs initiatives “Code Success” Fund

The Code Success Fund is a cascade funding call under the PACT project (CERV grant agreement 101186139) to support Bulgarian civil society organisations promoting EU rights and values, democracy, media freedom, counter-disinformation, equality and inclusion. The total budget is €450,000 with fixed-amount sub-grants of up to €15,000 expected to fund around 30 initiatives for durations of 12–18 months and implementation starting Sept–Oct 2026. Eligible applicants are legally established CSOs working at local/community level in Bulgaria, with priority for smaller organisations outside major urban centres, and applications must be submitted in Bulgarian via the PACT EPSS following a two-stage process (concept note and invited full proposal). Key submission dates include the concept note cut-off on 20 April 2026 (17:00 Brussels time) and the full proposal cut-off on 3 August 2026 (17:00 Brussels time); the call is managed by Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF).

What it funds

Focus areas

Grants for local civil society initiatives that raise awareness of EU rights and values, promote democracy and civic participation, protect media freedom and counter disinformation, and advance equality, inclusion and non-discrimination. Typical activities include awareness campaigns, local civic dialogues, coalition-building, advocacy, training and capacity building, interethnic/intercultural dialogue, free legal or policy advice and local monitoring of EU policies and rights.

Funding per initiative:Single grants of up to €15,000; project duration 12 to 18 months.

1. 1Eligible applicants: civil society organisations active at local/community level (including community cultural centres and similar local NGOs); priority to smaller organisations working outside major urban centres.
2. 2Geography and management: Fund runs under the PACT project and is managed by Workshop for Civic Initiatives (WCIF) as intermediary; national focus (see call for country specifics).
3. 3Application process: two-stage (Concept Note then Full Proposal); online submission via the PACT Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS).

Apply via the PACT project portal; concept notes accepted first (shortlisting, then full proposals). Capacity-building support provided to shortlisted applicants. Final contracting after quality assessment and selection by the Initiative Selection Committee ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Application and submission details, guidance documents and templates are available on the PACT project site: PACT EPSS and Call Information.

The Code Success Fund is a cascade funding opportunity under the EU CERV programme, implemented through the PACT project (Grant Agreement 101186139) to support local civil society initiatives that raise awareness of EU rights and values, promote democracy and active civic participation, protect media freedom and counter disinformation, and advance equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination. It prioritizes smaller organizations working at local level outside major urban centers and expects proposals from different regions of the country, leveraging existing local infrastructure and learning through experience methodologies. Applications are submitted via the PACT EPSS in Bulgarian and follow a two-stage process with multiple cut-offs. Official opportunity page: EU Funding and Tenders Portal competitive calls CS entry 13324. Implementing project website and EPSS access: PACT portal.

Primary sources:EU portal listing: Call for CSOs initiatives Code Success Fund EU Funding and Tenders Portal entry 13324. Implementing project homepage and EPSS: PACT portal PACT portal.

Key facts and timelines

Scope and supported activities

The Fund targets initiatives that strengthen and embed EU rights and values at the local level, engage communities in democratic life, counter disinformation and defend media freedom, and foster equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination. Community cultural centers and similar grassroots CSOs are in scope as strategic allies for spreading democracy, human rights, and inclusion, applying learning through experience approaches.

• Awareness raising, including communication and information campaigns on EU rights and values
• Activities countering disinformation regarding EU values and policies
• Civic dialogues at local level on topics related to EU rights and values
• Community-level coalition and partnership building among civil society organizations
• Civic participation and advocacy contributing to decision-making processes at regional or local level
• Training, exchange of experience and good practices, mentoring, knowledge transfer, and other capacity-building for CSOs and stakeholders on EU values
• Activities promoting interethnic and intercultural dialogue within communities
• Free advice and monitoring of the implementation of EU policies, rights, and values at the local level in line with EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights

Submission and evaluation process

Submission is entirely web-based in the EPSS, accessible via the PACT project website. Applicants must pre-register in EPSS, complete the Bulgarian-language form, and upload all mandatory attachments. The selection follows a two-stage procedure encompassing concept notes and full proposals, with quality assessment by independent evaluators and final selection by an Initiative Selection Committee.

1. 1Stage 1 – Concept Note submission period: 16 February 2026 to 20 April 2026 17:00 Brussels time. Call published on the PACT website and partners’ sites.
2. 2Eligibility check: 20–27 April 2026. WCIF conducts administrative compliance checks. Only compliant concept notes proceed to quality assessment. Notifications sent by email.
3. 3Quality assessment of concept notes: 27 April 2026 – 1 June 2026. Two impartial evaluators work independently, with at least one external to WCIF. WCIF submits a ranked list with any budget recommendations to the Initiative Selection Committee (ISC). ISC approves concept notes considering ranking and available budget. Only approved applicants are invited to submit full proposals. All applicants informed by email of results.
4. 4Stage 2 – Full Proposal submission period: 1 June 2026 to 3 August 2026 17:00 Brussels time. Shortlisted applicants submit full proposals.
5. 5Capacity building: First half of June 2026. All organizations with approved concept notes receive capacity-building support to prepare full proposals.
6. 6Assessment and contracting: 3 August 2026 – 30 September 2026. WCIF carries out quality assessment and ranks proposals. ISC reviews ranking and makes final selections. All Stage 2 applicants are informed by email about the final decision.
7. 7Project implementation start: September – October 2026.

Eligibility, targeting, and selection focus

The Fund prioritizes smaller civil society organizations working primarily at local level outside major urban centers, including community cultural centers. It seeks organizations with the infrastructure and reach needed to engage local communities across different regions of the country. Activities must align with EU rights and values and contribute to democracy, rule of law, governance transparency, inclusion, and the protection of fundamental rights.

Required templates and application materials

Applicants use standardized Bulgarian-language templates provided via the PACT website and EPSS. The following documents are referenced for this call.

• Guidelines for applicants for the Code Success Fund, including an updated version with corrected technical errors
• Template 1: Application form for Concept Note
• Template 2: Applicant eligibility declaration and concept content confirmation – Stage 1
• Template 3: Application form for Full Initiative Proposal
• Template 6: Eligibility declaration for Initiative Proposal – Stage 2
• Template 9: Fixed amount budget
• Annex I: Instructions for completing and submitting the Concept Note form for the Code Success Fund

Categorization and structured extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Civil society organization, nonprofit, NGO, community cultural center, other local civic organizations with established community reach. The call prioritizes smaller organizations operating at local level outside major urban centers. Individuals, for-profit companies, investors, and public authorities are not indicated as beneficiaries in the provided material.

Funding Type:Grant via cascade funding (financial support to third parties) under the CERV intermediary project PACT.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant projects are supported; partnerships and coalitions may be developed within activities, but forming a multi-beneficiary consortium is not stated as a requirement for application.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):National scope focused on organizations from different regions of the country working with their local communities in Bulgaria. Submission language and implementing structures indicate Bulgaria as the target country context.

Target Sector:Democracy and governance, civil society and civic participation, human rights and rule of law, equality and inclusion, media freedom and counter-disinformation, intercultural and interethnic dialogue, education and community awareness, culture via community cultural centers.

Mentioned Countries:Bulgaria.

Project Stage:Implementation-focused community projects including awareness, advocacy, coalition-building, capacity-building, and monitoring at local level. Not research-oriented; practical execution and delivery in communities over 12–18 months.

Funding Amount:Total available budget is €450,000. Individual sub-grants are up to €15,000 per initiative. Approximately 30 initiatives are expected to be funded.

Application Type:Open call with multiple cut-off dates. Two-stage process: concept note followed by invitation to submit full proposal for shortlisted applicants. Proposals submitted electronically in Bulgarian via EPSS accessed through the PACT website.

Nature of Support:Money in the form of sub-grants to third parties, supplemented by non-monetary capacity-building support for shortlisted applicants during full proposal preparation.

Application Stages:2 stages. Stage 1: Concept Note submission, eligibility and quality assessment, ISC approval. Stage 2: Full Proposal submission by shortlisted applicants, evaluation, ISC final selection, contracting.

Success Rates:No success rate or expected selection ratio is provided in the available materials.

Co-funding Requirement:Not specified in the provided text. Budget is indicated as a fixed amount via a dedicated template, but no explicit co-financing percentage or requirement is stated in the scraped content.

Practical guidance for applicants

1. 1Confirm organizational eligibility as a local CSO or community cultural center with the capacity to reach communities across your region.
2. 2Prepare a Concept Note using Template 1 and the Guidelines for Applicants, and compile the required eligibility declaration (Template 2). Submit via EPSS in Bulgarian by the applicable cut-off.
3. 3Ensure alignment with Fund priorities: EU rights and values, democracy, civic participation, media freedom and counter-disinformation, inclusion and non-discrimination, intercultural dialogue, and local monitoring of EU policies and rights.
4. 4Design activities that are feasible within 12–18 months and a budget up to €15,000, using the fixed-amount budget template (Template 9) and any instructions provided in Annex I.
5. 5If shortlisted, attend the capacity-building sessions in June 2026 and prepare a robust Full Proposal using Template 3 and the Stage 2 eligibility declaration (Template 6).
6. 6Address evaluation criteria implied by the process: relevance to EU values and local needs, quality and feasibility of the plan, outreach and coalition-building, clarity and reasonableness of the budget, and capacity to deliver learning through experience in communities.
7. 7Monitor the PACT website for announcements, updated guidelines, and EPSS access instructions, and respond promptly to any requests from WCIF during eligibility checks or contracting.

What the templates typically include

While full template content is provided on the PACT website in Bulgarian, applicants can expect the following structure based on standard CERV cascade-funding documentation and the listed template titles.

• Concept Note form (Template 1): Applicant identification; brief problem statement and needs analysis; objectives linked to EU rights and values; summary of planned activities and methodology; target groups and geographic coverage; expected outcomes and indicators; indicative budget summary; risk and mitigation overview; cross-cutting considerations such as inclusion, non-discrimination, and intercultural dialogue.
• Applicant eligibility declaration Stage 1 (Template 2): Legal status and non-profit confirmation; absence of exclusion grounds; confirmation of concept content accuracy; signatory authority and organizational details.
• Full Initiative Proposal form (Template 3): Detailed context and justification; logical framework or results matrix; workplan with timeline, milestones, and deliverables; stakeholder mapping and coalition/partnership plans; monitoring and evaluation approach; communication and visibility plan for EU support; detailed budget narrative aligned with fixed-amount methodology; governance and project management arrangements; safeguarding and ethics where relevant.
• Eligibility declaration Stage 2 (Template 6): Confirmation of continued eligibility; updates to organizational information; compliance with funding rules; signatures by authorized representatives.
• Fixed amount budget (Template 9): Breakdown of lump-sum components and cost drivers; activity-based or output-based cost structure; justification of amounts against planned outputs and outcomes; compliance statements.
• Annex I instructions: Step-by-step EPSS submission guidance; file naming conventions; attachment requirements; page or word limits; language and formatting rules; declaration and signature requirements; submission deadlines and time zone; contact and helpdesk information.

Summary

The Code Success Fund is a targeted cascade funding scheme under the EU CERV programme, implemented by the PACT project to empower smaller, locally rooted civil society organizations in Bulgaria, including community cultural centers. With a total budget of €450,000 and individual sub-grants up to €15,000 for 12–18 months, it finances practical, community-level initiatives that embed EU rights and values, strengthen democracy and civic participation, uphold media freedom and counter disinformation, foster intercultural dialogue, and promote equality and non-discrimination. Applications are submitted in Bulgarian through the PACT EPSS, and selection proceeds in two stages: an initial Concept Note and, for shortlisted applicants, a Full Proposal, supported by capacity-building in June 2026. Evaluation is conducted by independent assessors with final decisions by an Initiative Selection Committee. The call is open under multiple cut-offs, with deadlines on 20 April 2026 and 3 August 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. This opportunity is well suited to grassroots NGOs that can mobilize local communities, build coalitions, and deliver measurable civic impact aligned with EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Applicants should use the provided templates and guidelines, ensure strong alignment with the Fund’s thematic focus, and present a clear, feasible plan with a fixed-amount budget to maximize their chances of success.

The Code Success Fund is a cascade funding mechanism under the PACT project (Partnership among CSOs for making an impact on rights and values), funded by the EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme with grant agreement number 101186139. It supports civil society organisations (CSOs) in Bulgaria to promote EU rights and values, democracy, active civic participation, media freedom, counter disinformation, and equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination.

Objectives and Supported Activities

The fund targets initiatives at the local level, prioritising smaller organisations outside major urban centres, including community cultural centres. It aims to embed EU values through learning-by-doing methodologies and strengthen CSO influence on rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights.

• Awareness raising, communication, and information campaigns
• Countering disinformation on EU values and policies
• Fostering civic dialogues at local level on EU rights and values
• Creating coalitions and partnerships between CSOs in local communities
• Civic participation and advocacy contributing to regional or local decision-making
• Training, mentoring, knowledge transfer to build CSO capacity on EU values
• Promoting interethnic and intercultural dialogue
• Providing free advice and monitoring EU policies, rights, and values at local level per EU Treaties and Charter of Fundamental Rights

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are legally established CSOs, including smaller local organisations and community cultural centres working primarily at community level in Bulgaria, with infrastructure to reach local communities. Proposals from different regions are expected. Applications must be in Bulgarian.

Geographical Focus

Bulgaria, prioritising organisations outside large urban centres.

Funding Details

Total Budget:€450,000, expecting to support around 30 initiatives.

Grant Size:Up to €15,000 per initiative (fixed amount budget).

Project Duration:Minimum 12 months, maximum 18 months. Implementation starts September-October 2026.

Key Dates and Submission Process

The call follows a two-stage process managed by Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF). Submissions are web-based via the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS) on the PACT website PACT Project Website. Pre-registration in EPSS is required.

1. 1Opening Date: 16 February 2026
2. 2Stage 1 - Concept Note Submission: 16 February 2026 to 20 April 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
3. 3Eligibility Check: 20-27 April 2026
4. 4Quality Assessment of Concept Notes: 27 April to 1 June 2026
5. 5Stage 2 - Full Proposal Submission (invited only): 1 June to 3 August 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
6. 6Assessment and Contracting: 3 August to 30 September 2026
7. 7Capacity Building Support: First half of June 2026 for shortlisted applicants

Evaluation Process

Two-stage evaluation with administrative checks, quality assessment by independent evaluators (at least one external to WCIF), ranking, and final selection by the Initiative Selection Committee (ISC). All applicants notified by email.

Application Documents and Support

• Guidelines for Applicants (available on PACT website, updated version corrects technical errors)
• Form 1: Concept Note Application Form
• Form 2: Eligibility Declaration and Concept Confirmation - Stage 1
• Form 3: Full Initiative Proposal Form
• Form 6: Initiative Proposal Eligibility Declaration - Stage 2
• Form 9: Fixed Amount Budget
• Annex I: Instructions for Completing and Submitting Concept Forms

WCIF will organise in-person info sessions and webinars for potential applicants. Check PACT website for details ¹. Official EU portal: EU Funding Portal.

Additional Information

This is cascade funding under CERV-2024 call to intermediaries. Managed by WCIF as part of PACT consortium. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect EU or EACEA positions.

Footnotes

1. 1Info sessions and webinars: Links available on PACT Project Website.