The Alliance for Gender Equality in Europe has approved two Opportunity and Emergency Grants, awarded in June and August 2025. These targeted, short-term grants provide timely support to organisations responding to urgent challenges or taking advantage of emerging opportunities to advance gender equality.
Bulgarian Fund for Women
Bulgaria – 30 000€ – project support – June 2025 – December 2025
The Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) supports feminist organisations, collectives and activists working towards systemic change for women and girls in all their diversity, as well as for other marginalised communities.
Around Europe, anti-rights actors have increased their attacks on civil society organisations, particularly those focused on gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights. This has translated into growing political pressure aimed at dismantling or severely restricting funding mechanisms for independent nonprofit organisations.
The negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the European Union’s budget for 2028-2034, represent a critical juncture. Any reduction or elimination of EU public funding for civil society would undermine the EU’s commitment to its values and weaken organisations that play a critical role in defending democracy and human rights at the national and European levels.
EU funding is one of the few reliable lifelines sustaining frontline civil society in several countries, including Bulgaria. In contexts where national governments provide limited or no funding, and in some cases actively obstruct independent organisations, EU support is essential for supporting civic action and protecting fundamental rights.
As a trusted intermediary of the European Commission, BFW will advocate for the inclusion of gender equality as a priority in the next MFF, ensuring dedicated and robust funding to advance gender justice across EU Member States. It will also promote mainstreaming gender considerations across all EU budget lines, while raising awareness of the shrinking civic space and increasing backlash against human rights in the EU.
My Voice, My Choice
Belgium / Europe – 30 000€ – core support – August 2025 to June 2026
My Voice, My Choice is a European Citizens’ Initiative campaign championing the fundamental right to reproductive health across Europe. Currently, across the EU, more than 20 million women live under highly restrictive laws, and 79 million women live in countries where abortion care is legal but not free, making access difficult or impossible, especially for those most affected by inequality.
In response, the campaign has united more than 250 organisations and over 3000 volunteers in under a year to call on the European Commission to propose a financial solidarity mechanism: one that would allow Member States to offer safe abortion care to individuals from countries where such access is restricted, prohibited, or inaccessible.
The campaign, supported by the Alliance in a previous grant, reached over 95 million people online and gained unprecedented support. By gathering 1.1 million verified signatures, it passed 20 national thresholds (the minimum required is seven).
This new grant will support the continuation of their efforts. In September 2025, the campaign has officially submitted the European Citizens’ Initiative to the Commission and begin the 6-month institutional response process with a major international press conference in Brussels, gathering campaign partners, public figures, and institutional allies. This will launch the next and most crucial phase of the campaign involving advocacy, strategic communications, and continued mobilisation across Europe.
My Voice, My Choice is creating a new model of EU-level action for reproductive justice rooted in solidarity, driven by facts, and fuelled by community. It is led by those most impacted by lack of access, including young people, migrants, people living in poverty, rural populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Opportunity and Emergency Grants
You can read more about our Opportunity and Emergency grants by clicking on this link. These grants operate outside of our usual grantmaking cycles, with a limited portion of our budget allocated to them, so only a few organisations or initiatives can be funded each year.
As part of our commitment to transparency, we strive to be open about our decisions and investments. We are currently developing a process for organisations to express their interest in these grants.
Photo by My Voice My Choice.