Western Balkans Fund

Western Balkans Fund WBF is an International Organization established by the governments of the WB6 to promote cooperation

✅ We are pleased to invite all our followers and eligible beneficiaries to our upcoming ERC Grants Info Sessions across ...
28/09/2026

✅ We are pleased to invite all our followers and eligible beneficiaries to our upcoming ERC Grants Info Sessions across the Western Balkans Region.

🫵 In line with our established practice, and with the aim of being as close and accessible as possible to potential beneficiaries, we are pleased to share the calendar of upcoming sessions:

📍 Tirana – 1 October
EU House, Papa Gjon Pali II Street, AL 1000
14:00–15:30

📍 Podgorica – 2 October
EU House, 4 Trg Argentina
11:00–12:30

📍 Sarajevo – 5 October
EU House, Maršala Tita 62
10:00–11:30

📍 Belgrade – 6 October
EU House, Zmaj Jovina 8
10:00–11:30

📍 Skopje – 7 October
Citizen Resource Center, Blvd. Saint Clement of Ohrid 21
11:00–12:30

📍 Prishtina – 8 October
EU House, 90 UÇK Street
10:00–11:30

The Info Sessions will provide an opportunity to learn more about the Call, eligibility requirements, application procedures and to ask questions directly to the WBF team.

To register for the Info Session of your choice, please visit the link in the comments section 👇👇👇

🇪🇺 The ERC Grant Scheme is co-funded by the European Union through IPA III, the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, under the Civil Society and Media Programme for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

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Less than 10 days left to apply for the WBF Move Grants!Meanwhile, in with our established practice, all your questions ...
27/09/2026

Less than 10 days left to apply for the WBF Move Grants!

Meanwhile, in with our established practice, all your questions have been answered in bulk, and the FAQ is now published. Visit westernbalkansfund.org for the replies.

Remember:
📅 Applications close on 5 October at 13.00 (local time)
💶 Individual grants of up to 3,000 EUR, open to all individuals

❗ There are currently two seperate grant schemes open for Application at WBF. The MOVE Grants is dedicated to individuals only. The ERC Grants is dedicated to organisations.

Don't wait until the last minute. Apply now!

🔭 Thanks to GGI Grants, astronomy has become more than a shared passion. It has become a real tool for regional cooperat...
25/09/2026

🔭 Thanks to GGI Grants, astronomy has become more than a shared passion. It has become a real tool for regional cooperation.

✅ For the third edition in a row, young people from across the Western Balkans have joined the initiative led by the Astronomy Club of Kosovo and Prishtina Observatory, coming together to learn, exchange knowledge and explore the universe beyond borders.

🌔 The participants, aged 16–30, were selected through an open Call for Applicants, bringing together young people from across the region with a shared interest in astronomy, science and regional cooperation.

🫱 This project is being implemented together with EDU Act from Tirana, Astronomsko Društvo ORION from Sarajevo and Skopje Astronomical Society.

TO ALL OUR FOLLOWERS, a new opportunity is currently open for organisations across the Western Balkans to turn their own regional ideas into action.

The ERC Grant Scheme is currently accepting applications, offering regional grants of up to €25,000 for initiatives that strengthen cooperation and create impact across the region.

📅 Applications are open until 26 October.

🇪🇺 The Grant for Grassroots Initiatives (GGI) is co-funded by the Western Balkans Fund and the European Union, as part of the WBF–EU Joint Action.

📢 The Empowering Regional Cooperation (ERC) Grants Call for Proposals is now open!The ERC Grant Scheme is open for appli...
23/09/2026

📢 The Empowering Regional Cooperation (ERC) Grants Call for Proposals is now open!

The ERC Grant Scheme is open for applications, funding Civil Society Organizations, Business Associations, Media Associations, Educational Associations, Culture Institutions, Sports & Arts organizations and other regional stakeholders driving cooperation across the Western Balkans.

Key details:

💶 Grants of up to €25,000 per project
📅 Deadline: 26 October, 13:59 (local time, GMT+1)
📩 Guidelines & applications: www.westernbalkansfund.org

At the official website, you can also register now to attend an Informative Session close to your home, or access the dedicated Partnership Portal, providing you a formidable tool to reach new regional partners.

🇪🇺 The ERC Grant Scheme is co-funded by the European Union through IPA III, the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, under the Civil Society and Media Programme for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

⏳ Two weeks left to make your MOVE!The WBF Move Grants Call remains open until 5 October 2026, giving individuals from a...
21/09/2026

⏳ Two weeks left to make your MOVE!

The WBF Move Grants Call remains open until 5 October 2026, giving individuals from across the Western Balkans the opportunity to receive up to €3,000 for a mobility activity elsewhere in the region.

Whether you are a researcher, student, artist, professional, activist, public servant or simply someone with an idea that can grow through regional exchange, WBF Move can help you take the next step.

So far, 173 individuals have already benefited from WBF Move.

🫵 You can be next.

Don’t leave your idea waiting at the border.

📅 Deadline: 5 October 2026

👉 To apply, visit the guidelines or application link at homepage

🇨🇭 The Swiss Government supports the Western Balkans Fund’s institutional strengthening and portfolio diversification. WBF Move Grants is part of this support.

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🎓 The Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation wraps up🟢 After one intensive week, the Regional Academy o...
21/09/2026

🎓 The Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation wraps up

🟢 After one intensive week, the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation has come to a close.

🤝 For seven days, we had the pleasure of hosting in Tirana 40 young leaders, aged 25–40, from across the Western Balkans: talented, engaged and ambitious individuals with the potential to shape stronger institutions, more connected societies and a more cooperative region.

Throughout the week, participants took part in a carefully designed programme of lectures, interactive sessions and dialogue sessions, delivered by handpicked experts, practitioners, academics and regional leaders from across the Western Balkans.

From regional cooperation and EU integration to leadership, diplomacy, policy development, gender equality, project management, media, strategic communication and democratic resilience, the Academy created a space not only for learning, but also for exchange, debate and new ideas.

But the end of the Academy is not the end of this journey.

The network created in Tirana will continue beyond these seven days. The connections built, the ideas exchanged and the partnerships initiated have the potential to grow into lasting cooperation and concrete results across the region.

We extend our sincere thanks to all participants, lecturers, speakers, experts and partners who contributed their knowledge, energy and experience to making this edition of the Academy possible.

And above all, our gratitude goes to the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, whose financial support made this initiative possible and helped bring together a new generation of regional leaders committed to dialogue and cooperation.

The Academy may be over. The network continues

🎓 Highlights from Day 6 of the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of CooperationThe sixth day of the Academy focus...
19/09/2026

🎓 Highlights from Day 6 of the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation

The sixth day of the Academy focused on gender equality, inclusive governance, gender-responsive leadership and challenging gender norms in decision-making.

We started with:

📌 “The RCC Role in Promoting Gender Equality in the Region”, a keynote speech delivered by Jona Haderi, Expert on Monitoring and Reporting at the Regional Cooperation Council.

📌 “Inclusion as a Foundation of Democratic Governance and Regional Cooperation”, a lecture delivered by Maja Raičević, Executive Director of the Women’s Rights Center in Podgorica.

📌 “Gender-Responsive Leadership in Practice”, a lecture delivered by Shkendije Himaj, Founder and CEO of Finance in Action and founder of Women on Boards Kosovo.

📌 “Challenging Gender Norms in Leadership and Decision-Making”, an interactive session led by Irena Topalli, senior trainer and facilitator.

Through lectures, practical perspectives and interactive discussion, Day 6 placed equality, inclusion and representation at the centre of the conversation on democratic leadership and regional cooperation.

The first Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation is organised by the Western Balkans Fund and funded by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans and the Western Balkans Fund.

🤝 Yesterday, the Regional Academy hosted the Ministerial Panel: “Regional Cooperation Seen from Representatives of the M...
18/09/2026

🤝 Yesterday, the Regional Academy hosted the Ministerial Panel: “Regional Cooperation Seen from Representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs – The WBF Case.”

👉 For 90 minutes, representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and members of the WBF Council of Senior Officials engaged in an open discussion with participants on regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, the role of diplomacy in building trust, the contribution of the Western Balkans Fund as a regionally owned mechanism, and the importance of people-to-people cooperation on the path towards European integration.

The panel brought together:

🟢 Ms. Bulatovic, from the Embassy of Montenegro in Albania, representing also the Montenegrin 2026 Presidency of the Fund

🟢 Ambassador Papazoglu, representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia

🟢 Ambassador Melo, representing the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania

🟢 Dr. Behmen, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

🟢Ms. Djepovska, Head of Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia

More than a formal panel, the session developed into an open exchange between diplomats and the Academy participants, bringing institutional experience and the perspectives of a new generation of regional leaders into the same conversation.

🎓 Highlights from Day 5 of the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation The fifth day of the Academy focu...
18/09/2026

🎓 Highlights from Day 5 of the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation

The fifth day of the Academy focused on the role of media in democratic societies, freedom of expression, disinformation, media literacy and responsible communication.

We started with:

📌 "The Role of Media, Media Ecosystems and Freedom of Expression in the Regional Context", a lecture delivered by Bojan Vranić, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, exploring the changing media environment across the Western Balkans and the role of free and independent media in democratic societies.

📌 "Disinformation, Media Literacy and Responsible Communication", a lecture delivered by Norbert Sinković, journalist and media educator at the University of Novi Sad and correspondent for RFE/RL Balkan Service, focusing on the challenges posed by disinformation and the importance of critical thinking, media literacy and responsible communication.

The first Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation is organised by the Western Balkans Fund and funded by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans and the Western Balkans Fund.

🥂 Tonight, we celebrated nine years of the Western Balkans Fund. 👏 Nine years of bringing people closer together, suppor...
17/09/2026

🥂 Tonight, we celebrated nine years of the Western Balkans Fund.

👏 Nine years of bringing people closer together, supporting regional cooperation, creating opportunities and building lasting connections across the Western Balkans.

✅ The anniversary reception gathered members of the diplomatic community, partners and friends of the Fund, regional leaders, representatives of institutions and organisations, as well as participants of the Regional Academy on Dialogue and Culture of Cooperation.

🫱 It was an opportunity to look back at the journey we have made together, but even more importantly, to look ahead with renewed energy and ambition.

🎗️ We are deeply grateful to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of our six Contracting Parties, whose continued support and commitment make the work of the Western Balkans Fund possible, as well as the Montenegrin Presidency of the Fund in 2026, our international partners, beneficiaries and friends who have stood alongside us throughout these nine years.

Our greatest achievement remains the community that has grown around the Fund: thousands of people, organisations and institutions choosing cooperation over distance and dialogue over division.

We look forward to continuing this journey together and to making regional cooperation stronger, more visible and more meaningful for the people of the Western Balkans.

Thank you for being with us in those 9 years 🎂

Address

Rruga Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu (Street), (The Block Of Embassies), Nr. 8, 4th Floor, Apt. 35/36
Tirana
1000

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

0035542400420

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