CARE Balkans, with the support of the Austrian Development Agency, has completed the selection of ten women-led grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) that will be key local partners in the implementation of the Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of the Western Balkans (EWI) project.
The selected organisations come from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro and each of them received the grant of 10 000 EUR which they will use in order to work directly in the local field to reach and engage women, especially marginalized women and build their capacities in different areas, including digital and other soft skills, financial knowledge, and many others.
This selection process was carried out through a regional public call launched in late March 2025, which received a total of 74 eligible applications. A three-member selection committee, composed of representatives from the EWI project and implementing partner organisations in each country, evaluated the applications based on clear criteria such as gender equality focus, community trust, and proven outreach capacity.
Selected grassroots CSOs:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Women’s Association “Most”, Jablanica
- Local Democracy Agency Mostar
- Agricultural Cluster “Stara Hercegovina”, Trebinje
Serbia
- Okular, Ćićevac
- Society for the Development of Creativity, Aleksinac
- Center for Activism, Vranje
North Macedonia
- Humanitarian Association “Majka”, Kumanovo
- LAG Agro Lider, Krivogaštani
Montenegro
- Women’s Alliance for Development, Nikšić
- Center for Youth Education, Podgorica
In June 2025, CARE Balkans, in collaboration with regional experts, organised a four-day regional training in Sarajevo to strengthen the capacities of the selected CSOs in advocacy planning, gender-responsive budgeting, communication with decision-makers, and regional solidarity building. The training also included practical sessions on administrative and financial procedures, setting the foundation for structured collaboration in the next phases of the project.
Detailed activity plans and budgets were jointly developed with each CSO and finalised by the end of June. Contracts were signed in accordance with national regulations, enabling organisations to begin their activities in July 2025.
The selected grassroots CSOs will lead local outreach and advocacy efforts, raise awareness on women’s economic rights, engage with local authorities, and facilitate community sessions targeting both women and men. These activities will be closely coordinated with project partners:
- ENECA (Serbia) – Economic Expert Community Association
- LINK (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Foundation for Local Development and Democracy
- SDC (North Macedonia) – Strategic Development Consulting
- IPC Tehnopolis (Montenegro) – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis
These ten organisations will be EWI service providers and visible community actors actively shaping more inclusive local economies. Their presence on the ground is instrumental to ensuring that no woman is left behind.
We invite all interested actors to follow the EWI project closely, as new grant opportunities for women entrepreneurs and other grassroots initiatives will be announced in September 2025.
