(EN) 3rd CETF Steering Committee meeting

At its third regular meeting, the Steering Committee of the Swiss-Bulgarian Civic Engagement and Transparency Facility (CETF) reviewed the results of the evaluation process for submitted concept notes under each of the three Lighthouse Project (LHP) procedures. Following detailed presentations and deliberations, the Committee approved one top-ranked concept note per LHP area—three in total—to advance to the full project proposal development stage.  

The approved concepts demonstrated strong potential to advance the objectives of CETF in the fields of natural resource management, civic space, and civic education. All applicants will be informed of the evaluation results in the following days. The Programme Operator will work closely with the three selected consortia to support the development of full project proposals, ensuring that feedback from the evaluation panels and Steering Committee is incorporated into the next stage.

In addition, the Steering Committee endorsed the Guidelines for the Civic Empowerment and Engagement (CEE) Grant Fund Line, marking a key milestone in the launch of CETF’s first open and competitive call for project proposals. While the Lighthouse Projects represented the Facility’s initial strategic funding stream, the CEE Grant Fund Line will be the first broad-based opportunity open to a wide range of civil society organisations. The call is scheduled to open in early June, accompanied by a series of regional information sessions across the country to ensure broad visibility and inclusive participation from civil society actors from the regions.