The Boost Grants Scheme aims to strengthen the organizational, operational, and financial capacities of independent cultural organizations.
The Boost Grants Scheme aims to strengthen the organizational, operational, and financial capacities of independent cultural organizations.
The objective of this call is to strengthen the organizational, operational, and financial capacities of cultural organizations by providing targeted support, including capacity-building and resources that enhance stability, sustainability, and long-term resilience. The scheme focuses on addressing organizational challenges that enable organizations to operate more effectively, strengthen internal systems, and increase their ability to plan, manage, and deliver quality cultural programs.
The Boost Grants Scheme is open to legally registered cultural and artistic organizations that demonstrate active programmatic work and engagement with communities, have a clear vision for development, and seek to address specific internal challenges in areas such as governance, financial management, strategic planning, human resources, communication, or organizational systems. Priority may be given to smaller or emerging organizations, organizations operating outside the capital, or organizations led by or working with underrepresented groups.
Eligible organizations are those who contribute to high-quality cultural content in fields such as critical theory, feminism, visual arts, performance, and social activism, with the impact extending beyond local communities influencing national socio-political narratives and supporting cultural and democratic development in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Boost Grants Scheme will cover costs directly related to strengthening the organization’s internal capacities, systems, and processes. This may include expenses for external expertise, capacity-building activities, development of internal tools and procedures, and other resources that support governance, financial management, strategic planning, human resources, or communication systems. All costs must be clearly linked to the proposed organizational strengthening objectives and proportionate to the planned activities. Costs not related to organizational development, such as the production of artistic programs, one-off events, or infrastructure unrelated to capacity-building, are not eligible.
The Culture for Development project integrates environmental sustainability, social inclusion, diversity, and decentralization into all aspects of its activities and management. Emphasis is placed on fostering inclusive practices that support youth, women, and other marginalized groups, while gender equality remains an important driver of creativity and innovation.
Who CAN apply:
● Cultural and artistic civil society organizations registered in the Republic of North Macedonia with a proven track record in cultural and artistic fields in the period of three years.
Requirements:
● The applicant must be registered as a legal entity with the Central Registry of the Republic of North Macedonia.
● The organization must be registered under the Law on Associations and Foundations.
● The applicants must have prior 3-year long operational work and experience in the realization of cultural and artistic projects.
Who CAN NOT apply:
● The applicant and/or individuals who in any way support or have supported discriminatory, radical, violent, racist, or nationalist behaviors and views.
● The applicant who is not registered in accordance with the laws of the Republic of North Macedonia.
● The applicant who has not settled their legal obligations regarding public contributions, taxes, and fees.
● Political, religious organizations and organizations founded by religious and faith-based organizations.
● Private companies.
● Individuals.
● Cultural institutions founded by the Republic of North Macedonia or local self-government units.
● Representative offices of foreign organizations registered in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Boost Grants Scheme supports independent cultural and artistic civil society organizations in the Republic of North Macedonia by enabling activities that strengthen their internal capacities, structures, and systems. The support focuses on addressing organizational challenges that limit sustainability, efficiency, and long-term growth, helping organizations operate more effectively and respond to cultural and social needs.
The call seeks to ensure the stability and sustainability of cultural civil society organizations and to strengthen their capacity to effectively address critical cultural, social, and policy-related issues.
The call seeks to support activities that include, but are not limited to:
● Developing organizational strategies and action plans, clarifying board and management roles, improving decision-making processes, and defining team roles.
● Strengthening internal communication, management practices, and internal policies to improve overall organizational effectiveness.
● Improving financial management and administrative systems, including budgeting tools, fundraising strategies, income diversification, legal compliance, reporting systems, and
documentation.
● Enhancing communication, audience engagement, and organizational learning through communication strategies, digital presence, monitoring and evaluation systems, knowledge management, and learning tools.
● Capacity-building initiatives and facilitated development processes aimed at strengthening leadership, governance, and team development.
Important note: the Call will not support and fund organizations that are currently receiving funding under another Culture for Development grant scheme.
Applications that promote or support discriminatory, radical, violent, racist, or nationalist behaviors and attitudes will be automatically disqualified from the selection process for the allocation of financial resources.
The total grant amount per organization covered by HF is up to 1.950.000 MKD which will be disbursed over a period of two years, in two annual installments.
Applicants must demonstrate readiness to provide a minimum contribution of at least 20% of the total requested project budget covered by HF, which may include financial resources, in-kind support, cofunding from other donors, or funds raised independently by the organization.
Applicants should submit a brief Concept note outlining their organizational challenges, proposed strengthening activities, expected results, and a preliminary budget with estimated costs linked to the proposed support. Only organizations that submit the concept note and budget by 09 March 2026 at 23:59 PM will be considered for the next stage of the selection process.
All documents must be submitted via [email protected] subject line: Name of the organization – Call Reference Number – Call Name
Required application documents:
● Concept Note (signed)
● Budget Proposal (in excel)
● Current Status (Tekovna Sostojba) not older than 6 months
Application documents are available in English.