Bilateral donor funding can cover several areas of development including infrastructure, economic cooperation, trade balance etc but OECD countries also believe in promoting and supporting ideas and efforts that can lead to better democratic practices and good governance.

Bilateral donors have recognized that NGOs play a key role in addressing issues related to human rights, education, healthcare, social conflicts, gender, women empowerment, livelihood development and more and involve them in a partnership for ensuring overall growth.

According to OECD’s 2013 report on ‘Aid for CSOs’, “In 2011, one-fifth (20.5%) of total bilateral ODA was channelled to or through CSOs.” The report further says bilateral agencies “have a strong preference for supporting donor country-based CSOs over other types, especially in Germany, Spain and Austria where more than 80% of funding goes to national CSOs.”

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) 2015 report on ‘DFAT and NGOs’, “Many civil society actors can be powerful agents for change. Working alongside government and the private sector, civil society can contribute to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.”

So how can NGOs benefit from this trend? Where can they source funding from? Are smaller NGOs also eligible to tap funding from large bilateral agencies?

FundsforNGOs has prepared a list of funding agencies and some more information that might be very helpful also for the civil society actors from the Western Balkans in different fields of activity. More information is available here.