Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Trag Foundation was established in 1999 as a UK charity called Balkan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF) that was subsequently registered in Serbia in 2004. BCIF changed its name to Trag Foundation in 2013. Trag’s main mission is to contribute to the development of active and open communities by providing financial, capacity building and other types of support to citizens’ initiatives in these communities. Trag achieves this through grantmaking, philanthropy development and the provision of other types of support. Trag has 20 years of experience in grantmaking, with over 13 million EUR awarded to over 1,500 civic initiatives mostly in Serbia but also in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Apart from implementing its own grant programs supported by different donors, Trag serves as an intermediary or administration partner to private foundations and businesses in their grants management. When it comes to philanthropy development, Trag actively promotes and develops strategic giving, advocates for a more favorable legislative and fiscal framework, builds capacities of CSOs to mobilize resources on the local level and, most importantly, since 2019, with the support of the C. S. Mott Foundation, Trag is working on building the movement of community foundations in the Western Balkans region. It has two offices one in Belgrade, Serbia and one in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Tuzla Community Foundation (TCF) was established through the joint initiative of the citizens of Tuzla, the International Youth Partnership Program (YEPP), and the German foundation “Freudenberg Stiftung”.

TCF stands as the pioneer in the development of the community foundation movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Like other community foundations, TCF represents an innovative and efficient model of connecting local resources with local needs. Its vision is of a vibrant and prospective community of engaged citizens who create a sustainable and secure future for all generations through active participation and shared resources. TCF strategically channels donations towards improvement of quality of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a particular geographic focus on the Tuzla region. Through its programmes, TCF engages citizens into the educational programs for democratic community development, co-finances civic initiatives and collaborates on partnership projects to ensure sustainable development of the communities. TCF initiatives are aimed to promote philanthropy and encourage volunteerism for the benefit of society.