In civil society organizations, we often face a challenge that is not easily overcome: most available funding comes through project grants, strictly tied to specific activities, defined timeframes, and performance measured by precise indicators. While such support has its value, what truly makes organizations resilient, stable, and sustainable in the long term is – a core grant.
This is precisely the kind of support that the Center for Environment (CfE) received through the SMART Balkans project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway. This grant, which covers the organization’s core operating costs, enabled us not only to function more stably but also to take steps that would not have been possible without this flexibility.
What Is a Core Grant – and Why Is It Important?
Unlike standard grants that finance specific projects, core grants are intended to cover so-called operational costs – salaries, rent, utilities, insurance, equipment, and other essential needs. This type of support gives the organization room to respond to current challenges, develop new initiatives, and invest in its own capacities.
For us, this meant:
- Enhancing digital security through the acquisition of a proper server,
- Renewing fieldwork equipment,
- Restoring equipment for the mobile solar cinema,
- Creating a new CZZS Strategic Plan for the 2024–2026 period.
Where Other Funds Don’t Reach – Core Grants Fill the Gaps
The unique importance of this grant lies in its ability to enable the implementation of vital activities that are not supported by other funding sources. These are initiatives that often remain on the sidelines, even though their significance for nature conservation and local communities is immeasurable. Below, we briefly highlight some of the initiatives we have implemented or are still ongoing.
Protection of Banja Luka’s Forests
Through active fieldwork and research, we are currently developing protection studies for forested areas in Banja Luka. This study will be submitted to the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska in 2025 for further action.
Research of Livanjsko Polje
In cooperation with the speleological society “Mijatovi dvori” from Tomislavgrad, we conducted underground research in Livanjsko Polje, which will significantly contribute to arguments for its preservation and protection.
Filling Species and Habitat Databases
We organized a workshop on populating national biodiversity databases, which brought together researchers and institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia.
Biking Toward a Sustainable Future: Developing Cycle Tourism
The core grant allowed us to expand our activities into cycle tourism, as a form of sustainable development that connects nature conservation with local economic growth.
Two of our team members successfully completed training and obtained EuroVelo inspector licenses. Following that, we conducted a detailed analysis of the candidate EuroVelo 18 route, which runs through Bosnia and Herzegovina – from Jasenovac (Croatia) to Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia), covering a length of 306.5 km.
Legal Mechanisms in Nature Protection – With Core Grant Support
The core grant support also enabled us to be the voice of those fighting against environmentally harmful projects – such as small hydropower plants, mines, and thermal power plants. A particular highlight is the legal work we carried out regarding the Bistrica coal mine project near Prijedor, where we supported local residents in their legal battle against this highly destructive project.
Our Gratitude to the SMART Balkans Project
Behind every concrete result is a sense of gratitude – because without the support of the SMART Balkans core grant, many of these activities would not have been possible.
This type of support has proven to be crucial for strengthening our organization’s capacity, implementing strategically important activities, and resisting threats in areas where nature and communities are most at risk.
We continue our work into 2025 – confident that the results will follow.
The project is supported by a Core Grant from the regional project SMART Balkan – Civil Society for a Connected Western Balkans, implemented by the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD) Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) North Macedonia, and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) Albania, and financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.
