Updated last 18.06.2025
What is Programme “Food and Basic Material Assistance”?
Program “Food and Basic Material Assistance” 2021–2027 ( PFBMA) is a national programme co-financed by the European Social Fund+ and the national budget. It is aimed at implementing the Union’s specific objective to tackle material deprivation by providing food and basic material assistance to the most vulnerable groups in Bulgaria.
The program is implemented across the entire country and serves as a linking element with all other tools for social inclusion and poverty reduction. In addition to material support, recipients receive accompanying measures – individually targeted counseling and support to help their social integration and improve their quality of life.
What activities does the Program support?
The main directions of assistance are:
- Type of assistance 1: Food packages and hygiene supplies
- Type of assistance 2: Hot lunch
- Type of assistance 3: Packages for newborns
- Type of assistance 4: Child kitchen
All forms of assistance are provided on the basis of objective criteria, an individualized approach, and evaluation of the needs of the individuals. Eligibility for the target groups is verified by the structures of the Agency for Social Assistance (ASA).
The rules and conditions for providing assistance are defined in Regulation № RD-06-53 from 17.09.2021.
| For more information | |
 | You may look at the possibilities to apply for grants on the website of: |
What is the budget available for the programme?
The total budget of PFBMA for the period 2021–2027 is 411.7 million Bulgarian leva, with co-financing from the EU and the national budget.
How is the program’s resources allocated?
The program is focused on two main directions:
- Providing material assistance (food, packages for children, hygiene materials, hot lunch, child kitchen).
- Accompanying measures aimed at social inclusion and sustainable overcoming of material deprivation (counseling, social services, referrals to other programs).
How can you apply to receive a grant?
- You have to register in the UMIS system in order to create and file a project proposal on a specific PFBMA call.
- The system is interactive and easy to work with. If you have any difficulties in filing the project proposal, you may read the System Manual which is published in order to provide directions and facilitate the work of the users.
- On the official website of the PFBMA, for a specific call you can find information how, who and within what deadlines you can address additional questions and request clarifications in relation to the Call’s Terms of Reference.
What are the terms and conditions to apply under PFBMA calls?
There are Terms of Reference to each call where you can find specific information in view of the specific features of the selected call:
- Objectives, indicators of the call;
- The total grant under the programme;
- Minimum (if applicable) and maximum grant to a specific project;
- Co-financing rate;
- The criteria your business must meet to be an eligible applicant.
- Activities eligible for funding;
- Eligible and ineligible costs under the procedure
- The minimum and maximum duration for the project’s implementation;
- Applicable regime of minimal/state aid;
- The order, criteria, and methodology by which project proposals are evaluated, including administrative compliance and eligibility, as well as the requirements for technical and financial evaluation;
- The procedure and deadline for obtaining clarifications on the procedure.
What is the deadline to apply under calls under the Programme?
You can apply to receive funding from the PFBMA depending within the deadlines for submission of project proposals set out in each procedure until the completion of the Operational Programme in 2027.
The evaluation of the project proposals has two stages as follows:
Stage 1
Evaluation of the administrative compliance and eligibility – this evaluation addresses questions such as: are all required documents provided; is the project proposal properly filed; is the qualified electronic signature (QES) used to sign the proposal valid; is the power of attorney for the filing of the proposal valid; is there compliance with the specific eligibility criteria set out in the Terms of Reference, etc. The evaluation at this stage also includes check and evaluation of the feasibility, efficiency and eligibility of all actions and expenses envisaged (are ineligible actions, ineligible and / or unrealistic expenses, duplication of envisaged actions and / or expenses included in the project proposal).
Stage 2
Technical and financial evaluation. The technical and financial evaluation is only performed with respect to project proposals that have passed successfully the evaluation of the administrative compliance and eligibility. At this stage the technical capacity of the participants, the environmental effect of the project, the compliance with the indicators and priorities set for the call, partnerships, etc. are evaluated.
| For more information | |
| For more information regarding the Programme see the websites of: |