News

Motto of the Grants:
Let’s preserve the values together

General Information:
• Moto-Pfohe Conservation and Environmental Grants Program appeals to Bulgarian organizations and individuals, who develop projects in the field of national environment preservation, cultural heritage conservation and social engagement
• It supports winning projects to help them reach their goals, both with financing and with publicity
• Applicants – individual projects and collective projects
• Important condition – the projects must be in process of development. We neither finance initiatives that are still an idea, nor ones that are already closed and finished. Our main goal is to support the process of preservation.
• Two categories of the Grants:
1. Environmental preservation – projects for preserving endangered species of flora and fauna, optimization of natural resources usage and consumption
2. Cultural heritage – projects to conserve and/or further develop man-made aspects of national and European heritage

Main Facts about the Grants in Bulgaria:
• 18 editions of the Grants in Bulgaria so far; for the first time the program was held in 1996
• 1108 is the total number of projects that have participated till now, incl 2015
• 43 is the total number of applicants in 2015
• 80 is the total number of awarded projects till now, incl 2015
• BGN 308 000 have been funded by Moto-Pfohe till now, incl 2015 Grants edition

History of the Grants in Bulgaria:
• 1996 till 2000 – under the name Henry Ford European Conservation Awards in cooperation with UNESCO and the Council of Europe;
• 2001 till 2004 – FMC Conservation and Environmental Grants;
• since 2005 – Moto-Pfohe Conservation and Environmental Grants in Bulgaria
Jury of the Grants in Bulgaria:
• jury chairman is Dr. Petar Yankov, Chairman of Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and 1st Bulgarian national winner of the program (1996);
• jury members are experts from the ministries of environment, culture and education;
Awarding fund 2015:
• BGN 20 000 – for one national winner and two encouragement prices.
• Specially dedicated Plaque and Diploma

Ceremony 2015:
• 2 December 2015 – National Museum of History

The Grants in 2015:
• This year the jury reviewed projects authored by 43 nominees and selected three of them to be awarded – one national winner with BGN 10,000 and two encouragement prices with BGN 5,000 each.

Scenario Ceremony 2015:

18.00 – 18.30 hrs Reception of guests, welcome drink
18.30 – 19.10 hrs AWARDING CEREMONY
- Introduction / Opening by Plamena Stamenova
- Welcome speeches by Moto-Pfohe Management
- Words by the chairman of the jury about Grants season 2015
- Awarding the project “Revival of old crafts in Sopot” – Nasko Furnadshiev and Deputy minister of culture Boni Petrunova;
- Awarding the project “Exhibition in volume – Perception by touch” – Dimo Nikolov and representative of Ministry of Education;
- Awarding the national winner „Dolphins and people – co-existence in the sea” – Philip Pfohe and representative of Ministry of Environment;
19.10 – 20.00 hrs Cocktail party

The winning projects 2015:
• National winner: „Dolphins and people – co-existence in the sea” of the Balkani Wildlife Society is the big winner in the 18th edition of Moto-Pfohe Conservation and Environmental Grants Programm 2015. Dolphins are the closest to people sea inhabitants. They are extraordinary friendly, very socially disposed and not solely instinct driven. They associate together, have fun together, even communicate with people and can understand us. Meeting a dolphin always brings joy. Nevertheless, they are among protected species. Whaling is a crime since the middle of the 20th century but in the last 10 years dolphins are endangered again. They often hang around fishing nets, bore them and steal from the draught which infringes fisherman’s interests and causes damages and losses. The conflict can be settled by using acoustic repellent devices called ‘pingers’ which repulse dolphins and prevent their attacks. This innovative method is in the center of Balkani Wildlife Society project that is being accomplished in cooperation with the fishing society in order to prevent further damages on dolphins.
• The first of the two encouragement awarded projects is the field of culture but has also a big educational and social potential. It addresses people with special needs. The project “Exhibition in volume – Perception by touch. Black Sea inhabitants” by NGO One Nature in partnership with Regional Historical Museum Burgas is aimed at the development and implementation of an interactive exhibition for blind people, showing the most interesting and memorable sea residents. This group of people is completely ignored in the work of museums, the creation of exhibitions and events. Even the buildings and permanent exhibitions are unsuitable for a visit by people with similar disabilities. A traveling exhibition of this kind will allow people (blind and sighted) across Bulgaria to see trough touch some of the Black Sea inhabitants and learn interesting facts about their biology.
Part of the exhibition will be 3D models in real size of 15 fish species emblematic for Bulgarian waters, as well as a 3D model in natural size of the smallest dolphin species in the Black sea but also Black Sea Shells of molluscs – clams, snails, sea acorn, dried seahorses, sea needles, crabs, feathers of waterfowl, replica of a nest with bird eggs etc. Audio system that plays back sound characteristic of the species and brief information about them in braille texts will be available too. The project was started in May 2015 and the exhibition will be ready in six months from now.
• The second encouragement award is for preservation and popularization of disappearing crafts and the establishment of a live open-air museum. This is the goal of the project “Revival of old crafts in the town of Sopot and establishment of handicraft center”. The author is the Museum house ‘Ivan Vazov’ in Sopot. So far, within the project have been established the unique live demonstration “The art of wool” and the handicraft school for kids, called “Maistorcheta” (little masters). The price of the Grants program will support the next steps in the development of the new ethnographical handicraft center in the town of Sopot, namely the building of a pottery and a smithy. Additionally, the planned online demonstrations will attract new tourist visits in the future live open-air museum in the town of Sopot.