We are excited to announce that five civil society organisations in Türkiye will receive a total of £76,000 in grants through our Institutional Fund for 2026–27.
This year’s call received 89 eligible applications from 21 provinces across Türkiye. Our new grantee partners are:
Altyazı Cinema Association (Altyazı Sinema Derneği): Founded in 2001 as an independent film magazine, Altyazı has also carried out rights-based civil society work since 2019. Through Altyazi.net, its Cinema Seminars and the Altyazı Fasikül publication, it promotes film literacy, freedom of expression and solidarity among independent filmmakers.
With grant support, the association will diversify its income, develop new partnerships and take a more systematic approach to fundraising, while securing the continuity of its core team and programmes
Buğday Association for Supporting Ecological Living (Buğday Ekolojik Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği): Rooted in the Buğday Movement, which began in Bodrum in the early 1990s, Buğday became an association in 2002. It works on ecological living, agroecology, sustainable food systems and support for small-scale producers. Through initiatives such as the 100% Ecological Markets and the TaTuTa Ecological Farm Network, it connects producers and consumers with public bodies and local governments.
With grant support, the association will improve its financial management and reporting, earn more from paid training programmes and grow sales through its online shop.
Association of Barrier-Free Access (Engelsiz Erişim Derneği): Based in Istanbul, the association works mainly on blindness and related areas of disability. Guided by the belief that accessible living is a fundamental human right, it works to remove the barriers disabled people face and to promote their equal participation in society.
With grant support, the association will diversify its income, develop new partnerships and take a more systematic approach to fundraising and supporter engagement.
Gola Association for Culture, Arts, and Ecology (Gola Kültür Sanat ve Ekoloji Derneği): Founded in Rize in 2006, Gola works to raise the profile of the Eastern Black Sea region’s cultural heritage, especially the Laz language, and to stop traditional knowledge from being lost. Its work combines culture, arts and ecology through research, publishing, archiving, festivals and local partnerships.
With grant support, Gola will set up a social enterprise by building a sustainable sales network with local producers and craftspeople, strengthening its brand and digital presence, and developing corporate sales and partnerships.
Women’s State of Solidarity Association (Dayanışmanın Kadın Hali Derneği – DAKAHDER): Based in Diyarbakır, DAKAHDER was established at a time when many civil society organisations in the region had been closed down. It works to end gender inequality and discrimination by researching women’s living conditions, developing policy, running campaigns and challenging hate speech against LGBTI+ people.
With grant support, DAKAHDER will improve its management and volunteer systems, develop its communications and partnerships, and build a more sustainable structure for its work.
About our Institutional Fund
The Institutional Fund strengthens the core capacity of civil society organisations by covering essential costs such as rent, staff and expert support. Run in partnership with the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı), it also offers tailored mentoring and expert guidance. This covers financial sustainability, organisational management, partnership building, volunteer engagement, communications, advocacy and impact measurement.
We look forward to working with these organisations as they make a lasting impact on their communities and on Türkiye’s civil society.
