183-0420: Cross-cutting Programs 
Performance goal: 
Strategic & Special Objective Closeout Report: USAID/Bulgaria 
Table of Contents 
Key Data Points 
Background 
Summary of Overall Impact 
Summary of Activities 
· Participant Training Program 
· East Central European Scholarship Program 
· AUBG – Improved Capacity of Higher Education to Contribute to Development 
· Media Freedom, Anti-corruption and Media Training programs 
· Biodiversity /Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of the National Eco-trust Fund 
(NTEF) 
· Water and Wastewater Quality Management 
· Emergency Humanitarian Assistance 
· Bulgaria Fund 
· Program Development and Support Fund 
Lessons Learned 
USAID Reports and Assessments 
Key Contacts 
1
Strategic Objective Close-out Report 
SO Name: Cross-cutting programs 
SO Number: 4.2 
Approval Date: 1998 
Geographic Area: Bulgaria 
Total Cost: $ 95,905,000 
USAID: $ 95,905,000 
Mission Funding $ 62,884,000 
Global Support 
Total USAID Funding $ 95,905,000 
 
Principle Implementing Partners: 
World Learning Inc. 
Georgetown University Center for Intercultural Education and Development1
 American University of Bulgaria (AUBG)2
Broadcast Training Center (BTC) 
National Trust Eco-Fund 
Delaware Community College 
 Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Projects (WHO, DAI, CARE, ECIP Foundation) 
 German Marshal Fund of the U.S. 
Major Counterparts: 
Government of Bulgaria 
NGOs 
Private Businesses (Bulgarian and American) 
Background 
The Cross-Cutting Initiatives implemented under this Strategic Objective (SO) have substantially 
contributed to the achievements of the entire Mission’s portfolio through training programs and 
various development and support activities that helped the successful launch, implementation, 
and completion of Mission’s programs. During the last five years, the Cross-Cutting SO became 
the home of several activities from previously closed-out SOs, which still had the potential to 
make impact in their reform areas (e.g. health finance reform, media training and anti-corruption, 
support for biodiversity, humanitarian aid etc.) 
The evolution of the Cross-cutting has resulted in substantial expansion of its scope, mirroring 
 
1
 No funding data available 
2
 AUBG and BTC funding included in this SO covers the period after FY 2003 
2
the growing support needs of the Mission’s portfolio. The backbone of the Cross-cutting SO was 
the training portfolio and the Audit, Evaluation and Project Support Fund activities. The training 
programs were instrumental for the success of the technical assistance USAID provided to 
Bulgaria by investing in the human capital, thus facilitating personal professional and 
institutional development. Over the years, the training programs evolved from individual 
trainings for businesses or civil society leaders into group tailored training interventions for 
mixed groups of reform stakeholders. The locations of the training programs also expanded 
from primarily U.S.-based to worldwide and predominantly EU locations with the approaching 
EU accession. 
The Audit Evaluation and Support Fund (AEPS) was created in 1995 to respond to the needs for 
technical expertise in project management and more informed decision making process through 
funding of program designs, studies and impact evaluations. In 2001 the AEPS fund was 
renamed into Program Design and Support (PDS) Fund and the scope of the PDS greatly 
expanded to incorporate targeted reviews, workshops, consultancies, publications and PR 
activities. The PDS fund doubled in amount and in the last years the program support share of 
PDS accounted for 85% of the PDS funds utilized annually. 
In the process of development of the Graduation Strategy, the Cross-Cutting SO was further 
expanded to include other initiatives considered to have cross-cutting impact and contributions to 
all Mission SOs, and which had remained homeless after the close-out of several SOs. Examples 
of such activities are the Media Training and anti-corruption program, the health financing 
project, biodiversity legacy institutional strengthening, water and wastewater management 
program, etc. While the majority of the funding for these activities has been already attributed to 
several of the closed-out SOs, the reason for including them in this report is capturing their 
overall achievements and contribution tom USAID’s mission in Bulgaria. 
In the last year of Mission operations, the Cross-Cutting SO was further expanded with the 
addition of the Bulgaria Fund as the short-term legacy support mechanism designed by the 
Mission to provide continuing support for local institutions working on priority reform issues. 
All Cross-cutting initiatives were completed and closed at the time of closing of the SO with the 
exception of the Bulgaria Fund and the Cooperative Agreement with AUBG, which continue 
through September 2010 and July 2012 respectively. 
Performance Goal: Bulgaria is a country with a more energetic society, i.e. increased NGO 
advocacy, more jobs, more optimism, more widely shared economic gains, and stronger and 
more reliable international partnerships 
Summary of overall impact 
The Cross-Cutting objective was designed to offer efficient and effective support to the entire 
Mission portfolio. Thus, from its very inception, the cross-cutting Strategic Objective (SO) 
provided access for all programs to a cost efficient mechanism for training, including study tours 
outside of Bulgaria, addressed program impact through improved project preparation, evaluation, 
3
and monitoring studies and evaluations, and assisted with various administrative support 
services. Broadly speaking we can summarize the Cross-cutting SO as containing two major 
groups of initiatives: 1) activities support the Mission's whole portfolio - the Media and 
Participant Training programs and the Program Development and Support activity; and 2) special 
initiatives that do not fit with the final three strategic objectives of USAID/Bulgaria, but relate to 
previously closed SOs from the Mission portfolio These programs provided significant added 
value to the achievement of the development goals of the Mission. 
Summary of activities used to achieve the SO and their major outputs: 
Training Programs 
USAID sponsored two special training programs to invest in building the human capacity and 
staff experience of indigenous institutions and organizations, particularly those actively 
participating in USAID’s assistance portfolio: World Learning’s Participant Training Program, 
and the Georgetown’s East Central European Scholarship Program. These initiatives equipped a 
broad range of Bulgarian leaders and professionals with skills and practical knowledge to 
develop democratic processes, free enterprise, market economics, and improved quality of life. 
Participant Training Program 
Implementer: World Learning 
USAID provided short-term training to over 3,500 Bulgarians during the lifetime of its $17.55 
million Participant Training Program (1993-2007). Most people were trained in the U.S. and 
third countries, although a small number benefited from training in Bulgaria as well. Through 
consecutive Task Orders issued under various centrally-managed Indefinite Quantity Contracts 
(IQCs), the E&E Bureau administered a Europe region-wide Participant Training Project which 
included Bulgaria starting with Partners for International Education and Training (PIET) in 1993, 
moving to Global Training for Development (GTD) in 1996 and then finally finishing under 
Strategic Technical Assistance for Results and Training (START). Under various IQC names, 
Participant Training in Bulgaria was always implemented by World Learning. 
World Learning’s Participant Training Program in Bulgaria evolved over its lifetime, adapting to 
the Mission’s and Bulgaria’s needs. In the early years, most participants traveled to the U.S. for 
training, while in later years, as Bulgaria moved closer to EU membership, participants were 
mostly trained in European countries. For example, in 2000-2001, World Learning organized 50 
trainings in the U.S. for 159 participants, and 19 programs in third countries for 95 participants. 
By 2004-2005, World Learning organized only 5 programs in the U.S. involving 35 participants, 
while training 167 participants in third countries under 16 different programs. In the final years 
of the program, most trainings were conducted in-country utilizing the newly-developed local 
training capacity. A new element of the project was offering trainings to groups from other 
countries in the region. 
In the early years, a large number of the programs organized by World Learning were for 
individual leaders and potential leaders; later there were only group programs. This change in 
4
approach coincided with the shift in USAID’s overall programmatic approach from “targets of 
opportunity” in the early days to more focused, tailored assistance programs. Group programs 
allowed for a broad array of stakeholders to witness U.S. and third country approaches to a 
problem, thus increasing the likelihood to reach the critical mass of key decision makers to 
implement a specific change or reform. For example, by sending a group of MPs from a number 
of different political parties on the same municipal finance study tour to the United States in 
2006, USAID and World Learning along with the Research Triangle Institute, fostered 
relationships across party lines, allowing for the parliament to subsequently pass amendments to 
the Constitution which finally enabled municipalities to set their own tax rates. 
In 2000, training-related small grants were added to the program to further enhance training 
impact. World Learning Bulgaria was instrumental in getting this unique program component 
added to Participant Training Programs for the region. A total of 66 small grants averaging 
$5,000 each were made to assist participants with implementation of their action plans upon 
training completion. For example, after a study tour in Denmark and Poland on municipal 
council management practices in 2003, the Mayor of Strumyani published brochures informing 
citizens about available services and established a new Center for Information and Services for 
Citizens with a small grant under the program. Other examples of small training-related grants 
include the establishment of computer and information centers in poor Roma neighborhoods, 
inter-municipal cooperation for developing a regional economic development plan, an anti-drug 
project, enhancing professionalism and ethnic tolerance through multi-ethnic training of 
journalists, and a series of seminars to involve citizens in local government. 
From early on, the USAID/Bulgaria Mission has ensured that the Participant Training Program 
was strategically and closely aligned with its technical assistance in the various sector programs. 
This cross-cutting nature of the training portfolio was unanimously acknowledged as one of the 
reasons for the programs’ effectiveness. Participant satisfaction and career self-reporting – 
although just one means of measuring effectiveness – reported among the highest for the CEE 
region satisfaction with the programs attended. One training impact assessment report covering 
1997 and first half of 19983
 found that in Bulgaria, 31% of those interviewed were “very 
satisfied” and 69% were “satisfied” with the U.S. Training Program after the application of skills 
learned. Probably more importantly, 27% reported that they had “completely” accomplished 
their objectives, 55% reported that they “almost completely” accomplished their objectives, 5% 
reported that they had only “partially” achieved their objectives and 5% reported that they had 
“not at all” achieved their objectives. On a more personal level, 11 of the 19 people surveyed 
indicated that following the program, they received increased responsibilities, 5 were promoted, 
and 1 received a salary increase. 
 In 2004, USAID/Bulgaria commissioned an assessment to recommend the best approach to 
sustain training achievements and maintain the network of USAID trainees alive. The evaluators 
reported very positive results from USAID/Bulgaria’s Participant Training Program, stating 
feedback from former participants, institutions served and USAID TA contractors and grantees, 
that PTP was successful in most respects. Most importantly, the PTP has had a measurable 
beneficial impact on Bulgaria’s development toward a market-oriented, democratic society as it 
 
3
 Aguirre International, “Central and Eastern Europe and New Independent States Training Program Impact: FY 
1998,” (Washington, D.C.: March 1999) 
5
moved toward membership in the European Union.” Although the assessment recommended the 
best “legacy” approach would be to “affiliate the training contractor capacity with an indigenous 
training NGO or university,” neither USAID nor World Learning chose that approach. In 
January 2006, World Learning’s local staff registered as a local NGO, the Bulgarian Center for 
Development and Training (BCDT) which provided training related support to USAID partners 
through the Mission close-out. Unfortunately, the organization decided to close its activities in 
the middle of 2008. 
East Central European Scholarship Program 
Implementer: Georgetown University 
A Congressionally-mandated regional program, managed and funded by USAID/Washington, 
the Georgetown East Central European Scholarship Program (ECESP) began including 
participants from Bulgaria in 1998. The Program trained leaders, experts, administrators and 
managers in such areas as managing change, strengthening democratic governance, building a 
vibrant civil society, promoting effective foreign policy, ensuring sustainable private sector 
growth and a transparent financial sector, and improving health, social and education services. 
From Bulgaria, 167 people completed long-term (7-12 months) training in the U.S., while 
another 56 received short-term training in the US again. The unique benefit of the ECESP 
scholarships is that the candidates who pass the tough selection procedures are offered tailored 
mix of courses at prime US Universities to best serve their individual career interest and 
priorities. Eight hundred sixty nine people participated in short courses organized in Bulgaria 
related to health care, accounting, and labor market policies, and another 29 people were trained 
on health care financing in Poland. Thus a total of more than 1,100 Bulgarian benefited from the 
ECESP programs. 
 
American University of Bulgaria (AUBG) 
AUBG is a four-year, liberal arts undergraduate educational institution located in Blagoevgrad, 
Bulgaria. It was founded in 1991 with the technical expertise of the University of Maine, strong 
financial support by USAID and the Open Society Institute, and the cooperation of the Bulgarian 
government at the local, regional and national levels. Since its founding, the American 
University in Bulgaria has benefited from more than $62 M in USG funds. SEED funding of 
over $53 M was used to establish the new entity and build its institutional capacity. The AUBG 
performance during the first ten years of existence was not stellar. A sinking endowment of 
approximately $ 15 million established in 1997 was exhausted by 2001. These were difficult 
years for the University when its future was at stake. Numerous USAID assessments and 
independent evaluations of AUBG identified a number of areas that needed improvement in 
terms of academic and general management. In an effort to assist the University mature and 
achieve sustainability, in 2002 USAID entered into a ten-year Cooperative Agreement with 
AUBG ($21.2 M) to provide additional funding for another endowment. The program was 
intended to enable the university to achieve financial sustainability independent of USG 
assistance by 2008. The joint efforts of USAID and AUBG have led to tremendous changes in 
AUBG since June 2002. The student loan program transitioned from a university-financed 
6
program to a commercial loan program. The accounting system was successfully redesigned to 
adhere to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the University substantially 
reduced its operating deficit, reporting a surplus in 2007 for the first time in its history. The 
University has also greatly improved its system of reporting making financial activities more 
transparent to important stakeholders. In 2007 AUBG also successfully fund raised for over € 
1,000,000 in private contributions, and attracted students from more than dozen countries in the 
world. The endowment agreement signed with the University in 2002 expires in 2012. AUBG 
entered the post-oversight period of the agreement in the summer of 2007. During the post￾oversight, USAID will receive AUBG reports and will retain certain residual refund and 
termination rights. 
ASHA support of over $9.5 M has made the first stages of AUBG new campus a reality--
residence halls, an academic building, and the library are all in place. A third residence hall and 
a student center are underway. The FY 2009 ASHA application submitted (and supported by the 
US Mission in Sofia) earlier this year requested $1.1M. If approved, the grant will provide funds 
to support the further development of the campus with attention to playing fields, outdoor 
recreation space, plantings, walkways, and a bridge to connect the campus and community. 
Despite being on a trajectory of rising financial sustainability, AUBG will continue to rely on 
ASHA funds for their ambitious infrastructure projects in the near future. 
Throughout the years, AUBG has become a beacon of American ideas and practices in 
education, and has established itself as the best private liberal arts university in the region. 
AUBG’s mission has been "to educate future leaders committed to serving the needs of the 
region by promoting the values of an open, democratic society." The curriculum is based on the 
liberal arts model of the U.S. and is taught in English. The University is seen as a major USG 
legacy, and USAID committed itself to leaving behind a financially stable and well-regarded 
institution after its graduation. 
AUBG has achieved a great deal in its 17-year history. Today it has a solid record of preparing 
the next generation of leaders who are committed to democratic principles and processes in a 
region that is rapidly changing. The University has grown steadily since the opening in 1991 
with a first-year class of 208 students mostly from Bulgaria and 16 full-time faculty members. 
Currently 1,100 students from more than 27 countries are enrolled full-time. A faculty of 77 
professors supports the students. The faculty is a diverse group representing four continents and 
providing students with a broad range of perspectives and ideas. The students study a wide 
variety of majors including: Business Administration; Computer Science; Economics; 
European Studies; History; Journalism and Mass Communications; Mathematics; Political 
Science and International Relations; and Southeast European Studies. As of 2008, 2,185 
students from 34 countries have graduated from AUBG. Approximately 35% of the students 
continue onto their graduate degree study in some of the best American and European 
Universities – including The London School of Economics, Oxford, Stanford, Duke, Cornell, 
the University of Chicago, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Tulane, etc. The remaining 65% find 
meaningful professional positions in their home countries or other countries around the world. 
7
The Executive Masters of Business Administration (EMBA) program is a 16-month weekend 
study program that offers an adult learning opportunity focused on both theoretical and practical 
aspects of business management. In just five years the program has graduated 133 students from 
nine different countries. 
Establish and Ensure Media Freedom and Freedom of Information 
Implementer: Broadcast Training Center (BTC) 
The Mission views Bulgarian media as major partners in advocating for reform. The Support to 
the Broadcast Training Center (BTC), an indigenous successor of IREX/ProMedia, the 
Washington based implementer of USAID/Bulgaria’s earlier media activities, was added to SO 
4.2 after the close-out of the former SO 2.1. USAID had directly supported BTC with $923K 
during the past four year, September 2004 – June 2008. The program included two closely 
related components: (1) training the media professionals needed to conduct active advocacy for 
reforms (the first three years of the program), and (2) involving independent media in advocacy 
campaigns in favor of reform in key areas (throughout the four-year period). 
The training component of the program focused on the qualitative side of the media development 
process by building high professional standards through training in both technical skills and 
reform issues. In October 2004 – September 2007 BTC carried out training events for journalists 
at national, regional and local print and broadcast media outlets covering key areas of reforms: 
Rule of Law and Fighting Corruption; Local Government, Fiscal Decentralization and Economic 
Reform; and Reporting on Ethnic and Vulnerable Group Issues. Working closely with the 
National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, BTC trained reporters to better understand 
and cover the issues of local government and fiscal decentralization. Through a series of training 
seminars BTC helped increase the level of professionalism of beat reporters covering Rule of 
Law topics. The specialized training courses were held by BTC investigative journalism 
trainers, magistrates and law enforcement experts in cooperation with local courts, prosecutor’s 
offices and police departments. As a result, beat reporters form the key national and local 
publications have started covering rule of law issues in a more professional manner 
The essence of the advocacy component has been the first regular syndicated television anti￾corruption investigative program “Na Chisto” (Clean Slate). The program is produced by the 
Broadcast Training Center ProMedia Foundation and is shown every Sunday on Nova TV, one 
of the three broadcast Television stations with national coverage in Bulgaria. Over 250 episodes 
have been produced and aired since the start of the project, investigating corruption and abuse of 
power at every level of government - national, regional, and local. The audience of the program 
has grown rapidly. Currently, the show enjoys 22-25% market share of the national Television 
audience and is watched by over 400,000 viewers on a regular basis. The program focuses on 
investigation of corruption and abuse of power and thus helps build strong public support for 
increased transparency and accountability of public institutions. A number of programs have 
prompted public institutions to take action against corrupt officials. Some of the most prominent 
“Na Chisto” success stories include: (1) The Director of the Bulgarian Posts was fired after “Na 
Chisto” exposed his intentional breach of the Public Procurement Act in favoring a private 
security company; (2) “Na Chisto” was instrumental in preventing the passage of a planned 
8
Amnesty Law, under which pedophiles and pimps would have been released, but small time 
burglars would have served longer sentences; (3) A human trafficking chain was broken after 
“Na Chisto” exposed a scheme for illegal sales of Roma babies in Greece; (4) The privatization 
of Bulgarian State Shipping Company was stopped after the program exposed bias in the process 
in favoring a private company owned by the former director of the state-owned enterprise. The 
Ministry of Transportation cancelled the procedure and developed new guidelines for the 
privatization of the company. In addition to that, several programs have served as the 
background for parliamentary question time inquiries; cases exposed in the program have been 
reviewed by the anti-corruption committee of Parliament and by city councils across Bulgaria. 
During the last year of the project special attention was given to three priority areas: corruption 
at the highest political level, abuse of EU funds and corruption in political party financing. 
The program won a series of awards (including the Supreme Judicial Council Annual Award for 
contribution to the reform of the judiciary in 2005. Although USAID support has ended, the “Na 
Chisto” program continues in partnership with Nova TV and some funding from Bulgaria Fund. 
BTC remains a major USAID legacy in the country and will continue to work towards its policy 
goals - foster free, independent and professional media in Bulgaria, provide the highest standards 
in professional media training, serve as the leader in high quality independent Television 
production, strengthen professional media organizations, identify and train the next generation of 
media leaders of a new, democratic Bulgaria. 
Improved Access to Clean Water and Sanitation 
Implementer: Deltech 
In FY 2003 USAID launched a new initiative to improve the quality of water sector services by 
introducing training and certifying operators through a two-year program aiming to support the 
establishment of a sustainable training center for water and wastewater utilities operators. This 
initiative aimed to improve regulations in the field of water services, and thus attract potential 
investors in the economy. In addition, it also aimed to improve the quality of services provided 
by the municipalities for its citizens and industries. While access to water and sewer is 
widespread in Bulgaria, the absence of both a training regimen and certification requirements for 
water and sewer operators exposes the general public to health complications caused by poor 
operational and maintenance standards. With USAID support, four Bulgarian trainers, in 
cooperation with their U.S. partners, developed a pilot program for training and certification of 
wastewater operators. Three pilot one-week courses were conducted in May-June 2005 and 90 
operators were successfully trained and certified. At completion in October 2005 the project 
transferred all training materials and project property to the sectoral Bulgarian University of 
Architecture, Civil Construction and Geodesy, which pledged to further develop the activity. 
Improve Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Biodiversity) 
Implementer: Bulgarian National Trust Eco Fund (NTEF) 
In 2004, after more than ten years of actively supporting biodiversity conservation in Bulgaria, 
USAID closed its programs in the sector and left behind: 
9
• A sound legal framework in place 
• The first 10-year management plans for two of the three National Parks in the country - 
Rila and Central Balkan National Parks - developed and under implementation 
• The Rila Monastery Nature Park Management Plan and management mechanism for its 
implementation 
• The National Eco-Tourism Strategy for Bulgaria and a five-year Ecotourism Action Plan, 
both of them approved by the GOB in February 2004. 
In spite of the many successes, issues primarily related to sustainable mechanisms for financing 
protected areas activities persisted. After the graduation of its biodiversity program in 2004, 
USAID continued to provide limited support to the GOB policy for protected areas management 
through establishing a sustainable mechanism for financing protected areas activities. A 
Protected Areas Fund (PAF), the first conservation trust fund in Eastern Europe, was established 
in the framework of the existing National Eco Trust Fund and institutionalized to enable donors 
to release funds. In June 2005, USAID provided a small grant to the Bulgarian National Trust 
Eco Fund to manage the newly-established Protected Areas Fund (PAF). Under the grant PAF 
developed its financial and management systems, internal procedures, and communications and 
fundraising capacity, thus achieving operational and financial sustainability. 
Health finance reform 
Implementer: Bearing Point 
This activity was entirely funded under SO 1.4. However, at the time the close-out report for 
that SO was prepared, it only covered achievements for the first three years. The paragraph 
below focuses on the final two years of the program. 
The USAID technical assistance program in health finance reform focused mostly on in-patient 
financing and hospital care restructuring. A new policy for financing hospitals that emphasizes 
performance and efficiency was adopted by Ministry of Health and the National Health 
Insurance Fund in FY 2003. In 2004, the Ministry of Health and the Parliamentary Health 
Commission approved the framework, proposed by USAID, for institutionalization of the 
National Health Accounts, a standard set of tables in which different aspects of a nation’s health 
expenditures are represented, within the Ministry. Institutionalization of the National Health 
Accounts creates the process of collecting, analyzing and reporting total health care spending 
routinely. In 2005 four regional hospital management studies were conducted jointly by USAID 
and WB experts, which provided a set of recommendations for the GOB to act on. Due to the 
lack of donor pressure and GOB unwillingness to make the tough reforms decisions, the 
recommendations failed to be adopted and implemented. Thus, irrespective of the small victories 
during the life of the Health financing project through 2005, the health care system is still 
characterized by absence of a relationship between services rendered and funding received, 
which creates inequities in the hospital system and affects the ability of the State to deliver 
medical care.
Emergency Humanitarian assistance 
Implementer: Various
10
USAID has provided over $66M in humanitarian and emergency assistance to Bulgaria since 
1990. In the early transition years, 1990-1996, USAID provided critical medical supplies and 
food aid to meet emergency needs. During the rapid reform years, 1997-2001, USAID provided 
major support for crisis recovery from the financial crisis 1996-1997 and to alleviate the 
consequences of the Kosovo war, 1999-2000. Some of these activities have already been 
covered in SO 4.1 close-out report. In more recent years, 2002-2007, USAID has provided the 
following assistance: 
Flood assistance in 2005: From May through September 2005, Bulgaria experienced several 
waves of torrential rains that caused heavy flooding throughout the country. The damage proved 
extensive, affecting over 3.2 million people (about 40% of the Bulgarian population). About 
$1.45 million in funding provided by the USAID Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance 
(OFDA), combined with $250,000 from the State Department, were used to provide equipment 
for immediate recovery efforts and direct assistance to affected populations. DOD also donated 
excess property valued at $130,000 to organizations and municipalities in the affected regions. 
The American Red Cross received a $50,000, three-month grant to provide humanitarian 
assistance to those affected by the summer 2005 floods. Together with the Bulgarian Red Cross, 
it delivered 1,350 blankets, 925 mattresses, 1,350 bedding sets, 3,500 food parcels, and 175 
hygienic parcels to 90 locations in 7 regions reaching 3,750 beneficiaries. 
CARE International-Bulgaria received a total of $1.65 million for a longer-term effort that 
included both immediate relief assistance for and recovery from the summer 2005 and spring 
2006 floods, as well as equipment for the State Agency for Civil Protection to improve its 
capacity. In August 2005, with $399,000 through OFDA, CARE donated motor pumps, 
inflatable boats and engines, skin diving equipment and protective clothes for rescue workers, 
chemical toilets, motor saws, food parcels, water, sanitary packages and disinfection chemicals. 
Under a separate $1.25 million grant, CARE-Bulgaria delivered 37 pumps for three districts to 
address the immediate need to pump water out of the affected areas. In addition, 593 households 
and 9 institutions received heating materials (404 tons of wood and 663 tons of coal); 616 
households received 1,913 blankets and 1,785 bed sets (distributed through the Agency for 
Social Assistance); and 1,561 households received 744 cooking stoves, 622 washing machines 
and 537 refrigerators. During the spring 2006 floods, CARE-Bulgaria delivered mineral water 
and food supplies to Vidin, Lom and Nikopol as well as the village of Dolni Tsibar. Also 
purchased under the project, to boost the capacity of the State Agency for Civil Protection, were 
steam jet cleaners, life saving jackets, static rescue ropes, flat discharge hoses for pumps, flat 
discharge hoses, suction hoses and fittings, and three rescue vehicles. 
Avian Influenza: In 2006, USAID provided more than $900,000 through four organizations to 
improve Bulgaria’s preparedness for dealing with Avian Influenza (AI). Due to its proximity to 
Turkey and Romania, Bulgaria is at risk for the highly pathogenic strain of Avian Influenza, and 
has already experienced some limited outbreaks. USAID granted the World Health Organization 
(WHO) $250,000 for technical assistance and training for Ministry of Health personnel. CARE 
International-Bulgaria received a $400,000 cooperative agreement to purchase laboratory 
equipment and computers to improve surveillance, prevention and control. In addition, through 
its Washington office, USAID donated personal protective equipment. USAID contracted with a 
11
local NGO, Foundation for Community Development (FORA), to implement a $50,000 public 
education campaign. Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) trained more than 430 veterinarians 
under a $200,000 USAID contract. USDA complemented the USAID program by covering some 
of the training costs. As a result of this USG assistance, measures are now in place to address a 
potential outbreak of Avian Influenza in Bulgaria. 
Wildfire Assistance in the summer of 2007: The fires affected approximately 230 000 decares 
and damaged woodlands, natural parks, and farmlands and emergency situation was declared in 
four regions and 11 municipalities. The U. S. Ambassador to Bulgaria requested USD 50,000 
for immediate disaster relief from USAID/OFDA. USG disaster relief resources were used by 
USAID through ECIP foundation (indigenous organization) for the immediate local purchase of 
emergency communication equipment on behalf of the GOB agency for civil protection and 
direct procurement of fire fighting equipment
USAID humanitarian assistance efforts in Bulgaria over the years have proven to be a real asset. 
USAID ability to deliver quickly in times of crisis has not only helped save lives and reduce 
human suffering, but also can engender positive public opinion of Americans. While technical 
assistance and training programs are important to long-term development, sometimes they are 
not visible to the general population, and even when they are, understanding how they benefit the 
common man or woman is sometimes difficult. However, humanitarian relief efforts are highly 
visible, do not necessarily cost a lot of money, and are usually easier for people to understand. 
For example, the $400,000 OFDA grant for flood assistance generated 40 news reports in the 
local media in August, 2005 alone. By comparison, the rest of the USAID ongoing development 
program only resulted in 25 news reports for the same month. 
Bulgaria Fund
Implementer: The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) 
The Bulgaria Fund is a three-year, $3 million grant making initiative to support three key areas 
of reform and development in Bulgaria: good governance, support to vulnerable groups, and 
competitiveness. The Fund is modeled after and is managed by the German Marshall Fund 
Balkan Trust for Democracy, a successful partnership between USAID, GMF and the Charles 
Stewart Mott Foundation established in 2003. The Fund was officially launched in November 
2007. Indigenous and Bulgaria-based international organizations are eligible for funding. The 
Bulgaria Fund also supports programs that have a regional or international focus, creating 
linkages between Bulgarian government, business, NGOs and their counterparts in other 
countries in order to learn best practices, expand local economic opportunities, and develop 
sustainable partnerships for future coordination. In less than a year, the Fund has disbursed over 
$1.2 million to 30 indigenous organizations for projects focusing on rule of law, transparency, 
good governance, and minority issues. Another $500K will be disbursed by the end of October. 
The Bulgaria Fund is a timely initiative allowing for USAID legacy organizations and other 
smaller NGOs to continue to work on priority reforms in the country, thus filling in a major gap 
for the sector. 
12
The program is still active and is managed out of Budapest. There is a liaison at the U.S. 
Embassy to provide feedback and maintain the contact on the ground. 
Program Development and Support Activities 
The Program Development and Support (PDS) activities were instrumental in facilitating 
progress across all strategic objectives by ensuring the necessary analytical data information flow 
necessary for tracking progress. In the early years, the majority of PDS funds covered FSN and 
U.S. program-funded personnel contracts including salary, benefits, travel and training costs, and 
related administrative expenditures. After 1999 the Mission used PDS resources for program￾related evaluations and assessments. With the maturity of the Mission’s portfolio and in 
approaching the close-out, the PDS fund became even more valuable and was used for a big 
variety of program support activities from short-term crosscutting activities, to workshops and 
consultancies, impact evaluations and sectoral studies, publications and public outreach events. 
In 2001- 2003, PDS funds were instrumental in supporting the development of USAID/Bulgaria 
graduation strategy. In FY 2007 – 2008, PDS funds were utilized to conduct a full-blown public 
outreach campaign to publicize USAID achievements in Bulgaria at the close-out stage. The 
availability of this pot of money managed by the Program Office has been a valuable tool 
providing the necessary flexibility to the Mission in support of its strategic priorities. 
Key Lessons Learned 
The availability of a crosscutting SO although not mandatory, turned out to be a useful 
management tool for the Mission. Keeping the training programs outside the specific technical 
areas allowed for a more strategic approach in allocating the scarce resources and their efficient 
use. Rather than giving training budget to each strategic objective, the Mission established a 
training committee to decide on training priorities annually. The committee, chaired by the 
Mission Director, applied an unbiased strategic approach while considering the different training 
proposals. Thus, training programs always addressed the needs of the areas with the highest 
importance for the reforms in the country. 
 
USAID Reports and Assessments 
1990 Bulgarian Elections: A Pre-Election Assessment, the International Foundation for Elections 
Systems, May 1990 
American University in Bulgaria: 15 Years of Opportunity 
USAID/Bulgaria Country Strategy 1993 
USAID/Bulgaria Country Strategy 1994-1996 
USAID/Bulgaria Graduation Strategy 2003-2007, June 2003 
13
American University in Bulgaria: Financial Assessment, August 2006 
Baser, Fred R; Holmes, Paul M. “World Environmental Center: Central and Eastern Europe 
Program – an evaluation of cooperative agreement no. ANE-0004-A-00-0045-00; November, 
1992. 
Biddle, C. Stark, Hopkins, Mark and Harencar, Oleg. “Evaluation of the USAID Professional 
Media Program in Central and Eastern Europe,” Development Associates, October 1998. 
Evaluating the first eight years: 1988-1996 -- biodiversity support program [BSP]. World 
Wildlife Fund-U.S. (WWF) | The Nature Conservancy (TNC) | World Resources Institute (WRI) 
| USAID. Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research. Center for Environment. 
Office of Environment and Natural Resources. March, 1997 
Dimitrina Boteva (Biodiversity Specialist, BCEG). “Development and Implementation of an 
Ecological Monitoring System for Rila and Central Balkan National Parks – Report.” 
Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Growth (BCEG) Project. Associates in Rural 
Development, Inc. 2003 
Grimes, Alicia(EE/EEST/ENR); Myers, Gregory(EE/EEST/ENR), and Ploetz, Jeff (EISN 
Project, DevTech Systems, Inc.). “Assessment of Natural Resources and the Environment: 
Issues and Opportunities for USAID/Sofia – Final Report.” USAID/Washington; February 2002. 
Hopkins, Mark, Birch, Sarah and Mason, John. “Bulgaria Political Party Development 
Assistance Assessment and Program Design,” Development Associates, April 2002. 
Media Sustainability Index 2005, IREX with USAID funding 
Report of the ALO team to USAID on USAID funding to AUBG, 2001 
SEED Act Implementation Report, Support for East European Democracy, FY 1998 – FY 2004 
Annual Reports, Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia 
US Government Assistance to and Cooperative Activities with Central and Eastern Europe, FY 
2005 - FY 2007 Annual Reports, Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and 
Eurasia 
USAID/Bulgaria Annual Reports 1998 - 2006 
USAID in Bulgaria: 1990-2007, A Story of Partnership and Progress, July 2007 
USAID/EGAT. “Bulgarian Participant Training Program Legacy Assessment.” Washington, 
D.C.: 30th November, 2004 
Key contacts 
USAID/Bulgaria 
14
15
Ivanka Tzankova, Program Officer, 
TzankovaIN@state.gov