Deadline: September 30, 2025
The Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women in the Western Balkans (EWI) project invites women in Serbia to participate in a program aimed at empowering female entrepreneurs and enhancing their economic rights.
The focus areas of this opportunity include the development and promotion of sustainable businesses run by women, increasing the employability of women through vocational training, improving institutional and social conditions for women’s entrepreneurship, and strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders for gender-sensitive policies.
This program is designed for women over 18 years old who either have a business idea they wish to pursue, own a registered business they want to improve, or are ready to register and run a start-up. Participants should be willing to engage in training, mentoring, and public project activities, and operate in sectors such as manufacturing, services, or agriculture. Priority is given to women from marginalized or vulnerable groups, including women with disabilities, long-term unemployed women, members of national minorities, single mothers, young women under 30, women aged 50+, and those from rural areas.
Participants will receive support in creating or improving their business through a training cycle titled “Start/improve your business,” which combines theoretical and practical learning and provides the necessary teaching materials. Each participant will develop a business plan during the training. Following completion, an expert committee will evaluate the business plans, awarding support through grants of up to EUR 2,500 for start-up equipment or up to EUR 5,000 for improving existing businesses. Advisory and professional guidance will also be provided, including mentoring on marketing, human resource management, procurement, and pricing.
The program facilitates connection with markets, financial institutions, and decision-makers while offering visibility and promotion through project activities and women’s entrepreneurship networks. Certain items, such as second-hand equipment, livestock, raw materials, and retail shop equipment, will not be provided through the project.
The application process involves submitting a business idea via the online application form, selection for training participation, mandatory attendance at training sessions, mentoring for business plan development, final selection, signing agreements, and subsequent implementation and monitoring of the business. Successful participants who actively engage in the training cycle will be considered for financial support.
Applications and supporting documents must be submitted online, by post, or via email by September 30, 2025. Info sessions will be held in multiple cities, including Kruševac, Pirot, Vranje, Bujanovac, Aleksinac, Ćićevac, Prokuplje, Leskovac, and Niš, providing detailed explanations of the call, criteria, and selection process.
For more information, visit CARE Balkans.
