Tuzla Community Foundation

What Tuzla Community Foundation does

Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice (Tuzla Community Foundation, FTZ), established in 2003, is the first community foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It operates as a multi-fund grantmaking organization headquartered in Tuzla, serving all five municipalities of Tuzla Canton (Tuzla, Srebrenik, Lukavac, Kalesija, Živinice) with a staff of 16. Its portfolio comprises eight named grant funds (Fond za mlade, Fond Volim svoj grad, Fond za poduzetništvo, Fond Kiseljak, Fond Prometej, Fond solidarnosti, Fond aktivne zajednice, Fond Mensur i Jasmina Alić) and several program models, including the Omladinska banka (Youth Bank) peer-grantmaking model active in five municipalities, the Pedagoška radionica multidisciplinary education-inclusion model in MZ Kiseljak, and the Vitalni znaci research platform at vitalniznaci.ba.

FTZ's underlying technology stack is lightweight and program-focused: the doniraj.ba online crowdfunding platform for community project fundraising, an online grant application portal, and the Vitalni znaci research platform tracking SDG-aligned quality-of-life indicators in the Tuzla region. Cumulative impact since inception includes 5,239,745+ KM distributed, 1,835 projects supported, and 614,912+ beneficiaries reached.

The foundation operates on a non-profit, donation-and-grant model. Funding is sourced from international institutional donors (USAID, BMZ, Freudenberg Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Olof Palme International Center, Open Society Fund BiH, GIZ, UNDP PBF, Swiss Cooperation Office, Balkan Trust for Democracy), corporate CSR contributions (e.g., Sberbank BH, Lukavac Cement, Mikrokreditna fondacija EKI), individual philanthropy via doniraj.ba and named funds, and planned/endowment giving. Grants are dispensed free to beneficiaries (typically up to 2,000–4,000 KM per youth project) with a 10% local co-financing requirement. GTM is event-driven and community-led: public grant calls (javni pozivi), annual campaigns such as 'Budi junak/junakinja svoje zajednice', and a growing philanthropic infrastructure for individual and diaspora giving.

Name

Tuzla Community Foundation

Legal name

Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice

Website

https://fondacijatz.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tuzla Community Foundation (Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice) is a non-profit community foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, operating eight grant funds and the Youth Bank model across five municipalities of Tuzla Canton to support youth, civil society, entrepreneurship, and community development initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grantmaking and Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community development grants
• Youth philanthropy programs
• Civic foundation services
• Grantmaking organization
• Community empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuzla

HQ country

Bosnia & Herzegovina

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations from Individuals and Families: Individual donors contribute to the Foundation's mission through designated funds, general donations, and memorial giving (e.g., Plant a Tree for a Friend initiative). The Foundation facilitates individual giving through online and offline channels.
2. Corporate Philanthropy and CSR Contributions: Socially responsible enterprises donate to FTZ's thematic funds or specific campaigns. Notable examples include Sberbank BH, Mikrokreditna fondacija EKI, Mikrokreditna fondacija Partner, Lukavac Cement, and numerous other local companies supporting the 'Budi junak/junakinja svoje zajednice' youth campaign.
3. International Donor and Foundation Grants: Foreign foundations and international development organizations provide funding for FTZ's programs. Key donors include USAID, BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), Freudenberg Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Olof Palme International Center, and others. Projects include 'Snaga lokalnog' (USAID), 'Zelene zajednice' (BMZ/Freudenberg), and civil society strengthening programs.
4. Establishment of Named/Donor-Advised Funds: Philanthropists and organizations can establish their own named endowment funds within FTZ (e.g., Fond Prometej for scholarships, Fond Mensur i Jasmina Alić). The Foundation manages these funds in perpetuity, with the principal preserved and earnings distributed to community causes.
5. Endowment and Planned Giving: The Foundation encourages long-term legacy giving — 'zamislite da svaka naša uložena marka u zajednicu vrijedi i za 100 godina' (imagine each mark invested in the community is worth something for 100 years). This represents endowment-style perpetual community investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tuzla Community Foundation (Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice, FTZ) is the first civic community foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, established in 2003. It aggregates donations from individuals, companies, and international donors into thematic grant funds and redistributes them through public calls to civil society organizations, youth groups, schools, and informal citizen initiatives across Tuzla Canton. Its portfolio spans grantmaking, entrepreneurship training, youth engagement via the Omladinska banka model, and education-inclusion programs.

Product overview

Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice (Tuzla Community Foundation) is a community foundation operating as a multi-fund grant-making organization. It functions as a unified platform offering multiple named grant funds (including Fond za mlade, Fond Volim svoj grad, Fond za poduzetništvo, Fond Kiseljak, Fond Prometej, Fond solidarnosti, Fond aktivne zajednice, and Fond Mensur i Jasmina Alić) alongside complementary programs (Entrepreneurship Program, Philanthropy Program, Pedagoška radionica). Supporting platforms include doniraj.ba for online crowdfunding and vitalniznaci.ba for community research. The foundation also operates an Omladinska banka (Youth Bank) peer-led grant model. The portfolio spans youth empowerment, community development, entrepreneurship support, education, and solidarity — all delivered through grant programs, educational initiatives, and a digital giving platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Omladinska banka (Youth Bank): A youth empowerment model where young people make decisions about fund distribution
• Pedagoška radionica (Pedagogical Workshop)
• Vitalni znaci (Vital Signs)

Products and services

• Fond za mlade (Youth Fund)

Quantifiable outcome

• 614,912+ users/beneficiaries reached through programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Centar za ekologiju i energiju (CEE) TuzlacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Long-term strategic partner in the 'Zelene zajednice' (Green Communities) project. CEE provides environmental expertise and leads educational components of waste management and green transition initiatives in MZ Kiseljak and the Lake Modrac region. FTZ and CEE signed a formal cooperation agreement in March 2026.
• Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection of Tuzla CantoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Formal cooperation agreement signed in March 2026 for the 'Zelene zajednice' project. The Ministry commits to assigning a dedicated expert to the Multisectoral Partnership Working Group and supports strategic planning for the Lake Modrac region's sustainable development.
• City of Živinice (Grad Živinice)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026City of Živinice signed a cooperation agreement with FTZ in March 2026 for the 'Zelene zajednice' project, extending the model developed in MZ Kiseljak to the broader Lake Modrac region. The city faces major challenges in developing Lake Modrac as a tourist destination.
• Lokalna fondacija Bijeljina (Local Foundation Bijeljina)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Joint implementation of the 'T2B Connected' project connecting young people from Tuzla and Bijeljina for environmental protection and youth civic engagement. The 9-month project culminates with International Youth Day on August 12, 2026, in Tuzla.
• British Council Bosnia and HerzegovinamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural relations and education organization partnering with FTZ on civil society and youth development initiatives.
• World Vision Bosnia and HerzegovinamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational NGO partnering with FTZ on community development and civil society programs in the Tuzla region.
• Rotary InternationalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational service organization listed as a partner supporting FTZ's community development mission.
• Primary School Kiseljak (OŠ Kiseljak)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in the Pedagoška radionica model. The school collaborates with FTZ, social services, and Roma mediators to ensure Roma children's enrollment and retention in education.
• Center for Social Work Tuzla (JU Centar za socijalni rad Tuzla)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner in the Pedagoška radionica multidisciplinary team, providing social services support for vulnerable children and families in MZ Kiseljak.
• MIOS - Međunarodne interaktivne otvorene škole (International Interactive Open Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Pedagoška radionica model, contributing expertise in open school and community education approaches.
• UG 'Bolja budućnost' TuzlacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO contributing Roma mediators to the Pedagoška radionica team, working on Roma children's educational inclusion in MZ Kiseljak.
• Evanđeoska crkva (Evangelical Church), TuzlacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch providing a Roma mediator (Elvira Bijelić Kušljugić) for the Pedagoška radionica team, supporting Roma children's school enrollment and family engagement.
• Public Health Institute Tuzla Canton (Zavod za javno zdravstvo TK)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health institution listed as a partner and donor supporting community health and development initiatives.
• Javno komunalno preduzeće 'Komunalac' TuzlasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal utility company partnering on waste management reform in MZ Kiseljak, adjusting waste collection schedules to accommodate the new primary waste sorting system.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS): Global network of philanthropy-support organizations. Peer-relevant as a meta-organization for community foundations worldwide; FTZ would engage WINGS to access peer-learning, funding flows, and global community-foundation standards.
• UK Community Foundations: Network of 46 accredited community foundations across the UK. Comparable as a peer-network model for community philanthropy infrastructure, governance standards, and donor-advised fund best practices relevant to FTZ's endowment strategy.
• Community Foundations of Canada: National network of 191+ community foundations across Canada. Model-comparable as a federated community-foundation movement; provides sector benchmarks FTZ could aspire to or partner with for capacity building.
• Council on Foundations: US-based membership association for foundations and corporations engaged in philanthropy. Comparable as an umbrella for community foundation best practices, governance standards, and peer-learning networks that FTZ's Managing Board would reference.
• Foundation Center / Foundation Directory Online: Global sector infrastructure organization tracking and supporting grantmakers. Relevant for understanding the broader philanthropic landscape FTZ operates within, though it is not a direct operating peer.

Direct peers

• Trag fondacija: Serbian local philanthropy foundation supporting community development and long-term donor funds. Comparable model as a Western Balkans community foundation with named funds, grantmaking, and donor-advised giving vehicles.
• Fondacija Mozaik: Bosnia-based foundation focused on youth and social entrepreneurship grantmaking. Highly comparable in mission, geography (Western Balkans), and beneficiary focus (civil society and youth), with similarly modest staff and project-based funding.
• Fondacija za socijalno uključivanje (Foundation for Social Inclusion): BiH foundation addressing social exclusion and vulnerable groups. Comparable as a local grantmaking foundation targeting marginalized populations (Roma, persons with disabilities), operating in overlapping geography and donor networks.
• Lokalna fondacija Bijeljina: Direct peer community foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Already actively partnered with FTZ on the T2B Connected youth and environment project, operating a parallel community-foundation model in a different BiH city.

Regional players

• East Europe Foundation: Moldova-based regional foundation supporting civil society, media, and community development across Eastern Europe. Comparable as a regional community-development grantmaker operating in a transition economy with similar donor mix and Western-backed funding flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpRS5FKVnbfySTT5ktE5wJg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FONDACIJATZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tuzla-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondacija_tuzlanske_zajednice/?hl=hr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tuzla Community Foundation