Transparency International Bulgaria

What Transparency International Bulgaria does

Transparency International Bulgaria (Асоциация „Прозрачност без граници") is a Sofia-headquartered non-profit civil society organization founded in June 1998 as the Bulgarian national chapter of the global Transparency International anti-corruption network, which spans over 90 national offices. The organization conducts independent research, publishes corruption and transparency indices (Corruption Perception Index, Local Integrity System Index, Global Corruption Barometer, indices for transparent political party and election campaign financing), and develops civil monitoring mechanisms for public procurement, most notably the Integrity Pact and Tunnel.Report infrastructure-tracking tool. It also operates a free Whistleblower Protection Hotline (0800 11 224) and the Business Integrity Club initiative supporting corporate integrity reforms.

The organization serves multiple stakeholder segments rather than paying customers: Bulgarian government institutions and municipalities (primary), the private sector, citizens and civil society, and media. Its go-to-market operates through community-led advocacy: direct engagement with parliament and ministries, regular appearances on Bulgarian National Radio, BTV, Bloomberg TV Bulgaria, and Euro News, alongside digital publishing via transparency.bg, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Its audience reach is built on publication output exceeding 210 publications across 60+ themes and 54+ indices over 26+ years of continuous operation.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives from individual and corporate donations (with Bulgarian tax relief) plus project-based funding from the European Commission (European Social Fund, Operational Programme Good Governance, CERV Programme, DG Home Affairs) and foundations such as America for Bulgaria Foundation. Individual EU project budgets disclosed (e.g., 91,567.33 BGN total for the judiciary transparency project) suggest modest project scale. The organization employs 5 staff and does not sell commercial products or services, with all research and indices distributed free of charge through digital platforms.

Name

Transparency International Bulgaria

Legal name

Transparency International Bulgaria (Асоциация "Прозрачност без граници")

Website

https://transparency.bg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Transparency International Bulgaria is a Sofia-based non-profit founded in 1998, the Bulgarian national chapter of Transparency International. It conducts anti-corruption research, publishes transparency indices, monitors public procurement via the Integrity Pact, and runs a whistleblower hotline serving government, business, citizens, and media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anti-corruption governance and research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Anti-Corruption, Integrity & Transparency (BPADAGAC), Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH), Government Accounting & Financial Reporting (BPAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Anti-corruption research
• Public procurement monitoring
• Corruption perception index
• Whistleblower protection
• Governance advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sofia

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations from citizens and corporate donors. Donations can be made via bank transfer to their UBB account. Tax reductions are available for donors under Bulgarian legislation.
2. Project Funding: The organization receives funding from European Commission programs including the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme, European Social Fund, and Operational Programme Good Governance. Additional funding comes from foundations such as the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Transparency International Bulgaria is an independent non-profit civil society organization that conducts anti-corruption research, publishes corruption perception and transparency indices, performs independent civil monitoring of public procurement and major infrastructure projects through instruments such as the Integrity Pact and Tunnel.Report, and advocates for good governance, whistleblower protection, and transparency reforms in Bulgaria. It also operates a free Whistleblower Protection Hotline offering legal consultation to victims of corruption and the Business Integrity Club engaging private companies in anti-corruption standards.

Product overview

Transparency International Bulgaria is a civil society organization (NGO) focused on anti-corruption research, monitoring, and advocacy rather than a commercial technology product company. Its portfolio consists of research indices (Corruption Perception Index, Local Integrity System Index, Transparency Indexes for political party and election campaign financing), civil monitoring tools (Integrity Pact for public procurement monitoring, Tunnel.Report for infrastructure project tracking), and advocacy services (Business Integrity Club, Whistleblower Protection Hotline). The organization also develops standards such as the Standard for Publicity and Transparency in the Judiciary. These offerings are research, monitoring, and advocacy instruments rather than commercial software products with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Integrity Club (Бизнес интегрити клуб): Initiative promoting business integrity tools and corporate governance standards in Bulgaria.
• Integrity Pact (Пакт за почтеност)
• Business Integrity Club

Products and services

• Integrity Pact (Пакт за почтеност) Three-party contract between a public contracting authority, participants in a public procurement procedure, and an external independent observer establishing rules for independent civil monitoring of public procurement processes. Used by contracting authorities and monitored projects in Bulgaria to reduce corruption risk in public tenders.
• Tunnel.Report Online monitoring tool for tracking the construction of the Zheleznitsa Tunnel (part of Struma Motorway Lot 3), providing transparency on large infrastructure projects for the public and oversight bodies.
• Corruption Perception Index (Индекс за възприятие на корупцията) Annual index measuring public perceptions of corruption in the Bulgarian public sector, published on the organization's website and used by media, researchers, and institutions.
• Local Integrity System Index (Индекс на Местната система за почтеност) Annual comparative assessment of anti-corruption capacities of local governments, mayors, municipalities, local business, regional media, civil society, courts, and police departments across Bulgaria's 28 regions.
• Global Corruption Barometer Household survey data on citizens' experiences and perceptions of corruption in Bulgaria, produced as part of the global Transparency International barometer series.
• Index for Transparent Political Parties Financing Index measuring transparency of political party financing in Bulgaria on a scale of 0-10, providing evidence for political finance reform advocacy.
• Transparency Index in the Financing of Election Campaigns Index measuring transparency of election campaign financing in Bulgaria based on public perceptions, accountability, and publicity components.
• Lobbying Research (Лобиране) Research initiative assessing transparency, integrity, and equality of access regarding lobbying influence over decision-making in Bulgaria, developed under the 'Lifting the Lid on Lobbying' project.
• Whistleblower Protection Hotline (Център за правна консултация на пострадали от корупция) Free hotline (0800 11 224) providing legal consultation for victims of corruption, operated by the Association 'Transparency Without Borders' for whistleblowers and corruption victims in Bulgaria.
• Business Integrity Club (Бизнес интегрити клуб) Initiative promoting business integrity tools and corporate governance standards in Bulgaria, advocating for administrative reform and reduced regulatory burden on businesses.
• Standard for Publicity and Transparency in the Judiciary (Еталон за публичност и прозрачност в работата на съдилищата) Unified standard for publicity and transparency in court operations in Bulgaria, developed based on international standards from the Council of Europe and Venice Commission, accompanied by a transparency map of Bulgarian courts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 years of civil monitoring of public procurement
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Transparency International RomaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint comparative study on whistleblower protection systems in Bulgaria and Romania under the LAW project (Legitimacy and Accountability for Whistleblower Protection), funded by the European Commission. Presented findings at international conference in Bucharest.
• Transparency International EU OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Collaboration on EU-level anti-corruption initiatives including the 'Lifting the Lid on Lobbying' project funded by the 'Prevention of and Fight against Crime' programme of DG Home Affairs. Focuses on transparency, integrity and equality of access in lobbying in Bulgaria.
• Transparency International (Global Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBulgarian national chapter of Transparency International, part of a global network of over 90 offices worldwide. Provides access to international methodology, research standards, and global anti-corruption expertise. Founder: Dr. Peter Eigen; Chair of the Board: Mr. François Valérian (from 2023).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Transparency International Serbia: Western Balkans TI chapter addressing similar corruption challenges in EU accession context. Operates parallel programs on public procurement, whistleblower protection, and integrity indices, serving as a regional peer for cross-border collaboration.

Direct peers

• Transparency International Czech Republic: TI national chapter in another Central European EU member state operating the same anti-corruption advocacy, Corruption Perception Index publication, and public-procurement monitoring toolset, with comparable institutional funding mix and EU-grant participation.
• Transparency International Romania: Sister national chapter within the Transparency International global network, sharing the same anti-corruption research, advocacy, and Integrity Pact methodologies. Direct collaboration on the 2024 LAW comparative study on whistleblower protection makes it TIB's closest peer.
• Transparency International Hungary: Hungarian TI chapter running overlapping programs on public-procurement integrity, lobbying transparency, and political-party financing — all core TIB initiatives. Comparable scale, team size, and EU-grant dependency.
• Center for the Study of Democracy: Leading Bulgarian think tank focused on rule of law, anti-corruption, and governance reform. Operates the broadest research portfolio overlapping with TIB's anti-corruption and judicial transparency agenda in Bulgaria.

Broad incumbents

• Freedom House: Global democracy and governance NGO that annually assesses Bulgaria's democratic and institutional transparency. Overlaps with TIB on government accountability and rule-of-law advocacy across the same donor and EU-foundation ecosystem.
• Transparency International Secretariat (Berlin): Global coordination body of the TI network that publishes the flagship Corruption Perception Index, Global Corruption Barometer, and coordinates national chapters. Effectively TIB's parent organization, providing methodology, brand, and international advocacy reach.

Emerging players

• Global Integrity: Independent NGO producing evidence-based anti-corruption research and country-level integrity assessments. Similar methodology to TIB's Local Integrity System Index and works with comparable donor mix.
• Anticorruption Foundation (Hungary): Hungarian investigative-anti-corruption NGO using activist and digital-advocacy tactics. Comparable mission (exposing public-procurement corruption, EU-fund misuse) with a younger operating model and similar Central-European operating environment.

Others

• Open Government Partnership: Multi-stakeholder initiative promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation — adjacent to TIB's open-data and open-government advocacy work with Bulgaria as a participating government.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@transparencyinternationalb9595
• Facebookfacebook.com/TIBulgaria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transparency-international-bulgaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transparency International Bulgaria