By AMC Program Officer Donika Zeka
Every grant proposal starts the same way: a blank document, a fresh idea and the hope that this time, the call will match the work we do. At AMC, our mission is to improve the health, well-being and rights of women, children and families across Kosovo. As I write this, halfway through 2025, I can confidently say that not a single open grant call we’ve encountered this year has fully aligned with that mission.
And we’ve looked, consistently checking every known portal, embassy site, agency bulletin and donor newsletter. The challenge goes beyond reduced resources—shifting priorities have pushed maternal and child health further out of view in the funding landscape.
The Changing Funding Landscape
This year’s calls for proposals in Kosovo have primarily centered around themes of ethnic dialogue and community reconciliation, human rights in the digital age, media freedom and independent journalism, youth civic engagement, climate and green transition and private-sector innovation.
These are all meaningful and necessary initiatives. What’s missing are the essential services AMC provides: prenatal care, home visits, sexual and reproductive health education, cervical cancer screening, breastfeeding support and medical equipment for public clinics.
On top of this, we’ve also felt the impact of major changes in the international grant funding landscape, such as the suspension of U.S. foreign aid. While AMC did not receive any funding from the United States Agency for International Development, many donors are now prioritizing support for organizations that were previously funded by USAID.
While this shift is both needed and valid, it has unintentionally narrowed the space for others. While the areas being funded are important, they can only go so far if people’s basic health needs aren’t met. Strengthening maternal, newborn and child health is essential to ensuring that other development efforts can flourish.
Adjusting to the Changing Reality
At AMC, we actively pursue every opportunity that could advance some part of our mission. We don’t expect every grant to cover everything—we often apply for calls that address just one component, whether it’s training, outreach, awareness or data collection. Yet this year, health too often hasn’t been part of the conversation at all, leaving organizations like ours with few entry points.
Another challenge for AMC is the rise of funding diversification policies. These rules can exclude organizations that have previously received grants from the next cycle—even when their new proposals are relevant, timely and scalable. While the approach aims to promote fairness, it can make it harder for NGOs to build on existing momentum and expand programs that are already proven to work.
Expanding the Mission, Without Losing Focus
We’re not standing still. This year, we’ve focused on developing proposals that push beyond our traditional programming while staying true to AMC’s mission. That includes initiatives such as legal advocacy for working mothers’ rights, digital outreach for maternal health education and gender-sensitive training for healthcare providers.
Our goal isn’t to chase trends—it’s to help shape the conversation. Maternal and child health, reproductive rights and community-based care are not side issues. They are foundational to long-term development and social well-being. Investing in these areas strengthens entire systems—and creates the conditions for all other progress to take root.
The Real People Behind Every Proposal
People often think of grant writing as a technical task—deadlines, forms and attachments. But behind each proposal is something deeper: a real need from the field, a story from a clinic or a mother asking for a service that isn’t available where she lives. Every application we write is an attempt to meet those needs.
And when the right grant doesn’t exist, we still write. We adapt, we reframe, we keep trying. Because the communities we serve don’t have the luxury of waiting for the perfect open grant call. And neither do we.