As part of our Open Call for NGOs and social entrepreneurs in Eastern Europe, The Inner Foundation is proud to announce our grant support of Single Step Foundation, a pioneering non-profit organization in Bulgaria that provides mental health support, career guidance, and safe community spaces for LGBQTI+ emerging adults. The grant will strengthen Single Step’s core mental health services, expand its digital support infrastructure, and deepen outreach to young people living outside urban centers — many of whom face stigma, isolation, and exclusion.
The Singe Step Foundation team during The Inner Foundation’s site visit in February of 2025
Bulgaria’s mental health and inclusion landscape
Bulgaria faces some of the most severe mental health and inclusion challenges in Europe. Stigma and cultural taboos continue to silence conversations about mental well-being, and public awareness remains limited — particularly in rural areas, where over 20% of the population lives with restricted access to care. Nationally, only about 2.5% of the healthcare budget is allocated to mental health, leaving NGOs to fill critical gaps in service delivery.
For LGBTQI+ individuals, the situation is particularly acute. Bulgaria ranks third-worst in the EU for LGBTQI+ rights protections, and recent legislation banning so-called “LGBTI propaganda” in schools has created a hostile environment for young people. According to national surveys, 50% of LGBTQI+ high school students have considered suicide, and 30% have attempted it. In a context where many LGBTQI+young people struggle with isolation and a lack of safe, affirming care, Single Step’s work provides a rare lifeline — one built on trust, accessibility, and long-term empowerment.
How Single Step is redefining support for the LGBTQI+ community
Founded in 2016 by Ivan Dimov, Single Step was born from a deeply personal story and a vision of change. After a successful finance career abroad, Ivan returned to Bulgaria to create the country’s first comprehensive support system for LGBTQI+ youth — offering a safe space where they could access therapy, mentorship, and community without fear of discrimination.
Today, Single Step operates through a unique dual model:
- A foundation providing free psychological support, crisis intervention, and career services, a social enterprise, The Steps, a community hub in Sofia that hosts cultural events, provides inclusive jobs, and generates revenue to sustain the foundation’s programs.
Their services span four dimensions of care:
Mental health and crisis support: free psychological counseling, a national online chat (2,200+ users), and peer groups for youth and parents.
Career empowerment: job placement and mentoring through the VentureOut program, achieving 80%+ employment success rates for participants.
Health and well-being: specialized consultations for HIV prevention and transgender healthcare, reaching 900+ users nationwide.
Community and event center: over 450 events hosted at The Steps, a safe space fostering connection, creativity, and belonging.
With over 4,600 unique users supported to date and 92% of chat users reporting reduced anxiety after sessions, Single Step has become a cornerstone of Bulgaria’s inclusive LGBTQI+ & mental health ecosystem
Building resilience through a hybrid model
The Inner Foundation’s grant will support Single Step’s next phase of growth: expanding its digital psychological support and ensuring that vulnerable LGBTI emerging adults — especially those outside Sofia — can access confidential, professional help.
This initiative builds on Single Step’s model of hybrid sustainability, blending social entrepreneurship with direct service delivery. By investing in their digital infrastructure and community network, we aim to help strengthen their resilience against political pressures and ensure continuity of care in an increasingly politically restrictive climate.
As Ivan Dimov, Founder and Executive Director of Single Step, reflects:
“Our mission is to ensure that every young person — regardless of where they live or who they love — can access the support they need to live a full and dignified life in Bulgaria. We’re proving that mental health care and inclusion are not privileges, but universal rights.”
Advancing inclusive mental health in Eastern Europe
Our partnership with Single Step reinforces our commitment to advancing inclusive mental health solutions across Eastern Europe. In an environment marked by stigma and underfunding, Single Step represents the power of community-driven innovation — building safe spaces, nurturing resilience, and redefining what access means.
As Annika Sten Pärson, Executive Chair and Founding Partner of The Inner Foundation, notes:
“Single Step’s work highlights how mental health and identity are deeply connected — and how access to safe, inclusive care can become a stabilizing force when politics grow divisive. In Bulgaria’s current climate, where stigma and polarization threaten to isolate young people further, their approach offers a model for resilience: combining psychological support, community, and belonging in one ecosystem.”
We’re proud to support this chapter in Single Step’s journey and see it as part of a broader effort to strengthen access to mental health and inclusion across the region. The need remains vast — and collaboration is key. We invite partners to co-fund this work and accelerate systemic change for emerging adults across Eastern Europe.
📝 Share your interest via our co-investor form.
📩 Reach out directly to our team:
Zakaria Hersi, Investment & Portfolio Manager — zakaria.hersi@theinnerfoundation.org
Founded in 2016, Single Step Foundation is Bulgaria’s leading organization supporting LGBTI youth and emerging adults through mental health, career, and community programs. Combining psychological support, digital chat services, and social enterprise, Single Step provides a comprehensive model for empowerment and inclusion. Its programs have reached more than 4,600 beneficiaries across Bulgaria, making it a vital part of the country’s mental health and human rights landscape.
The Inner Foundation is an independent, non-profit foundation based in Sweden, investing in intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs addressing mental health and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in society. As a catalytic hybrid finance investor, The Inner Foundation supports both for-profit and non-profit solutions, fostering impactful change through its diverse portfolio of 40+ investments spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America.
