The IFFR Hubert Bals Fund has selected twenty projects for its 2026 Development Support scheme. Each project receives €10,000, bringing the total budget to €200,000. Compared to 2025, the selection grew by a third. Eight projects come from a special regional focus area: Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. These include the first Macedonian project ever supported by the HBF, As Long as You Can Climb a Tree by Dina Duma, and Bakhmaro – The Invisible Formula by Anka Gujabidze. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Philip Sotnychenko, and Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir also receive support. Fund Manager Tamara Tatishvili emphasized that development financing is coming under increasing pressure.