CEEP

The CEEP ISF-2026-TF2 call under the Internal Security Fund supports transnational civil society projects to prevent and counter online radicalisation and violent extremism across the EU. The total call budget is €5,000,000 and individual grants requested should range from €1,000,000 to €1,500,000 at a 90% funding rate for projects of 24 months. Eligible consortia must include at least three beneficiaries from three different EU Member States, with at least two civil society organisations, and coordinators cannot be profit-making entities or international organisations. Applications are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal in a single-stage procedure, deadline 27 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

CEEP Call for Proposals (ISF-2026-TF2-AG-CEEP) Overview

What it funds

Scope and priorities

Grants under the Internal Security Fund support community engagement and empowerment projects to prevent and counter radicalisation leading to violent extremism, with a focus on online radicalisation, youth empowerment, digital resilience, community-based activities and evidence-based monitoring and evaluation. Projects must combine online and offline measures, be participatory and address multi-ideological threats (e.g. jihadist, right-wing, left-wing, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred). See the call document for full activity streams and mandatory cross-cutting requirements Call document ¹.

Available budget and individual grant size:Total indicative call budget €5 000 000. Individual projects may request between €1 000 000 and €1 500 000. Funding rate 90% of eligible costs. Project duration 24 months.

1. 1Deadline: 27 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage)
2. 2Who can apply: legal entities (public bodies, non-profit and profit-making entities, NGOs, research bodies and international organisations as beneficiaries where allowed) established in eligible countries (EU Member States participating in ISF; Denmark excluded).
3. 3Consortium requirement: minimum 3 beneficiaries from 3 different EU Member States; at least two must be civil society organisations from at least two Member States.
4. 4Eligible actions: community training and engagement; digital threat intelligence; collaboration and exchange. Financial support to third parties is not allowed unless explicitly authorised in the call.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the AMIF/ISF/BMVI standard application form and templates. Proposals are limited to 50 pages (Part B). Admissibility, eligibility, capacity checks and ethics/security provisions apply; see call documentation for required annexes, security clearance rules and evaluation thresholds. Contact: HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call text, requirements, templates and annexes are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ISF-2026-TF2 — Call fiche and Call document available at the topic page: ec.europa.eu

Call for proposals on the Community Engagement and Empowerment Programme (CEEP) — ISF-2026-TF2-AG-CEEP

Programme: Internal Security Fund (ISF). Type of action: ISF-PJG ISF Project Grants. Type of Model Grant Agreement: ISF Action Grant Budget-Based (ISF-AG). Opportunity type: Call for Proposals. Opening date: 26 February 2026. Deadline: 27 May 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage submission. Topic page and submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: CEEP Topic Page. Call document: Call fiche (PDF).

Purpose and Objectives

This ISF action grant supports prevention and countering of radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism across the EU, with particular emphasis on the growing challenge of online radicalisation. The general objective is to prevent and counter the spread of violent extremist content online by strengthening the capacity of civil-society actors in the EU (and relevant priority third countries where appropriate) to respond strategically, creatively, and sustainably to evolving online threats. The call focuses on empowering youth, civil-society organisations (CSOs), educators, and community leaders to build resilience to extremist manipulation across digital environments, paying close attention to emotional wellbeing, social trust, and constructive community responses to polarising events on- and offline. Projects must combine online and offline action, involve youth and communities in design and delivery, and be evidence-based with robust monitoring and evaluation that measures changes in awareness, attitudes, or behaviour.

Policy and Context

• Builds on the Civil Society Empowerment Programme (CSEP) and the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and contributes to the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation.
• Anchored in ProtectEU – European Internal Security Strategy (2025), Terrorist Content Online Regulation (EU) 2021/784, Digital Services Act (EU) 2022/2065, EU Internet Forum and EU Crisis Protocol, and EU strategies addressing antisemitism and hate.
• Responds to cross-ideological online mobilisation, increases in antisemitic and anti-Muslim narratives, and the spread of harmful but potentially legal content, leveraging strategic communication and whole-of-society approaches.

Themes, Priorities, Scope and Activities

The call targets primary and secondary prevention. It does not fund tertiary prevention (e.g., disengagement/rehabilitation).

Key priorities:Digital resilience; strengthening community protective factors and social cohesion; multi-ideological scope (jihadist, violent right-wing, violent left-wing, and cross-cutting narratives including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred); youth empowerment; co-creation and inclusion.

Required activity streams (all three must be covered within a coherent intervention logic):1) Community Training and Engagement Stream: capacity-building and digital skills for CSOs, faith/community leaders, youth practitioners; platform-specific training (e.g., TikTok, Telegram, Discord); mental health awareness; parent-focused training and outreach; offline engagement (school/community forums); practical exercises and incentives for sustained youth engagement; empowerment of CSOs as knowledge brokers; rapid response to event-driven surges; analytical components (needs assessments, audience analysis, threat mapping, message testing).

2) Digital Threat Intelligence Stream: platform-specific trend reports (mainstream and fringe); digital literacy resources tailored to youth, parents, educators, local actors; responsible collaboration with tech and research partners; sharing AI-based monitoring and content verification tools aligned with EU AI/data-protection rules and practitioner oversight; analysis of pop culture exploitation by extremists; exploration of interactive/gaming-based preventive formats.

3) Collaboration and Exchange Stream: peer networks for CSOs and youth practitioners; mentoring and experience-sharing; exchange visits via the EU Knowledge Hub mentorship; youth inputs to policy via CSO-facilitated dialogues; structures to channel frontline insights to policymakers in Member States and at EU level.

Cross-cutting mandatory requirements:Multi-ideological framing; explicit consideration of antisemitism and other hate narratives; participatory co-design and message testing following the GAMMMA+ model; ethical and responsible technology use (including AI) with compliance to EU rules and practitioner oversight; robust monitoring and evaluation with output and outcome indicators and, where feasible, independent evaluation; integrated capacity-building that embeds strategic communication and long-term community engagement; whole-of-society, multi-stakeholder approach; clear ethics and values framework aligned with Article 2 TEU and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and EU visibility obligations.

Recommended additional elements:Build on/contribute to the EU Knowledge Hub and RAN resources; blended online/offline delivery; youth professional development pathways (certificates, mentorships, job shadowing); CSOs as knowledge brokers to inform policy; use of trusted messengers with safeguards; internal ethics-compliance systems (partner vetting, content moderation); integration with national/local strategies; rapid-response preparedness; innovation and continuous learning (e.g., compliant AI pilots); geographic diversity with efficient consortia (ideally fewer than 10 partners).

Target Groups and Geography

• Primary: CSOs working on P/CVE; faith and community leaders; youth practitioners and young leaders; young people engaged or interested in prevention/civic participation.
• Secondary/supporting: parents, caregivers, educators; local actors and first-line responders (teachers, social workers, youth mentors, mediators).
• Indirect: public authorities, policymakers, law enforcement benefiting from improved cooperation and insights.
• Target countries: Main activities in EU Member States.

Budget and Funding Parameters

Eligibility and Consortium Composition

• Eligible applicants: legal entities established in EU Member States (including OCTs), excluding Denmark. Types include public bodies, non-profit public/private entities, profit-making entities, and international organisations. Natural persons are not eligible, except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality.
• International organisations are eligible as beneficiaries but do not count toward the minimum country composition and cannot coordinate.
• Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if representatives can undertake legal obligations and protect the EU’s financial interests equivalently.
• EU bodies cannot be part of the consortium.
• Specific measures and restrictions apply for entities subject to EU restrictive or conditionality measures.

Mandatory consortium configuration:Minimum 3 beneficiaries from 3 different EU Member States, of which at least two must be civil-society organisations from at least two different EU Member States. Coordinators cannot be profit-making entities nor international organisations. Public bodies and non-profit entities may coordinate.

Geographic Eligibility and Special Country Provisions

• Geographically eligible: EU Member States (including OCTs), except Denmark for ISF participation.
• International organisations: may participate regardless of location (do not count toward the minimum Member State requirement).
• Israeli entities: follow Commission Guidelines 2013/C 205/05 regarding activities in territories occupied since June 1967.
• EU restrictive measures: entities subject to restrictive measures under Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU are ineligible in any capacity.
• EU conditionality measures: see Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092; note current measures affecting Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021.
• Countries negotiating association to the programme may sign grants if association is concluded before grant signature and retroactively covers the call.

Admissibility, Submission and Templates

• Single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted.
• Proposal components: Part A (administrative), Part B (technical description), Part C (additional project data/KPIs), and mandatory annexes uploaded via the Submission System.
• Page limit: Part B maximum 50 pages (excl. annexes). Excess pages will not be considered.
• Mandatory annex: List of previous key projects (last 4 years), submitted as a separate annex (template provided in Part B). No detailed budget table, CVs, or prior-year activity reports required.
• Templates and MGAs: Standard application forms and the AMIF/ISF/BMVI Model Grant Agreement are available in the Portal Reference Documents.

Application forms: structure overview:Part A: General information; participants; budget summary; declarations. Part B: Technical narrative with sections on relevance, needs analysis and objectives with indicators, complementarity and EU added value, concept and methodology, consortium set-up and roles, project teams and staff, management and decision-making, quality assurance and M&E strategy (with baseline/targets and indicators), cost effectiveness and financial management, risk management, impact and ambition, communication/dissemination/visibility (EU emblem and funding statement), sustainability and continuation, detailed work plan, work packages, milestones and deliverables (max 10–15 overall), staff effort, subcontracting, equipment (if any), timeline, ethics self-assessment, security aspects, and declarations on double funding. Part C: Additional project data and contribution to ISF programme KPIs.

Evaluation and Award

• Two-step evaluation procedure for eligible applications: Step 1 pre-selection based on Relevance; Step 2 full evaluation on all award criteria for shortlisted proposals.
• Award criteria and weights: Relevance (30 points; individual threshold 21/30), Quality (50 points), Impact (20 points). Overall threshold: 70/100.
• Ex aequo priority order: Relevance score, then Impact, then Quality, then portfolio considerations and balanced geographic/thematic coverage.
• Operational capacity is assessed with Quality; financial capacity checks per standard ISF rules (public bodies and IOs exempt).
• Indicative timeline: Evaluation June to Aug/Sept 2026; information on results Sept/Oct 2026; grant agreement signature December 2026.

Legal and Financial Set-up

• Form of grant: Budget-based mixed actual cost grant with unit cost and flat-rate elements. Grants may not produce a profit.
• Eligible cost categories: A Personnel (employees; direct contracts/secondments; SME owners/natural persons as unit cost; volunteers as unit cost), B Subcontracting, C Purchases (travel, accommodation, subsistence per unit cost; equipment depreciation; other goods/works/services), D Other costs (no financial support to third parties in this call), E Indirect costs (7% flat rate).
• Reporting and payments: initial prefinancing (typically 80%); one or more additional prefinancing payments linked to prefinancing reports; balance payment at end. Progress reports may be requested but are not linked to payments. Bank account of coordinator receives payments; coordinator distributes to beneficiaries.
• Certificates: Certificates on financial statements may be required depending on thresholds; details in the MGA Data Sheet.
• Security and ethics: Projects must comply with EU ethics and values; projects involving EU classified information require security scrutiny and may be subject to specific rules (Decision 2015/444). At least one beneficiary may need facility security clearance if EUCI is involved.
• Consortium agreement: Required. Must address internal organisation, payment distribution, access rights, background/results rules, dispute resolution, liability, and confidentiality.

Evaluation Readiness: Monitoring, Indicators, and Maturity

Projects must propose qualitative and quantitative KPIs with baselines and targets aligned to ISF Regulation 2021/1149 Annex VIII programme indicators and the action’s logic. Outcome-focused evaluation that measures attitudinal and behavioural change is expected; independent evaluation or external review is encouraged to ensure objectivity.

Budget Overview and Timing

Portal Resources and Support

• Topic page, submission system, and templates: CEEP Topic Page
• Model Grant Agreements and Annotated MGA: MGA AMIF/ISF/BMVI and EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
• Online Manual and Portal FAQs: Online Manual
• ISF Regulation 2021/1149 and ISF Work Programme: ISF Regulation
• Contact for call-specific questions: HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu
• IT Helpdesk (access rights, passwords, technical submission issues): via the Portal
• Partner search announcements: Available on the topic page for registered users

Categorisation and Structured Information

Eligible Applicant Types:Civil-society organisations (CSOs); non-profit organisations; public bodies (local, regional, national authorities; public implementing agencies); research and education organisations; faith and community organisations; profit-making entities (eligible as beneficiaries, but not as coordinators); international organisations (eligible as beneficiaries, not as coordinators). Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality. EU bodies are not eligible.

Funding Type:Grant (budget-based mixed actual cost with unit cost and flat-rate elements) under the Internal Security Fund (ISF).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium required: Minimum three beneficiaries from three different EU Member States, among which at least two must be civil-society organisations from at least two different EU Member States. Coordinators cannot be profit-making entities or international organisations.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States (including OCTs), excluding Denmark. International organisations may participate irrespective of location but do not count towards the minimum Member State requirement. Additional participation rules apply for entities under EU restrictive or conditionality measures.

Target Sector:Security and public safety; prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism (P/CVE); digital platforms and online content governance; education and youth work; community resilience; communications/strategic communications; social cohesion; aspects of cyber/digital literacy and AI-assisted monitoring within ethical and legal boundaries.

Mentioned Countries:EU Member States (as a group); Denmark (explicitly excluded from ISF participation); Hungary (subject to EU conditionality measures affecting public interest trusts); Israel (eligibility guidelines for entities and activities in certain territories). OCTs are mentioned within EU Member States’ eligibility. Activities expected to take place primarily within EU Member States.

Project Stage:Implementation of prevention actions combining development, deployment and validation of strategic communication, community engagement, capacity building, rapid-response mechanisms, and digital threat intelligence. Emphasis on measurable outcomes in awareness/attitudes/behaviours; demonstration and scale-up of evidence-based approaches across multiple Member States.

Funding Amount:Per project EU contribution typically between €1,000,000 and €1,500,000 at 90% funding rate. Total call envelope €5,000,000.

Application Type:Open call with single-stage submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Two-step evaluation (pre-selection on Relevance, then full evaluation).

Nature of Support:Monetary grant funding; non-financial elements include access to EU platforms (EU Knowledge Hub mentoring, EU Academy hosting of e-learning) and facilitation of peer learning and exchanges.

Application Stages:1 submission stage; 2 evaluation steps (Step 1 Relevance pre-selection; Step 2 full evaluation on Relevance, Quality, and Impact).

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. EU funding rate is 90% of eligible costs; at least 10% co-funding is required from applicants or other sources. No double funding of the same costs from other EU sources (outside permitted synergy provisions) is allowed.

Templates and Application Structure (Practical Outline)

1. 1Part A (online): General information; participants and roles; budget summary; declarations.
2. 2Part B (upload PDF, max 50 pages): Project summary; Relevance (background, EU needs, alignment to policies/legislation; target groups; general objective); Needs analysis and specific objectives with measurable indicators (baseline and target); Complementarity and EU added value (builds on past work; transnational scope; reuse potential); Quality (concept/methodology; consortium set-up and complementarity; project teams/staff profiles and tasks; management and decision-making; project management, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation strategy with indicators; cost-effectiveness and financial management; risk management with likelihood/impact and mitigation); Impact (short/long-term effects; ambition/innovation); Communication, dissemination, visibility (audiences, channels, EU emblem and funding statement); Sustainability and continuation (post-grant plans, resource needs, policy integration, replication and amplification potential); Work plan (work packages incl. WP1 management; tasks; participant roles; milestones; deliverables with due months, type, dissemination level, description; staff effort; subcontracting; equipment if relevant; detailed timetable for 24 months); Other (ethics self-assessment; security).
3. 3Part C (online): Additional project data and contribution to ISF programme KPIs.
4. 4Annex: List of previous key projects in the last 4 years (template provided; submit as separate annex).

Compliance, Ethics, Security and Legal Notes

• Ethics and values: compliance with Article 2 TEU and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; robust internal ethics-compliance system (partner vetting, content moderation, safeguards).
• Security: projects with EU Classified Information (EUCI) require security scrutiny and compliance with Decision 2015/444 and national rules; specific arrangements via a Security Aspects Letter (SAL) may apply; certain classifications cannot be funded (e.g., TRES SECRET UE/EU TOP SECRET).
• Data protection: GDPR compliance for processing personal data; ethical and compliant use of AI with practitioner oversight.
• Public procurement: beneficiaries that are contracting authorities/entities must comply with applicable national procurement rules for purchases/subcontracts.
• Visibility: European emblem and funding statement must be displayed on communications, dissemination, and major results; quality and disclaimer text are required.
• No-profit and no double funding: no surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs; strict prohibition of double funding of the same costs.

Key Dates and Contact

Consolidated Summary

This ISF CEEP call funds large, transnational civil-society-driven actions to prevent and counter online radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism in the EU. It requires consortia of at least three beneficiaries from three EU Member States, including at least two CSOs in different Member States, and focuses on a comprehensive set of activities spanning community training and engagement, digital threat intelligence, and structured collaboration and exchange. Projects must combine online and offline interventions, empower youth and community actors, address multiple extremist ideologies and cross-cutting hate narratives, and use evidence-based strategic communication with participatory co-design, message testing, and robust monitoring and evaluation of outcomes. Grants typically range from €1,000,000 to €1,500,000 at a 90% funding rate for 24 months, with strict ethics, data protection, visibility, and security requirements. Applicants submit a single proposal via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using Parts A, B, and C plus a mandatory annex of previous projects. Evaluation proceeds in two steps with clear scoring thresholds and prioritisation rules. Successful projects are expected to build capacity, enhance digital literacy and resilience, create rapid-response capabilities to spikes in extremist content, generate actionable threat insights, and institutionalise peer learning and policy dialogue, contributing to EU-wide resilience and internal security through integrated, multi-stakeholder, and youth-inclusive approaches.

CEEP: Community Engagement and Empowerment Programme (ISF-2026-TF2-AG-CEEP)

This call for proposals under the Internal Security Fund (ISF) supports civil society actions to prevent and counter online radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism across the EU. It builds on the Civil Society Empowerment Programme (CSEP), Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), and EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, with a total budget of €5 million.

Objectives and Scope

The general objective is to strengthen civil society actors capacity in the EU and priority third countries to respond strategically to online extremist threats, empowering youth, CSOs, educators, and community leaders. Projects must focus on primary and secondary prevention, combining online and offline activities, with evidence-based, participatory approaches measuring changes in awareness, attitudes, or behaviour.

Key priorities include digital resilience, community protective factors, multi-ideological scope (jihadist, right-wing, left-wing, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred), youth empowerment, and co-creation with communities. Projects must address three streams: 1) Community Training and Engagement; 2) Digital Threat Intelligence; 3) Collaboration and Exchange.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

• Legal entities: public bodies or implementing agencies of ISF Member States, non-profit public/private entities, profit-making entities, international organisations.
• Established in EU Member States (including OCTs), excluding Denmark.
• Minimum consortium: 3 beneficiaries from 3 different EU Member States, with at least 2 civil society organisations from 2 different Member States.
• Coordinator cannot be profit-making entity or international organisation.

Eligible Activities

Activities from all three streams required, with cross-cutting elements like multi-ideological framing, participatory co-design using GAMM MA+ framework, ethical AI use, robust M&E, whole-of-society approach, and ethics/values framework. Duration: 24 months. No financial support to third parties.

Funding Details

Total Budget:€5,000,000.

Grant Amount per Project:€1,000,000 to €1,500,000 (requested EU contribution). Funding rate: 90% of eligible costs.

Cost Eligibility:Budget-based mixed actual costs (personnel, subcontracting, purchase costs, other costs, indirect costs at 7% flat-rate). Volunteers and SME owners unit costs eligible. Travel/subsistence unit or actual costs. Equipment: depreciation (full costs for listed equipment if specified).

Key Dates and Process

1. 1Opening date: 26 February 2026.
2. 2Deadline: 27 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission).
3. 3Evaluation: June to August/September 2026.
4. 4Results notification: September/October 2026.
5. 5Grant agreement signature: December 2026.

Two-step evaluation: first on Relevance (threshold 21/30), then full criteria (Relevance 30 points, Quality 50 points, Impact 20 points; overall threshold 70/100). Submit via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposal limit: 50 pages (Part B). Mandatory annex: list of previous projects (last 4 years).

Target Groups and Expected Impact

• Primary: CSOs in P/CVE, faith/community leaders, youth practitioners/young leaders.
• Secondary: parents, educators, local first-line responders.
• Indirect: public authorities, policymakers, law enforcement.
• Short-term: increased capacity, digital literacy, collaboration.
• Medium-term: consistent prevention activities, rapid responses.
• Long-term: community resilience, policy integration.

Application Guidance and Resources

Proposals must demonstrate alignment with EU strategies (ProtectEU, TCO Regulation, DSA). Ensure EU visibility, ethics compliance, and complementarity with EU Knowledge Hub/RAN. Contact: HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu. Key documents: Call Document, Portal Topic Page.

Additional Considerations

• Geographic focus: EU Member States; priority third countries eligible.
• Security: Projects involving classified information require scrutiny.
• Ethics: Compliance with EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; internal safeguards required.
• Sustainability: Link to national strategies, youth professional pathways, rapid-response mechanisms.

Applicants should review full call fiche for detailed award criteria, financial capacity requirements, and exclusion rules. Consortia encouraged with broad geographic coverage (ideally <10 partners). ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Detailed conditions in sections 5-10 of call document. Online Manual and EU Grants AGA provide submission guidance.