EFCSN Permanent Call for Protection Grants

EFCSN Permanent Call for Protection Grants offers rapid lump-sum funding under the FACTEUR project to provide psychological, legal, physical, relocation, and cybersecurity support to certified or code-compliant fact-checking organisations based in EU or DEP-associated countries. The rolling single-stage call (open 02 September 2026 until 31 May 2028 or until funds are exhausted) has a total envelope of €340,169, funds up to €20,000 per request (up to €40,000 in exceptional cases), a funding rate of up to 50 percent and indirect costs capped at 10 percent. Urgent requests target a 48-hour turnaround, standard requests are processed within five working days, and payments are made 75 percent on approval and 25 percent after final reporting. Applicants must be legal entities, submit the official budget template and supporting evidence, and recipients must provide a financial and narrative outcome report with possible public disclosure unless confidentiality is requested for safety reasons.

What it funds

Rapid protection and safety support for fact-checkers

Grants cover incident-linked psychological support, legal defence, physical security (secure workspace, equipment), emergency relocation, and targeted cybersecurity measures. Retroactive costs are eligible from date of application.

Who can apply:Legal entities (for-profit or non-profit) that are EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations or can demonstrate adherence in practice to the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations, based in EU or DEP-associated countries. Single applicants only (no consortia).

1. 1Psychological support, legal aid, physical safety measures, emergency relocation, cybersecurity
2. 2Applicants must be legal entities and EFCSN certified or demonstrably compliant with the Code of Standards
3. 3Organisations must be located in EU or DEP-associated countries; consortia not accepted

Funding, amounts and conditions

Total call budget €340,169. Standard maximum €20,000 per request; exceptional requests (e.g. large-team relocation) may be approved up to €40,000 with additional justification and Governance Body approval. Funding rate 50%; grants paid as lump sums (75% on approval, 25% after final report). Indirect costs capped at 10% of direct costs. Max grant duration 12 months.

Process and timing

Open on a rolling basis from 02 September 2026 until 31 May 2028 or until funds are depleted. Single-stage applications via the protected application platform; urgent requests processed within 48 hours, non-urgent within 5 working days. Outcome report (financial and narrative) required.

Selection:Phase 1 automated eligibility checks (AI); Phase 2 expert evaluation using criteria: demonstrated need, urgency, regional vulnerability, and absorptive capacity. Decisions may be escalated to advisory boards or EFCSN Governance Body.

Apply through the EFCSN application platform. For official call details see the EU portal EFCSN Protection Grants on EU Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call text and application portal available at the EU Funding & Tenders Portal link above.

Basic Facts and Timeline

Call title:EFCSN Permanent Call for Protection Grants. Opening date: 02 September 2026. Deadline model: single-stage. Final deadline for submission: 31 May 2028, 17:00 Brussels time. Call status: Open for submission on a rolling basis from 02 September 2026 until 31 May 2028 or until funds are depleted. Expected duration of participation per grant: maximum 12 months. Grant scheme implemented under the FACTEUR project (Fact-checkers for European Resilience Against Disinformation: Network for Emergency, Protection & Technology), grant agreement number 101269336, identifier DIGITAL-2025.

Total funding and unit values:Total call budget: €340,169. Typical maximum grant per support request: €20,000. Exceptional grants (fully justified, e.g. relocation of a large team) up to €40,000 subject to additional approval by the EFCSN Governance Body. Funding rate: up to 50% of eligible costs. Form of grant: lump sums. Number of grants expected: approximately 17. Payment structure: 75% payment upon approval of the request, 25% following approval of the final report.

What this scheme funds

Purpose:rapid and targeted protection support for fact-checking organisations that face threats, harassment, attacks or other security incidents directly related to their fact-checking activities. The scheme is designed to cover urgent needs that threaten safety, operational continuity or legal position of fact-checkers and their teams.

Eligible types of support and eligible cost categories

1. 1Psychological Support: counselling, trauma or stress-related care, burnout prevention, specialised trauma training and physical checkups related to long-lasting stress. Ineligible: general staff wellbeing costs not linked to a specific incident or harassment situation.
2. 2Legal Aid: legal counsel and defence against defamation, harassment, cyber and physical violence, SLAPP suits, copyright disputes; court or filing fees; legal document translation; notary services. Ineligible: legal costs for commercial disputes, employment matters, or unrelated activities.
3. 3Physical Safety / Safe Workspace: installation of security systems, purchase or rental of security equipment, secure workspace rental, costs to enable remote working during a period of risk. For fact-checkers, workspace is understood broadly to include the reporting assignment and the physical space immediately surrounding it.
4. 4Emergency Relocation: transport, temporary accommodation, crisis coordination for teams in danger, subsistence costs and related crisis response services.
5. 5Cybersecurity: security software and tool licences, encryption, cybersecurity audits and risk assessments, secure hardware such as encrypted devices, implementation and setup costs. Ineligible: general IT upgrades not linked to a specific security threat or incident.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible applicants must be legal entities (for-profit or non-profit) and must be EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations or demonstrate in practice that they respect the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. Applicants must be based in the European Union or DEP-associated countries as defined for the Digital Europe Programme List of participating countries in the Digital Europe Programme ¹. This call is for single applicants only; consortia cannot apply.

Geographic eligibility:Organisations must be based in EU Member States or DEP-associated countries (EFTA/EEA participants, acceding/candidate/potential candidate countries and other countries listed in the Digital Europe Programme participation document). Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or covered by specific Commission exclusion guidelines are not eligible to participate ¹.

Application, evaluation and selection

Application method:applicants submit a request through the protected application platform. The call accepts urgent requests (processed within 48 hours) and non-urgent requests (processed within up to 5 working days). The call operates on a rolling basis until the final deadline or depletion of funds.

Submission requirements and templates

Required documents and information (applicant must upload via protected intake):completed budget template (XLSX) using the official template supplied by EFCSN; supporting evidence for urgency and incident (where available); organisation identification details and EFCSN certification or description of how the organisation adheres to the Code of Standards; contact person details; country of headquarters and primary service region; short narrative describing risk, requested support and expected outcomes; justification of requested budget and list of providers or quotes where applicable. The application form fields (as present in the intake web form) include: organisation name, EFCSN certification status, name of person submitting, country of headquarters, primary service region, type of support requested (select one or more of the eligible categories), evidence for urgency (for urgent requests), total requested budget (EUR), detailed description of risk and planned use of funds, expected outcomes and impact, consent for anonymised reporting, attachments: completed budget template and supporting evidence.

1. 1Budget template: applicants must download and complete the official XLSX budget template before submission; the platform will use the requested amount to enforce grant caps and funding rate checks.
2. 2Retroactivity: if a grant is later approved, eligible costs may be considered from the date of application submission.
3. 3Indirect costs: administrative/indirect costs may be included but are capped at 10% of total direct costs.

Selection procedure and award criteria

The evaluation follows a two-stage process:Phase 1 automated AI processing for completeness and basic eligibility checks; Phase 2 expert evaluation by consortium experts, with optional advice from the Protection Scheme Advisory Board and escalation to the EFCSN Governance Body for complex or exceptional decisions. EFCSN oversees transparency, financial safeguards and equitable distribution.

1. 1Primary award criteria used by evaluators: Need (clear evidence of acute operational or financial gap directly tied to the emergency) — maximum 10 points.
2. 2Urgency (time-sensitive circumstances where delayed support would meaningfully worsen the outcome) — maximum 10 points.
3. 3Regional vulnerability (operating context risks such as political, economic or press freedom constraints amplifying risk) — maximum 10 points.
4. 4Absorptive capacity (organisation's ability to receive, manage and account for funds in a timely manner) — maximum 10 points.

Evaluation stages may vary in granularity depending on urgency and amount requested; urgent requests follow an expedited route to allow a 48-hour response when possible.

Funding mechanics, co-funding and payments

Form of support:lump-sum grants covering up to 50% of total eligible costs. Applicants must demonstrate total eligible project costs; the scheme provides up to half of those eligible costs. Payment schedule: 75% advance payment upon approval, remaining 25% after approval of final outcome report. Maximum duration: grants cover activities up to 12 months.

Reporting, transparency and confidentiality

All grant recipients must submit an outcome report including narrative and financial details. Funding awarded through this call will be disclosed on efcsn.com/funding-opportunities with recipient name, amount and grant duration. Organisations operating in high-risk environments or handling sensitive data may request confidentiality of their identity during implementation; disclosure may be deferred until after the funding cycle ends.

Who should apply (eligible applicant types and target sector)

1. 1Eligible applicant types: certified fact-checking organisations (EFCSN certified) or fact-checking organisations demonstrating adherence to the European Code of Standards. Legal entities only (both non-profit and for-profit fact-checking organisations).
2. 2Ineligible applicant types: consortia (this call requires single applicants), individuals, applicants not demonstrably adhering to the Code of Standards, entities blocked by EU restrictive measures, and applicants outside the EU or DEP-associated countries unless specifically covered by the DEP participation list.
3. 3Target sector: media and journalism, specifically independent fact-checking organisations, with activities across cybersecurity, legal defence, physical safety and psychosocial support related to fact-checking operations.

Project maturity and intended use cases

Project stage:operational and crisis-response stage. The call is not for research, product development or commercialization; it is intended to support organisations that already operate as fact-checkers and require immediate or short-term protective support, incident response and resilience measures.

Application complexity and stages to award

Application type:rolling open call submitted via the protected application platform. Number of evaluation stages: 2 primary stages (automated AI completeness/eligibility check; expert evaluation) with potential escalation steps for sensitive or exceptional requests (Protection Scheme Advisory Board, EFCSN Governance Body). Urgent requests follow a fast-track route to decision (target 48-hour turnaround for eligible urgent requests).

Success rates and competition:Estimated number of grants ~17 given total budget and typical grant sizes. Because the call is rolling and designed for emergency response, success rates will depend on demand, severity of requests and available remaining budget. No formal published overall success rate is provided; applicants should assume competition for funds and ensure strong evidence of need, urgency and absorptive capacity.

Co-funding and financial obligations

Co-funding:the scheme funds up to 50% of eligible costs; applicants must demonstrate the full cost of the intervention and identify the remaining funding sources (own resources, other funders or in-kind contributions). Documentation such as invoices, provider quotes and the completed budget template will be required in the outcome report. The scheme allows retroactive eligibility from the date of application submission if the grant is approved.

Application form structure (template outline for applicants)

Applicants should prepare the following structured information and attachments before initiating the online intake form to ensure rapid processing and to support urgent-case triage.

1. 1Organisation identification: legal name, legal entity registration number, country of headquarters, primary service region, EFCSN certification status, contact person name and role, secure contact details.
2. 2Certification evidence: EFCSN certification documents or a written statement and evidence describing compliance with the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations.
3. 3Incident and need description: concise explanation of the risk/threat, timeline, operational impact, and immediate consequences if support is not provided.
4. 4Type(s) of support requested: select one or more categories (psychological support, legal aid, physical safety, emergency relocation, cybersecurity) and supply a brief justification for each.
5. 5Urgency justification: for urgent requests, provide evidence and explanation of immediacy and required timeframe; upload supporting documents where available (threat letters, screenshots, police reports, media accounts, technical incident reports).
6. 6Budget: download, complete and upload the official XLSX budget template; provide cost breakdown by eligible cost category and indicate total project cost and requested grant amount (noting 50% funding rate).
7. 7Providers and quotations: where possible include supplier quotes, contracts or statements of intent for services, equipment, travel or accommodation costs.
8. 8Absorptive capacity evidence: short statement of financial management capacity, bank details, previous experience managing external grants, and ability to account for funds within the proposed timeframe.
9. 9Consent and confidentiality choices: consent to anonymised reporting for advocacy and research; option to request identity confidentiality during implementation for safety reasons.
10. 10Attachments: completed budget template (XLSX), supporting evidence for urgency, quotations/invoices where available, certification materials or Code-of-Standards compliance statements.

Contacts, publication and additional resources

Questions about the call should be addressed to grants@efcsn.com. The call is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and on EFCSN webpages including efcsn.com/funding-opportunities. Applicants should consult the DEP participation list for country eligibility specifics and for exclusions related to entities subject to EU restrictive measures List of participating countries in the Digital Europe Programme ¹.

Mentioned countries and regions

Explicitly mentioned geographic scope in the call:European Union and DEP-associated countries (reference to the Digital Europe Programme participation list). The DEP participation list includes EU Member States, EFTA/EEA participants (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), candidate and potential candidate countries and other listed participants such as Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and others as updated in the DEP participation document ¹.

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how to approach it

This protection grants call by EFCSN under the FACTEUR project provides rapid, targeted lump-sum funding to certified fact-checking organisations in the EU and DEP-associated countries that face direct threats, harassment or security incidents tied to their fact-checking work. The scheme covers psychological support, legal aid, physical safety measures, emergency relocation, and cybersecurity interventions. It is a rolling, single-stage open call with expedited processing for urgent requests and an expert evaluation process for award decisions. Grants typically cover up to 50% of eligible costs with normal request caps at €20,000 and exceptional approvals up to €40,000. Applicants must be legal entities and either EFCSN certified or demonstrably compliant with the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. To apply, prepare the organisation and incident description, complete the official budget template, gather supporting evidence and supplier quotes, and submit via the secure application platform. Ensure evidence of need, urgency and absorptive capacity is clear to maximise chances on the scoring criteria. The scheme balances rapid emergency response with financial safeguards and transparency obligations; recipients must report outcomes and financials, and disclosure will appear publicly unless confidentiality is requested for safety reasons.

Footnotes

1. 1DEP participation list and participation rules are available in the Digital Europe Programme guidance: List of participating countries in the Digital Europe Programme (Document V7.0, 01.12.2025). Full document: ec.europa.eu

This is a rolling cascade funding scheme under the FACTEUR project that provides fast, direct protection support to fact-checking organisations facing acute harassment, threats, cyberattacks, legal action, vandalism, or other safety-related emergencies. The call is designed to help eligible organisations secure psychological, legal, physical, relocation, or cybersecurity support quickly and with limited administrative burden. [1]

What the funding supports

The call exists to protect fact-checkers when their work triggers immediate operational or personal risk, especially in situations involving online harassment, hacking attempts, threats of violence, SLAPPs, or similar pressure. Support is intended to be rapid and targeted rather than broad organisational financing. [1]

• Psychological support such as counselling, burnout prevention, specialised trauma training, and related professional care linked to a specific incident. [1]
• Legal aid such as lawyer fees, court or filing fees, legal translation, notary services, and other directly related legal costs for cases involving defamation, harassment, cyber or physical violence, SLAPPs, or copyright disputes. [1]
• Physical safety measures such as security systems, security equipment, secure workspace rental, remote work setup costs, and related services. [1]
• Emergency relocation support such as transport, temporary accommodation, crisis coordination, and subsistence costs during relocation. [1]
• Cybersecurity support such as encryption upgrades, security tools, risk assessments, secure hardware, and implementation costs tied to a specific threat or incident. [1]

Who can apply

Eligible applicants must be legal entities, either for-profit or non-profit, that are EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations or can demonstrate in practice that they respect the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. Applicants must be based in the European Union or in a DEP-associated country, and the call is open to single applicants only, so consortia cannot apply. [1]

Funding conditions and financial terms

The call states that exact grant amounts must be calculated using the provided template table, and exceptional requests above €20,000 require strong justification and approval by the EFCSN Governance Body in addition to standard selection steps. [1]

How applications are assessed

Applications are checked first through an automated completeness and eligibility screen, then evaluated by experts on need, urgency, regional vulnerability, and absorptive capacity. Each of the four criteria is scored out of 10 points, and the consortium may seek additional advice from a multidisciplinary advisory group or escalate delicate cases to the EFCSN Governance Body. [1]

• Need: clear evidence of an acute operational or financial gap caused by the emergency situation. [1]
• Urgency: whether delay would materially worsen the outcome. [1]
• Regional vulnerability: whether the operating environment increases risk because of political, economic, or press freedom constraints. [1]
• Absorptive capacity: whether the organisation can receive, manage, and account for the funds promptly and properly. [1]

Timeline, reporting, and transparency

Urgent requests are expected to be processed within 48 hours, while other requests are processed within 5 working days. Grant recipients must submit a financial and narrative outcome report, and awarded support will be disclosed on the EFCSN funding opportunities page with the recipient name, amount, and grant duration, although confidential treatment can be requested during implementation for high-risk or sensitive cases. [1]

Questions about the call should be sent to grants@efcsn.com. [1]

Applicant takeaways

1. 1This is emergency-oriented protection funding, not general operating support. [1]
2. 2Single fact-checking organisations in the EU or DEP-associated countries are the target applicants. [1]
3. 3The strongest applications will show a specific incident, a clear immediate gap, and a credible plan to use the funds quickly. [1]
4. 4Applicants seeking more than €20,000 should be prepared to justify why the request is exceptional and how the higher amount is necessary. [1]
5. 5Because the scheme is rolling and fast-moving, organisations should prepare evidence and cost breakdowns in advance. [1]