Emergency Response - Microgrants for Ecosystem Development

The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) is offering Emergency Response Microgrants under the FACTEUR project to fund rapid-production English fact-sheets and post-crisis case studies addressing disinformation surges during semi-predictable or unpredictable crisis events. Eligible applicants are EFCSN-certified legal entities (for-profit or non-profit) based in EU or DEP-associated countries that publish at least four human-authored fact-checks per month and demonstrate absorptive capacity. The total budget is €50,000 with indicative grants payable at a 50% funding rate (maximum payable amounts €1,000 for fact-sheets and €3,500 for case studies), lump-sum payment upon delivery, and caps on durations (1 month for fact-sheets, 3 months for case studies). Applications are submitted via the EFCSN Grants Platform on a rolling basis from 10 August 2026 until 30 April 2028 or until funds are exhausted, with rapid evaluation timelines (3 working days for fact-sheets, 7 for case studies).

Call snapshot

Key facts

What it funds:Rapid-response microgrants to support production of English-language fact-sheets (brief overviews of active disinformation narratives) and post-crisis case studies documenting disinformation surges and fact-checker responses during crisis events.

Who can apply:Single legal entities (for-profit or non-profit) that are EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations or fact-checking teams/units based in EU or DEP-associated countries and publishing on average at least four human-authored fact-checks per month.

1. 1Open for single applicants only; organisations may receive multiple awards.
2. 2Applications assessed on demonstrated crisis need and organisational absorptive capacity.
3. 3Rolling calls from 10 August 2026 until 30 April 2028 or until funds are exhausted.

Budget and award size:Total budget €50,000; approximately 20 grants expected. Funding rate 50%; grants paid as lump sums after delivery. ¹

Duration and timing:max. grant duration 1 month for fact-sheets and 3 months for case studies. Requests evaluated within 3 working days for fact-sheets and 7 working days for case-studies; appeals handled within defined short timelines.

How to apply:Submit the application via the EFCSN Grants Platform (registration required). Contact grants@efcsn.com for enquiries.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call text and application details available from the published call page EFCSN Emergency Response Microgrants.

Basic Call Information

Call title:Emergency Response - Microgrants for Ecosystem Development. Opening date: 10 August 2026. Deadline model: single-stage. Deadline date: 30 April 2028 23:59 Brussels time (rolling until funds depleted). Expected duration of participation: up to 3 months. Total funding available: €50,000. Project acronym: FACTEUR. Full project title: Fact-checkers for European Resilience Against Disinformation: Network for Emergency, Protection & Technology. Grant Agreement Number: 101269336. Funding instrument: part of the FACTEUR project under DIGITAL-2025.

Purpose and Background

The microgrants are designed to enable cross-border cooperation and exchange to help fact-checkers respond rapidly and effectively to disinformation surges during crisis events across Europe. They form part of the FACTEUR project implemented by the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) together with seven partner organisations: Pagella Politica/Facta, Faktograf, Newtral, Fact Review, Greece Fact Check, Fact Check Cyprus and Science Feedback. The call recognises the concept of an information crisis as a surge in disinformation that creates an information vacuum and can rapidly escalate into hate speech, public panic, increased societal polarisation, institutional mistrust and threats to collective safety. Crisis events are classified as predictable, semi-predictable and unpredictable and the call targets responses to semi-predictable and unpredictable events with potential cross-border impact.

Activities Funded

Two types of outputs are eligible for funding under this microgrant call. Both must be delivered in English and adhere to EFCSN templates (Appendix 1 for fact-sheets, Appendix 2 for case studies).

1. 1Production of fact-sheets: brief overviews in English of the most prevalent disinformation narratives and claims surging during ongoing semi-predictable and unpredictable crisis events that may have cross-border impact. Intended to inform fellow fact-checkers, catalyse knowledge sharing and warn the community of potential spill-over effects.
2. 2Production of case studies: post-crisis analyses documenting disinformation surges during semi-predictable and unpredictable crisis events and describing actions, methods and lessons learned to share operational know-how across the network.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet all listed requirements to be eligible.

1. 1Legal entity status: Applicants must be a legal entity, either for-profit or non-profit.
2. 2EFCSN certification: Applicants must be EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations.
3. 3Fact-checking activity: Applicants must be fact-checking organisations or fact-checking teams/units within larger organisations. Fact-checking is defined as using an evidence-based method to verify claims in the public sphere. Applicants must publish at least four human-authored fact-checking articles per month on average.
4. 4Location: Organisations must be based in the European Union or DEP-associated countries (list of DEP participating countries applies) DEP participating countries list ¹.
5. 5Single applicants only: The call is intended for single applicants (no consortium required). Organisations may receive funding multiple times for separate outputs.

Eligible Applicant Types:Eligible applicant types are legal entities operating as fact-checking organisations or fact-checking teams/units within larger organisations. This includes non-profit fact-checking NGOs, for-profit media organisations that run certified fact-checking units, independent fact-checking organisations, and research or academic entities only where they operate an EFCSN-certified fact-checking unit. Individuals are not eligible; the applicant must be a legal entity.

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: grant in the form of lump sums (microgrants / cascade funding).

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant only. The call is not for consortia; each application must be submitted by a single legal entity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants must be based in the European Union or DEP-associated countries. The call references the Digital Europe Programme list of participating countries; applicants from EEA/EFTA members and accession/candidate countries included in that DEP list are eligible according to the published DEP list ¹.

Target Sector:Thematic sector: information integrity, journalism, media and disinformation countermeasures. Relevant cross-cutting areas include digital media, content moderation, media literacy and research into information operations (disinformation and FIMI).

Mentioned Countries:The call text explicitly references the European Union and DEP-associated countries. No individual Member State is singled out in the call text. For DEP-associated country specifics, consult the DEP participating countries list (DEP list includes EU Member States, EEA/EFTA states such as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and a range of accession/candidate and partner countries as detailed in the DEP document) ¹.

Project Stage:Expected project maturity: operational response and rapid content production during or immediately after crisis events. Activities are short-term, applied outputs (production and documentation), focused on crisis response, analysis and knowledge transfer rather than research or long-term development.

Funding Amount:Total call budget: €50,000. Indicative number of grants: approximately 20. Maximum project amount (eligibility basis): up to €2,000 for fact-sheets and up to €7,000 for case studies; exact amounts must be calculated using the EFCSN-provided template. Funding rate: 50%. Maximum grant amounts payable: up to €1,000 for fact-sheets and up to €3,500 for case studies (after applying the funding rate).

Eligible and Ineligible Costs

Eligible direct costs include salaries and compensations for production, translation and other costs directly related to producing the fact-sheet or case study. Indirect/administrative costs are eligible but capped at 10% of total direct costs. The grant is paid as a lump sum and the payment structure is 100% following delivery and EFCSN confirmation of compliant outputs.

Selection and Evaluation Procedure

Selection follows three phases:Phase 1 eligibility and compliance screening by EFCSN; Phase 2 expert evaluation by consortium experts who assess need and absorptive capacity; Phase 3 approval by the WP4 Consortium for applications scoring at least 14 points. Applications will be evaluated against the award criteria listed below.

Application Stages and Timelines:This is a rolling single-stage call open from 10 August 2026 until 30 April 2028 or until funds are exhausted. Applications are submitted via the EFCSN Grants Platform. Evaluation turnaround: fact-sheet requests within 3 working days and case-study requests within 7 working days from submission. Rejected applicants may appeal within 5 working days; the Governance Body delegates final review and decisions must be resolved within 15 working days.

Application Type:Method: open rolling call (single-stage). Applications are submitted via an online application form on the EFCSN Grants Platform; account registration required. The call remains open until the stated closing date or until funds are depleted.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries receive monetary support (lump-sum grants). Non-monetary support includes publication and dissemination of outputs via the EFCSN grant or community platform and potential peer exchange within the EFCSN network.

Application Stages Count:Applicants pass through three administrative/evaluation stages as defined above: eligibility screening, expert evaluation and WP4 Consortium approval.

Success Rates:No explicit success rate is provided in the call text. Approximately 20 grants are expected to be awarded from a €50,000 budget. Actual success rates will depend on the number of eligible applications and distribution between fact-sheet and case-study requests.

Co-funding Requirement:There is no explicit obligation for applicants to provide co-funding beyond the requirement that the grant finances up to 50% of eligible costs. Applicants must calculate their requested amount using the EFCSN template table and the funding rate indicates partial coverage; therefore applicants should be prepared to cover the non-funded share from their own resources or other sources.

Application Templates and Form Structure

The call requires applicants to use EFCSN templates for outputs and a template table to calculate exact project amounts. Applications are submitted via an online application form on the EFCSN Grants Platform (registration required). While the public call text does not reproduce the full application form, the following structured elements are explicitly referenced or implied and should be prepared by applicants:

1. 1Applicant identification: legal name, legal status, country of establishment, EFCSN certification status and proof.
2. 2Contact details: primary contact person, email and organisational contact information.
3. 3Description of crisis event: evidence demonstrating an ongoing or recently finished semi-predictable or unpredictable crisis event and its cross-border impact (addressing the 'Need' criterion).
4. 4Proposed output: indicate whether the application is for a fact-sheet or a case study; describe the scope, intended audience, planned language (English required), and how the output will follow the EFCSN template (Appendix 1 or Appendix 2).
5. 5Workplan and timetable: delivery schedule compatible with maximum grant duration (1 month for fact-sheets, 3 months for case studies).
6. 6Budget calculation: use EFCSN-provided template table to calculate total direct costs, allowable indirect costs (capped at 10% of direct costs), requested amount and funding rate calculations (50%).
7. 7Absorptive capacity statement: organisational description of financial management, ability to receive and spend funds quickly, and accounting arrangements.
8. 8Publications history evidence: demonstration that the applicant publishes on average at least four human-authored fact-checking articles per month.
9. 9Declaration and bank/legal documents: required legal declarations and banking details for payment (standard EFCSN grant transactional requirements).
10. 10Upload fields: completed EFCSN templates (fact-sheet or case study template), supporting evidence (screenshots, links, timeline of disinformation surge) and any other requested annexes.

Applicants should obtain and use Appendix 1 (Fact-sheet template), Appendix 2 (Case study template) and the budget template referenced in the call. These templates are provided on the EFCSN Grants Platform when preparing the application; applicants must ensure outputs conform to those templates for acceptance and payment.

Reporting, Publication and Confidentiality

Grantees must submit final outputs (fact-sheet or case study) to the EFCSN grant or community platform. EFCSN will confirm compliance by email and then publish the outputs on the platform. Transparency disclosures will be published on the EFCSN funding opportunities page listing recipient name, amount and grant duration. Grant recipients operating in high-risk environments or handling sensitive data can request temporary confidentiality of their identity during implementation; disclosure can occur after the funding cycle ends.

Contact and Questions:Enquiries about the call should be sent to grants@efcsn.com. The call is also published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and further information, including templates and the online application, is available via the EFCSN Grants Platform: grants.efcsn.com and the EFCSN funding opportunities web page EFCSN funding opportunities.

Risks, Notes and Legal Disclaimers

The call is co-funded by the European Union. The views expressed in outputs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or covered by EU guidance restricting eligibility (for example the Commission guidelines related to activities in the territories occupied since 1967) are not eligible to participate. Applicants should consult the Digital Europe Programme list of participating countries for DEP eligibility conditions and any participation restrictions ¹.

Concise Answers to Structured Questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Legal entities acting as EFCSN-certified fact-checking organisations or fact-checking teams/units within larger organisations. This includes non-profit NGOs, for-profit media organisations with certified fact-checking units, and similar organisational structures. Individuals are not eligible.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (lump-sum microgrants / cascade funding).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single applicant only; consortia are not required or permitted.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Organisations based in the European Union or DEP-associated countries (see DEP participating countries list) ¹.
5. 5Target Sector: Information integrity and media/fact-checking sector; cross-cutting digital media and counter-disinformation activities.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: European Union and DEP-associated countries are referenced. No specific Member State is named in the call text; for DEP specifics see the DEP list ¹.
7. 7Project Stage: Operational response, documentation and post-crisis analysis — short-term applied outputs (response and dissemination).
8. 8Funding Amount: Total €50,000. Per-output maxima: budget basis up to €2,000 for fact-sheets and €7,000 for case studies; funding provides up to 50% of eligible costs yielding maximum payable grants of €1,000 for fact-sheets and €3,500 for case studies. Approximately 20 grants expected.
9. 9Application Type: Open rolling call submitted via EFCSN Grants Platform (single-stage).
10. 10Nature of Support: Monetary grants (lump sums) plus publication/dissemination support on EFCSN platforms (non-financial).
11. 11Application Stages: Three evaluation stages (eligibility & compliance; expert evaluation; WP4 Consortium approval).
12. 12Success Rates: Not specified. Approximately 20 grants to be awarded from a €50,000 budget; final success rate depends on applications received.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No explicit mandatory co-funding percentage stated beyond the funding rate concept. The grant covers 50% of eligible costs; applicants should plan for covering the remaining 50% from organisational resources or other sources.
14. 14Templates: Applicants must use EFCSN templates for fact-sheets (Appendix 1), case studies (Appendix 2) and the budget calculation template. Application form fields include organisational identification, crisis evidence, proposed output description, workplan and timetable, budget calculation per the template, absorptive capacity statement, publications evidence and bank/legal declarations. Outputs must be submitted in English and conform to the EFCSN templates.

Summary: What this Opportunity Is About and How to Explain It

This opportunity is a small, rapid-response microgrant scheme run by the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) under the FACTEUR project to support certified fact-checking organisations across the EU and DEP-associated countries. Its goal is to help the fact-checking ecosystem quickly produce two types of outputs during or shortly after crisis events: concise English-language fact-sheets that summarise the dominant disinformation narratives and claims during a crisis and post-crisis case studies that document how organisations detected, countered and learned from disinformation surges. The scheme provides lump-sum grants from a total pool of €50,000, pays 100% on delivery following acceptance, and requires applicants to be EFCSN-certified legal entities that meet publication activity thresholds and demonstrate organisational absorptive capacity. Applications are submitted via an EFCSN online platform on a rolling basis until 30 April 2028 or until funds run out; evaluation is rapid (3 working days for fact-sheets, 7 for case studies) and managed by EFCSN and consortium experts. The program is targeted, operational and time-sensitive: it funds short-term, applied outputs that strengthen cross-border information resilience and knowledge sharing within the European fact-checking community. For application access, templates and the online form, applicants must use the EFCSN Grants Platform and may direct questions to grants@efcsn.com.

Footnotes

1. 1Consult the Digital Europe Programme list of participating countries for the latest list of DEP-associated countries and specific participation conditions: ec.europa.eu

This call provides fast-turnaround lump sum grants for certified fact-checking organisations to produce English-language fact-sheets or case studies on disinformation surges linked to semi-predictable and unpredictable crisis events across Europe.[2] It sits under the FACTEUR project, Fact-checkers for European Resilience Against Disinformation, implemented by EFCSN with seven partner organisations, and the call references grant agreement number 101269336.[2]

What the funding supports

Fact-sheets are brief English overviews of the most prevalent disinformation narratives and claims arising during ongoing crisis events with cross-border impact, while case studies provide post-crisis analysis of the surge, the response, and lessons learned.[2] The crisis event covered by each output must occur during the call period, and both outputs must follow the templates provided by EFCSN.[2]

Who can apply

• Applicants must be legal entities, either for-profit or non-profit.[2]
• Applicants must be EFCSN certified fact-checking organisations, or fact-checking teams or units within larger organisations.[2]
• Applicants must use an evidence-based method to verify public claims and publish at least four human-authored fact-checking articles per month on average.[2]
• Applicants must be based in the European Union or in DEP-associated countries.[2]
• This call is for single applicants only, so consortia are not eligible.[2]
• Organisations can receive funding for fact-sheets and case studies more than once.[2]

Funding, costs and grant terms

Selection and evaluation

Applications are first checked for eligibility and compliance, then assessed by consortium experts on need and absorptive capacity, and finally approved by the WP4 Consortium if they reach at least 14 points.[2] Need is based on clear evidence of an ongoing or finished semi-predictable or unpredictable crisis event and its influence on the European information system, while absorptive capacity measures the organisation's ability to receive, manage, and account for the funds in time.[2]

Fact-sheets are evaluated within 3 working days and case studies within 7 working days after submission, rejected applicants may appeal within 5 working days, and the final review must be resolved within 15 working days.[2]

How to apply and report

The call opened on 10 August 2026 and remains open on a rolling basis until 30 April 2028 or until funds are exhausted.[2] Applications must be submitted through the EFCSN Grants Platform, with registration required if the applicant does not already have an account.[2]

Application platform:Submit through EFCSN Grants Platform.[2]

Grantees must submit the final output to the EFCSN grant or community platform, and compliant outputs are then confirmed by email and published on that platform.[2] EFCSN also states that funding disclosures will include the recipient organisation's name, amount, and grant duration, although recipients in high-risk environments or handling sensitive data may request confidentiality during implementation until the end of the funding cycle.[2]

Practical assessment

This opportunity best fits established fact-checking organisations that can react quickly to a specific crisis event, produce concise English outputs within a short timeframe, and demonstrate a clear operational need and the capacity to manage a small grant efficiently.[2]