Experience sharing grants

This grant opportunity is under the Equal Rights Project (ERP_PL), part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) program, aimed at fostering experience sharing among civil society organizations (CSOs) in Poland. The program has a total budget of approximately €69,460, with individual grant amounts ranging from €2,315 to €4,600. Its primary objective is to support activities that promote human rights and rule of law, particularly for groups at risk of discrimination, hate speech, and hate crimes.

Eligible applicants must be non-profit organizations based in Poland, specifically legal forms such as foundations, associations registered in the National Court Register, church legal entities, rural housewives' circles, or ordinary associations. Both the applicant and a partner organization are required to have different levels of experience, facilitating peer learning. The organizations must also have been registered for at least 12 months prior to application and must respect EU values.

Funding can be used for various activities, including study visits, joint workshops, job shadowing, traineeships, and exchanges of experts. While eligible organizations must be Polish, project activities can take place across any EU Member State.

The application process is a rolling call with multiple cut-off deadlines:October 31, 2025; March 2, 2026; June 30, 2026; and October 30, 2026. Projects must not involve religious worship or promotion of any religious doctrine.

In summary, this grant is intended for Polish CSOs seeking to enhance their capacity and expertise in human rights and rule of law activities by collaborating with peers from similar sectors. The program emphasizes practical learning and aims to strengthen civil society’s role in upholding democratic values.

The Call for thematic grants aims to support experience sharing between Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that work on behalf of groups at risk of discrimination, unequal treatment, hate speech, or hate crime, or that carry out watchdog/monitoring/advocacy activities in support of respect for the rule of law, or that aim to gain experience in these areas within the project. These experience sharing grants are designed to facilitate peer learning between two CSOs (an Applicant and a Partner) with different levels of experience in human rights and/or rule of law activities, organizational development, team building, and related areas. The grants are intended to encourage CSOs to share skills and solutions.

The total budget for this call is PLN 300,000, which is approximately €69,460. The minimum grant amount is PLN 10,000 (approximately €2,315), and the maximum grant amount is PLN 20,000 (approximately €4,600).

To be eligible, Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be established in Poland.

Be non-profit making and a civil society organization.

Respect EU values as laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Have an eligible legal form, specifically:foundations, associations registered in the National Court Register, church legal persons registered in the National Court Register, rural housewives’ circles, or so-called ordinary associations.

Have been registered for at least 12 months before submitting the application.

Partners must also meet specific eligibility criteria:

Be established in Poland.

Be non-profit making and a civil society organization.

Respect EU values as laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Have an eligible legal form, specifically:foundations, associations registered in the National Court Register, church legal persons registered in the National Court Register, rural housewives’ circles, or so-called ordinary associations.

Only activities taking place in an EU Member State are eligible for funding.

Submitted proposals will be evaluated in an open-end (rolling) call. Grants will be awarded a maximum of four times until the allocated budget is exhausted, according to the following schedule:

Until December 19, 2025.

Until April 30, 2026.

Until September 4, 2026.

Until December 18, 2026.

Eligible types of project activities include:

Study visits.

Joint workshops.

Job shadowing.

Traineeships.

Exchange of experts between the Applicant and Partner organizations.

Joint initiatives testing new working methods.

Organizations are explicitly prohibited from conducting religious worship as part of the project. Funded activities must not directly or indirectly promote religious doctrine, mission, or appeal to a particular faith.

The opening date for submissions is September 18, 2025. The deadline model is multiple cut-off, with the following deadline dates at 12:00 (Brussels time):

October 31, 2025

March 2, 2026

June 30, 2026

October 30, 2026

The call is open for submission. The expected duration of participation is not specified. The project acronym is ERP_PL, and the full name of the EU-funded project is the Equal Rights Project. The grant agreement number is 101184789. The topic is CERV-2024, which is a call for proposals for civil society organizations active in protecting and promoting Union values, specifically a call to intermediaries giving financial support to third parties.

Further information, including a detailed description of the call procedure, can be found on the Equal Rights Programme website: programrownychpraw.batory.org.pl.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for proposals under the Equal Rights Project (ERP_PL), funded by the EU, aimed at fostering collaboration and experience sharing between Polish CSOs working in the fields of human rights, rule of law, and combating discrimination. The grant provides financial support for joint activities such as study visits, workshops, job shadowing, and expert exchanges between a more experienced and a less experienced CSO. The goal is to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of these organizations in promoting EU values and protecting vulnerable groups. The application process involves multiple deadlines over the next two years, and successful applicants must adhere to strict eligibility criteria and activity guidelines, ensuring that the projects align with EU principles and do not involve religious activities.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are non-profit civil society organisations (CSOs) established in Poland. Specifically, eligible legal forms include foundations, associations registered in the National Court Register, church legal persons registered in the National Court Register, and rural housewives’ circles, including so-called ordinary associations. Both the applicant and the partner organization must meet these criteria.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant. These are thematic grants specifically designed to support experience sharing between CSOs.

Consortium Requirement:A consortium of two applicants is required. The grant is designed for peer learning between two CSOs: an Applicant and a Partner, who should have different levels of experience.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants and Partners must be established in Poland. However, project activities are eligible if they take place in any EU Member State.

Target Sector:The target sector is focused on human rights, rule of law, and combating discrimination. This includes CSOs working on behalf of groups at risk of discrimination, unequal treatment, hate speech, or hate crime. It also covers organizations involved in watchdog, monitoring, and advocacy activities that support respect for the rule of law.

Mentioned Countries:Poland, and all EU Member States (where project activities can take place).

Project Stage:The project stage is focused on experience sharing and peer learning. This suggests projects that are in the development or validation stage, where organizations are looking to improve their practices through learning from others.

Funding Amount:The total budget for the call is approximately €69,460 (PLN 300,000). The minimum grant amount is approximately €2,315 (PLN 10,000), and the maximum grant amount is approximately €4,600 (PLN 20,000).

Application Type:The application type is an open-end (rolling) call. This means that applications are evaluated continuously until the total budget is exhausted.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their experience-sharing projects.

Application Stages:The application process appears to be a single-stage process, evaluated on a rolling basis. However, grants will be awarded a maximum of four times according to the schedule until the allocation is exhausted.

Success Rates:The success rate is not explicitly mentioned, but given the rolling call and limited budget, it is likely that the success rate will decrease as the deadlines approach and the budget is depleted. The success rate is other.

Co-funding Requirement:The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for thematic grants under the Equal Rights Project (ERP_PL), funded by the EU. It aims to support experience sharing between Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Poland that are working to combat discrimination, promote human rights, and uphold the rule of law. The call operates as a rolling call with multiple cut-off dates, and the total funding available is approximately €69,460.

To be eligible, both the applicant and partner organizations must be non-profit CSOs established in Poland, respecting EU values and having specific legal forms such as foundations or registered associations. The grants, ranging from €2,315 to €4,600, are intended to facilitate peer learning through activities like study visits, joint workshops, job shadowing, exchange of experts, and joint initiatives.

The projects must involve two organizations:an applicant and a partner, with the goal of sharing skills and solutions related to human rights, rule of law activities, organizational development, and team building. While the organizations must be based in Poland, the project activities can take place in any EU Member State.

The call for proposals is open from September 18, 2025, with multiple deadlines:October 31, 2025, March 2, 2026, June 30, 2026, and October 30, 2026. The grants will be awarded until the budget is exhausted, making it crucial for interested organizations to apply as early as possible. The initiative is part of the broader CERV-2024 program, which supports civil society organizations in protecting and promoting Union values. Religious worship or promotion of religious doctrine is explicitly prohibited as part of the funded activities.