Fighting against discrimination and racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance, including antigypsyism, anti-black, and anti-Asian racism

The EU is offering a grant opportunity under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) for projects aimed at combating discrimination and racism, focusing specifically on forms such as antigypsyism, anti-black racism, and anti-Asian racism. This grant is part of a broader initiative under the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025, which aims to reduce racial discrimination through comprehensive policy measures.

Eligible applicants for this funding include non-profit organizations, public authorities, research institutes, and civil society organizations actively engaged in anti-discrimination work within the EU, EEA countries, and associated third countries. The grants will be awarded as lump sums, facilitating financial support for operational costs and activities without the need for co-funding. The call for proposals allows single-stage applications through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with a planned opening date of July 15, 2025, and a submission deadline of October 23, 2025.

The total budget allocated for this specific topic within the CERV programme for the year 2025 is approximately €13.2 million, which is shared among four different topics. While the exact amount per project is not immediately specified, funding amounts are likely to vary, with larger projects potentially receiving between €200,000 to €1 million and smaller initiatives ranging from €50,000 to €200,000.

Projects funded through this initiative should focus on practical outcomes, such as community engagement, policy development, or awareness campaigns addressing discrimination in various sectors. Evaluation of applications will be based on criteria outlined in the call document, and while exact success rates are not provided, similar EU initiatives can be highly competitive.

In summary, this grant opportunity aims to bolster efforts against discrimination and racism within the EU, supporting organizations working towards creating more inclusive societies. For detailed eligibility criteria, proposal guidelines and additional information, applicants are encouraged to consult the call document and related resources on the EU’s Funding & Tenders Portal.

The EU is offering action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV) to promote equality and combat racism, xenophobia, and discrimination. This call for proposals, titled CERV-2025-EQUAL, focuses on six priorities.

The call utilizes CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-LS) with a CERV Lump Sum Grant [CERV-AG-LS] model agreement. It is a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date for submissions is July 15, 2025, and the deadline for applications is October 23, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The scope of the call is to address racism, xenophobia, and all other forms of discrimination. Further details can be found in the call document.

The conditions for application include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limits and layout are detailed in Section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form.

2. Eligible Countries: Specified in Section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: Described in Section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Outlined in Section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Section 8 of the call document.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Section 9 of the call document.

6. Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline is as follows (described in Section 4 of the call document):
Opening for submission: July 15, 2025
Deadline for submitting applications: October 23, 2025, 17:00 (Brussels time)
Evaluation period: October 2025 March 2026
Information to applicants: March April 2026
Signature of grant agreements: April July 2026

7. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Described in Section 10 of the call document.

Required documents include the Call Document, Standard Application Form (CERV), Detailed Budget Table (CERV LSII), and Declaration on Honour regarding CPP by public entities, and the Lump Sum MGA. Additional documents include CERV Work Programmes, CERV Regulation 2021/692, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sums for actions under the CERV programme (2021-2027), Guidance on managing lump sum grants, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview includes two main topics:

1. CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTISEMITISM and CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTIMUSLIM, with a total budget of 6,800,000 EUR.

2. CERV-2025-EQUAL-RESTRICTED, CERV-2025-EQUAL-LGBTIQ, CERV-2025-EQUAL-DIVERSITYMGT, and CERV-2025-EQUAL-RACI-DISC, with a total budget of 13,200,000 EUR.

Both topics follow a single-stage process, opening on July 15, 2025, and closing on October 23, 2025.

There are currently no partner search announcements. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header. Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully and consult the Call document, proposal template, and the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.

For IT-related questions, contact the IT Helpdesk. For non-IT questions, contact the CERV Contact Point of your country or EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu for priorities 1, 4, 5, and 6, or EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu for priorities 2 and 3. Always indicate the call and topic reference in the email subject.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity under the CERV program aims to promote equality and combat various forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and discrimination against the LGBTIQ community. The grants are provided as lump sums, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline in October 2025. Applicants should carefully review the call documents and guidelines to ensure their proposals meet the eligibility criteria and address the specific priorities of the call. The program seeks to support projects that contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable society within the EU.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the program's focus on equality and fighting discrimination, eligible applicants could include NGOs, nonprofits, public entities, research institutes, universities, and other organizations working in the relevant fields. The mention of "public entities" in the Declaration on Honour suggests that governmental bodies are also eligible. To confirm the eligible applicant types, refer to section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a CERV Lump Sum Grant (CERV-LS).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. To determine the consortium requirements, refer to the call document.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document and in the list of participating countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the following thematic sectors: equality, fighting against racism, xenophobia, all other forms of discrimination, antigypsyism, anti-black racism, and anti-Asian racism. It also covers areas such as anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, LGBTIQ equality, and diversity management.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. The geographic eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document and in the list of participating countries. Therefore, the eligible countries would be those listed in the call document.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly mentioned. However, given the focus on action grants, the expected project stage is likely to be at the implementation or development stage, rather than basic research or idea generation.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates the following:
CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTISEMITISM and CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTIMUSLIM have a budget of EUR 6,800,000.
CERV-2025-EQUAL-RESTRICTED, CERV-2025-EQUAL-LGBTIQ, CERV-2025-EQUAL-DIVERSITYMGT, and CERV-2025-EQUAL-RACI-DISC have a budget of EUR 13,200,000.
These are overall topic budgets, and the actual funding amount per project will vary.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Call for proposals" designation. The deadline model is single-stage.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:
This opportunity is a call for proposals for EU action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). It aims to promote equality and fight against racism, xenophobia, and all other forms of discrimination. The call has six priorities, including combating anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and promoting LGBTIQ equality and diversity management. The funding is provided as lump sum grants. The call is structured as a single-stage application process, with the submission deadline on October 23, 2025. Applicants need to consult the call document for detailed eligibility criteria, proposal guidelines, and the list of participating countries. The total budget allocated to the different priorities varies, with EUR 6,800,000 earmarked for anti-semitism and anti-Muslim hatred topics, and EUR 13,200,000 for the other four priorities. The evaluation period is expected to take place between October 2025 and March 2026, with grant agreements signed between April and July 2026. The call encourages applicants to use the Funding & Tenders Portal for submission and to consult the provided FAQs and online manual for guidance.