Inclusive approaches and stakeholder participation

Call EuropeAid funds action grants to strengthen inclusive stakeholder participation and civil society capacity in Vietnam under the EU Human Rights and Democracy programme, with an indicative budget of €2,290,000 and individual grants of €500,000–600,000. The two-stage restricted procedure requires mandatory online submission via PROSPECT and prior registration in PADOR/Participant Register, with concept notes due 3 November 2026 (Brussels time) and invited full applications thereafter. Lead applicants must be non-profit legal entities established in eligible countries, actions must be implemented in Vietnam for 24–36 months, and applicants must follow the Guidelines and mandatory annex templates including budget and logical framework.

Quick facts

What it funds

Action grants to promote human rights, democracy and inclusive stakeholder participation in Vietnam. Typical activities: capacity building for local NGOs, legal and psychosocial assistance, advocacy, stakeholder engagement mechanisms, awarenessraising, exchanges, and sub-granting to local civil society.

Total budget:€2,290,000 total available. Individual grants must be between €500,000 and €600,000 and may cover 90% to 100% of eligible costs ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: non-profit legal persons (lead applicant must be a non-profit legal entity, e.g., NGO); co-applicants and affiliated entities allowed (all must meet eligibility criteria).
2. 2Where: actions must be implemented in Vietnam.
3. 3Duration: actions must run between 24 and 36 months.
4. 4Form of funding: reimbursement of eligible costs and/or financing not linked to costs where specified; sub-grants to third parties allowed (max usually €60,000 per third party unless otherwise justified).

Applications are restricted (two-stage):submit a concept note first; shortlisted lead applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Full application requires supporting documents (statutes, accounts, declarations) and may require contractual expenditure verification or third-party assessment for FNLC components ¹.

Eligibility highlights:Lead applicants must be non-profit legal persons, directly responsible for preparing and managing the action and not acting as intermediaries. International organisations as defined in the EU Financial Regulation are NOT eligible under this call.

1. 1Actions must focus on human rights and inclusive participation (women, youth, underrepresented groups).
2. 2Eligible costs must comply with PRAG/General Conditions; contingency reserve up to 5% and indirect costs up to 7% (where applicable).
3. 3Financial support to third parties is permitted; usual max per third party €60,000 unless justified.

Key administrative notes:register in the Participant Register (PIC) and PADOR; submit via PROSPECT. Read the call Guidelines and annexes (application forms, budget template, logframe) before applying. Deadlines and documents are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Full eligibility, funding rules, reporting and control requirements are in the Guidelines and annexes for the call (see Annexes A1-A2, B and C). Apply and submit via PROSPECT and register in PADOR. For the official call page and documents see the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call 187126.

Title:Inclusive approaches and stakeholder participation. Reference: EuropeAid. Funding programme: NDICI – Global Europe, Human Rights and Democracy thematic programme 2021-2027. Geographical zone: Vietnam. Total indicative budget: €2,290,000. Publication date: 17/09/2026. Deadline for concept notes: 03/11/2026 12:00 Brussels time. This is a restricted two-stage call for proposals: submission of concept note (Annex A.1) followed by invitation to submit full application (Annex A.2) for pre-selected lead applicants. Online registration and submission are mandatory via PADOR and PROSPECT. The call uses standard grant contract templates and annexes including Budget (Annex B) and Logical Framework (Annex C).

Eligible Applicant Types:Lead applicant must be a legal person and non-profit-making organisation, explicitly non-governmental organisations are targeted. Co-applicants and affiliated entities are allowed and must meet the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant. Public law bodies and public authorities may be participants where allowed by the call documents only as co-applicants or affiliated entities and must use the specific identification forms. International organisations, as defined by Article 159 of the EU Financial Regulation, are NOT eligible as lead applicants for this call. Associates (organisations participating without receiving direct EU funding except per diems/travel), contractors and recipients of financial support (sub-grantees) also have defined roles. Natural persons may participate only where specifically authorised by the call (see annexes).

Funding Type:Primary mechanism: Action Grant. Modality: reimbursement of eligible costs (actual costs) and the call allows financing not linked to costs (FNLC) in whole or in part for results-based components. Grants are implemented under the standard grant contract or contribution agreement in pillar-assessed cases. The contract uses PRAG and e-PRAG guidance and the standard annexes (Annex G standard contract, Annex II general conditions).

Consortium Requirement:A single lead applicant (coordinator) must submit the application. Co-applicants and affiliated entities are permitted and often expected to implement activities and sign mandates; therefore the typical structure is a lead applicant with optional co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies). Consortium-type submissions are supported (lead + co-applicants). The call forbids one entity acting purely as an intermediary. A lead applicant may act individually or with co-applicants. The lead applicant may not submit more than one application and may not be co-applicant or affiliated entity in another application under this call.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility for the action implementation: Vietnam (single-country action). Applicants must register in the Participant Register and PADOR; lead applicants must be established with legal personality and domiciled in eligible countries consistent with the programme rules. For this call the geographical zone is explicitly Vietnam and the action must take place there.

Target Sector:Thematic sector: Human rights and democracy. The call focuses on inclusive approaches and stakeholder participation: supporting civil society capacity on human rights, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, reporting to international mechanisms, structured engagement mechanisms at local level, participation of underrepresented groups (women, youth, local communities). Cross-cutting requirements include Human Rights-Based Approach and gender mainstreaming (GAP III), environment/climate and SEA-H compliance.

Mentioned Countries:Vietnam (explicitly listed as the action location). The call is managed by the European Commission Delegation for Vietnam and financed under NDICI Global Europe. The EU is the donor; implementers must consider Vietnamese legal requirements for NGO operations and project approvals.

Project Stage:Expected maturity: development and implementation stage. Projects should be implementation-focused, results-oriented and produce measurable outputs and outcomes (capacity building, advocacy, structured engagement mechanisms, sub-granting to local CSOs). Duration: actions must last between 24 and 36 months.

Funding Amount:Overall indicative envelope for the call: €2,290,000. Indicative annual allocations: €1,000,000 from 2026 budget and €1,290,000 indicative for 2027 subject to appropriation. Individual grant amounts: minimum €500,000 and maximum €600,000 per grant. EU co-financing may range from 90% to 100% of total eligible costs; applicants must normally provide remaining balance from other sources unless a full financing justification is provided and accepted.

Application Type:This is a restricted open call with a two-stage procedure: mandatory online concept note submission (Annex A.1) via PROSPECT; pre-selected applicants are invited to submit full applications (Annex A.2) via PROSPECT. Deadlines and user manuals: mandatory PADOR registration; PROSPECT online submission only. An information session for applicants is scheduled (12 October 2026, 15:00 Hanoi time) and a published FAQ process will run through the Delegation mailbox and portal.

Nature of Support:Primary support is monetary grants (reimbursement of eligible costs and result-based FNLC where applicable). Non-monetary support: the call expects capacity development, training, advocacy support, knowledge exchange, visibility and networking activities; contractual requirements include visibility and communication obligations and possible technical assistance through third-party contractors.

Application Stages:Main stages: 1) Concept note submission and administrative check and scoring (Step 1). 2) Invitation to pre-selected applicants to submit full application; full application evaluation (Step 2) including selection and award criteria (financial/operational capacity and quality). 3) Verification of eligibility and supporting documents for provisionally selected applications and signature of grant contract (Step 3). Overall procedure involves at least three formal steps; concept note and full application are the two applicant-facing submission steps.

Success Rates:No numeric success rate is published. The call uses a ranking and cut-off approach: only concept notes scoring above a threshold are pre-selected; the contracting authority reduces the pre-selected list so total requested contribution equals 200% of available budget for the call at concept-note stage. Final selection is merit-based and competitive; applicants should expect competitive selection and prepare high-quality concept notes and robust full applications.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-financing: The EU contribution must be between 90% and 100% of total eligible costs. The balance must come from other sources (applicant, other donors). Full financing (100%) is possible only if duly justified in the full application and accepted by the evaluation/contracting authority. Co-financing sources must be identified in the full application and supporting documentary evidence must be provided where requested.

Templates and mandatory annexes (application forms and supporting documents):Mandatory templates and annexes provided in the call: Annex A.1 Concept note form; Annex A.2 Full application form (description, methodology, action plan, sustainability, logical framework); Annex B Budget (worksheets 1a/€1B/1c for cost-based, FNLC and hybrid); Annex C Logical Framework Matrix; Annex F PADOR registration forms; Annex G Standard grant contract (and Annex II general conditions); Annex H Declaration of honour on exclusion and selection criteria; Annex L Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H; Annex VII-A Terms of reference for expenditure verification and Annex VII-B Terms of reference for third party assessment (for FNLC). Applicants must register in PADOR and the EU Participant Register and submit via PROSPECT. Full list of published documents and URLs are provided in the call page. The concept note is the only document evaluated at step 1 and must be complete and follow the prescribed format. Guidelines Annex A2 Full applicant form Budget Annex B Logical framework Annex C ¹

1. 1Key deadlines: Concept note deadline: 03/11/2026 12:00 Brussels time. Indicative invitation to submit full application: 24/11/2026. Deadline for full applications: 12/01/2027. Notification of award: March 2027. Contract signature: April 2027.
2. 2Grant size and eligibility: €500,000 – €600,000 per grant; minimum grant duration 24 months, maximum 36 months; actions must be implemented in Vietnam and address human rights, inclusive stakeholder participation and capacity building.
3. 3Submission channels: PADOR registration mandatory; applications submitted only via PROSPECT portal. IT helpdesk contact: ec-external-relations-application-support@ec.europa.eu and delegations call-for-proposals mailbox deleg ation-vietnam-call-for-proposals@eeas.europa.eu for call-specific queries.

Key implementation, financial and contractual requirements:actions must apply Human Rights-Based Approach and gender mainstreaming; comply with EU values; respect SEA-H policy and carry out Annex L self-evaluation where applicable; comply with procurement rules in Annex IV; maintain accounting records and supporting documents for at least five years after payment of the balance (three years where grants <= €60,000); contractual expenditure verification and third party assessment requirements apply for larger grants or FNLC components. The call permits financial support to third parties (sub-granting) up to €60,000 per third party except where higher amounts are justified and authorised; all sub-granting modalities, selection criteria and ceilings must be defined in full application and contract. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all funds.

Comprehensive summary:This restricted call EuropeAid finances action grants in Vietnam under the EU Human Rights and Democracy thematic programme to promote inclusive stakeholder participation in development processes and strengthen civil society capacity and engagement. The call targets NGOs and other non-profit legal entities as lead applicants; proposals must focus on inclusive participation mechanisms, capacity building, advocacy and engagement with international recommendations and local-level structured stakeholder processes. Grants range from €500,000 to €600,000 and the overall call budget is €2,290,000. Applications follow a mandatory two-stage online procedure in PROSPECT with prior PADOR/Participant Register registration. The call applies both traditional cost reimbursement and financing not linked to costs modalities; it enforces strict eligibility, procurement and reporting rules, requires contractual expenditure verification and may require third party assessment for FNLC components. Applicants should carefully follow the Guidelines and the Annex templates (concept note, full application, budget and logframe), ensure SEA-H self-evaluation compliance where applicable, and be prepared to provide supporting documents for eligibility and financial verification. Preparing a complete, coherent concept note aligned to the call priorities and the Logframe is critical because only the concept note is evaluated at stage 1 and only pre-selected lead applicants will be invited to submit full applications.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Guidelines for applicants and all annexes are published on the call webpage and include obligatory templates: concept note (Annex A.1), full application form (Annex A.2), Budget (Annex B), Logical Framework (Annex C), Standard Grant Contract and General Conditions (Annex G and Annex II), SEA-H self-evaluation (Annex L), expenditure verification ToR (Annex VII-A) and third party assessment ToR (Annex VII-B). See the call documents in PROSPECT for official templates and mandatory forms.

Opportunity summary

The official call page is the primary source for the opportunity ¹.

What the call is about

The call supports collaboration among non-state actors, research institutions, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders to strengthen knowledge generation, innovation and mutual learning in support of Vietnam's twin green and digital transition and EU Global Gateway priorities. It also promotes partnerships, applied research, data collection and dissemination, pilot initiatives, innovation labs, monitoring evaluation and learning, evidence-based advocacy, and stronger links between research, policy and practice.[1]

Who can apply

The available information points to a broad applicant base centered on non-state actors and collaborative partnerships in Vietnam. The call particularly highlights civil society organisations, academia, research institutes, professional associations, social enterprises, business actors, and other relevant stakeholders.[1]

• Partnership working appears to be central to the call design.
• Applicants should be able to contribute to evidence generation, innovation, learning or advocacy.
• Proposals should be grounded in Vietnam and aligned with the call's development priorities.
• Applicants should verify the full eligibility rules in the guidelines and annexes before submission.

Funding and application details

Budget:€2,290,000 total indicative budget.

Funding rate:Not stated in the available portal metadata. Applicants should verify the guidelines for any co-financing requirement or grant percentage.

Project duration:Not stated in the available information.

Deadline:3 November 2026 at 11:00:56 UTC.

The documentation package includes the call guidelines, concept note form, full application form, budget template, logical framework, identification forms, PADOR offline registration form, standard grant contract, declaration of honour, SEA-H self-evaluation questionnaire, tax regime information, and annexes on financing not linked to costs and derogations for international organisations.

The presence of both a concept note form and a full applicant form suggests a staged application process, so applicants should plan for an initial concept note submission followed by a full proposal if shortlisted.

Practical applicant considerations

• Build the proposal around inclusive participation and stakeholder engagement.
• Show how the project will generate usable evidence, learning or innovation outputs.
• Explain the pathway from research or pilot activity to policy or practice impact.
• Review the budget, logical framework and contract annexes early to avoid compliance issues.
• Confirm any requirements on co-financing, eligible costs, reporting and payment conditions in the guidelines.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call page on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal: EU Funding and Tenders Portal.