Lump Sum Micro-Grants for Members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice

The "Lump Sum Micro-Grants for Members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice" is a funding initiative under the EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe," aimed at enhancing soil health through research, innovation, and community engagement. The program will allocate a total of €24,000 through four calls, each offering fixed micro-grants of €750 to eligible applicants.

Eligible applicants include individuals who are natural persons and active members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice (CoP), who must be located in EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), or Associated Countries participating in Horizon Europe. Each applicant can receive a maximum of two grants during the project duration, with only one grant allowed per call.

The funding primarily targets soil literacy, aligning with the Soil Deal for Europe's mission priorities such as combating desertification, reducing soil pollution, enhancing biodiversity, and improving soil health and structure.

An application can be submitted via an open call process through the EU Survey Platform. The application consists of a contact form, a description of the activity, its alignment with SoilTribes goals, an estimated budget, and a timeline. The evaluation process entails an administrative and eligibility check, followed by an evaluation by jurors based on criteria including feasibility, project impact, and budget justification. The competitive success rate is estimated to range from 10% to 39%, considering four awards in each call.

No co-funding is required due to the nature of the fixed lump-sum grant, simplifying financial management for applicants. The initiative is designed to foster inclusivity, with attention given to geographic balance, gender, and sectoral diversity in the selection process.

Overall, the program aims to empower CoP members with necessary resources to engage in activities that promote soil knowledge and literacy, facilitating community-driven efforts toward improving soil health and sustainability in line with EU policy objectives.

The SoilTribes project is offering Lump Sum Micro-Grants to members of its Community of Practice (CoP) to promote soil literacy and develop innovative responses to soil-related challenges. The SoilTribes CoP is a multi-actor, mission-oriented collective of individuals and organizations. A total of 32 micro-grants of €750 (VAT included) will be awarded through four open calls over the project’s two-year timeframe. The first call opened on June 13, 2025, with a deadline of July 14, 2025, at 17:00 (Brussels time). Subsequent calls are expected in December 2025, June 2026, and December 2026. The total funding available for this call is €6,000.00. The project acronym is SoilTribes, and the full name of the EU-funded project is Glocal ecosystems restoring soil values, roles and connectivity. The grant agreement number is 101157729. The topic is HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07 - Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil.

To apply, applicants must complete and submit the Application Form via the EU Survey Platform. The application form requests: contact information, a brief description of the proposed activity (max 2500 characters), a short statement on how the activity aligns with SOILTRIBES goals and supports your work (max 2000 characters), estimated costs for the activity with a brief explanation of the costs, a timeline for activity completion, and declarations.

Applications must be submitted by July 14, 2025, at 15:00 CET, electronically via the EU Survey Link, in English, respect the character limits, have a budget equal to €750 (VAT included), and be submitted by an eligible applicant. Multiple applications are permitted if each proposal relates to a distinct activity.

The evaluation process includes an Administrative & Eligibility Check by the SoilTribes Consortium. Applications meeting the requirements will proceed to the Evaluation of Applications. Jurors, who are internal members of the consortium serving as Pillar Leaders, will evaluate the applications based on a 100-point score. To be considered for funding, applications must score at least 50% on each individual evaluation criterion and achieve an overall score of at least 50 out of 100 points. Each application will be evaluated by two jurors independently, and discrepancies will be resolved through consolidation meetings. A final ranking list will be produced.

The Selection process involves a Ranking Meeting between the SoilTribes Consortium and Jurors, where the numerical ranking is presented. The final selection will also consider geographic balance (maximum of two selected applicants per country per call), gender representation, sectoral diversity across the quintuple helix sectors and CoP pillars, and the absence of ethical issues.

Eligible applicants must be natural persons established in one of the Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, that, on the date of the publication of the call, participate in the Horizon Programme; and be registered in the SoilTribes CoP. All CoP members are encouraged to sign the Soil Manifesto.

Eligible activities must comply with EU policy interests and priorities, ensure the highest ethical standards, and comply with applicable EU, international, and national law. Applications should address soil literacy and at least one more of the following Soil Deal for Europe mission topic priorities: land degradation relating to desertification, conservation and increasing of soil organic carbon stocks, no net soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils, reduction of soil pollution and enhance restoration, soil erosion prevention, improvement of soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops, and reduction of EU global footprint on soils.

Proposed activities should contribute to the benefit of the Community, demonstrate relevance to one or more pillars of the SoilTribes CoP (Academy, Business, Government, Society, or Environment), and be related to: participation in conferences, seminars, or other events as speaker or equivalent; short-training course or equivalent to improve communication skills and/or learn more about soil literacy; acquisition of advisory services by experts on soil science and especially on literacy; other communication, education, or engagement activities necessary for or justified by the activities of the CoP, namely the Meetups and Design Thinking Bootcamps.

The total budget allocated is €24,000. The fixed lump sum is €750 (VAT included). The proposal must describe the resources mobilized for this amount, categorized by: Travel (transportation, accommodation, subsistence), Equipment (audio-visual equipment, educational tools, materials for soil demonstrations), and Other goods, works, and services (fees for external advisory services or mentoring). Each CoP member may receive a maximum of €1,500 (VAT included) in micro-grants, meaning no more than two micro-grants in total and only one grant per call.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guarantees data processing compliance. By applying, applicants agree to the storage and use of their personal data. The personal data collected includes name, gender, address, contact details, and institution. It will be used to facilitate the call process and deleted at the end of the project. The SOILTRIBES Consortium commits to handling personal data confidentiality except for the call results, which will contain information about successful SOILTRIBES funding support applications that will be made publicly available before the end of the project.

For questions, contact hello@soiltribes.eu. Applicants are encouraged to review the SoilTribes Community of Practice Guide and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the SoilTribes website.

In summary, this opportunity provides micro-grants to members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice to support activities that promote soil literacy and address soil-related challenges in line with EU policy. The grants are for a fixed amount of €750, and applicants must be members of the CoP from eligible countries. The application process involves submitting a proposal outlining the planned activity, its alignment with SoilTribes goals, and a budget breakdown. The selection process is competitive and considers factors such as geographic balance, gender representation, and sectoral diversity, in addition to the quality of the proposal. The overall aim is to empower the SoilTribes community to contribute to the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is natural persons who are active members of the SoilTribes Community of Practice (CoP). They must also be established in one of the Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, that, on the date of the publication of the call, participate in the Horizon Programme, and be registered in the SoilTribes CoP.

Funding Type: The funding type is a lump sum micro-grant.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is for single applicants, not a consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, that, on the date of the publication of the call, participate in the Horizon Programme.

Target Sector: The target sector is primarily focused on agriculture/food, environment, and education, specifically related to soil literacy and the Soil Deal for Europe mission. The thematic pillars of SoilTribes CoP include Academy, Business, Government, Society, and Environment.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is open to applicants established in the Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, that, on the date of the publication of the call, participate in the Horizon Programme.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is variable, but it appears to support activities related to knowledge development and transfer, communication, education, and engagement in the field of soil literacy. This could include activities at the development, validation, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is a fixed lump sum of €750 (VAT included) per micro-grant. A total of 32 micro-grants will be awarded during the project, distributed across four calls with approximately 8 grants per call. Each CoP member may receive a maximum of €1,500 (VAT included) over the course of the SoilTribes project, meaning they can be awarded no more than two micro-grants in total and only one grant per call.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. There will be four open calls in total.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum micro-grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves three stages: Administrative & Eligibility Check, Evaluation of Applications, and Selection.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but with 32 grants awarded over four calls, and considering the eligibility criteria, the success rate is likely to be in the 10 to 39% range, or potentially lower depending on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement. The call defines a fixed lump sum of €750 (VAT included), and the budget requested by applicants in the proposal must be equal to this fixed lump sum.

This opportunity is a series of micro-grants offered by the SoilTribes project to members of its Community of Practice (CoP). The SoilTribes CoP is a group of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting soil literacy and finding innovative solutions to soil-related problems. The micro-grants aim to empower CoP members by supporting activities that develop and transfer knowledge related to soil literacy.

The funding is provided as a lump sum of €750 per grant, and a total of 32 grants will be distributed across four open calls over two years. Eligible applicants must be natural persons who are active members of the SoilTribes CoP, established in EU Member States, their Overseas Countries and Territories, or Associated Countries participating in Horizon Europe. They must also be registered in the SoilTribes CoP.

The application process involves submitting an application form via the EU Survey Platform, including contact information, a description of the proposed activity, its alignment with SoilTribes goals, estimated costs, and a timeline. The activities should address soil literacy and align with the Soil Deal for Europe mission priorities, such as land degradation, soil organic carbon stocks, soil sealing, pollution reduction, erosion prevention, soil structure improvement, and reducing the EU's global footprint on soils.

The evaluation process includes an administrative check, evaluation by jurors based on predefined criteria, and a selection process that considers geographic balance, gender representation, sectoral diversity, and ethical considerations. The funding can be used for travel, equipment, and other goods, works, and services related to the proposed activity. Each CoP member can receive a maximum of €1,500 over the project's duration, with only one grant per call.

In summary, this is a micro-grant program designed to support individuals within the SoilTribes Community of Practice who are working to improve soil literacy and address soil-related challenges in Europe. It provides small but targeted funding to enable these individuals to participate in conferences, training courses, advisory services, and other communication and engagement activities. The program aims to foster a community-driven approach to soil health and sustainability.