Partnering for impact in pursuit of the green and just energy transition

The European Commission open call EuropeAid funds civil society organisations, labour unions, communities and local authorities to support a just, inclusive green energy transition in South Africa, prioritising Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal. The total indicative envelope is €2,550,000 with grants from €800,000 to €1,200,000, co-financing between 50% and 95%, and project durations of 24–36 months. Applications follow a two-step selection (concept note then full application) and must be submitted online via PROSPECT with lead applicants registered in PADOR; the deadline for submission is 27 August 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Projects must comply with EU values, reporting, audit and visibility requirements and may include financial support to third parties under the conditions set out in the call guidelines.

Who can apply

Eligibility highlights

Open to non-profit civil society organisations (NGOs, community-based organisations, labour unions, cooperatives, employer organisations, trade unions, research organisations, universities, non-profit media and similar) acting as lead applicants. Lead applicants must be legal persons established in an EU Member State, the Republic of South Africa or other countries eligible under the NDICI-Global Europe rules and must register in PADOR/Participant Register and submit online via PROSPECT. Lead applicants outside South Africa must include at least one South African co-applicant; South African leads may apply alone or with partners ¹.

What the call funds:Grants to strengthen CSO and community capacity to engage in a just, inclusive energy transition in South Africa, including policy inputs, local renewable energy planning, resource mobilisation, skills and job transition initiatives and multi-stakeholder planning in priority provinces.

1. 1Actions must take place in South Africa; priority given to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and certain municipalities listed in the guidelines.
2. 2Project duration: minimum 24 months, maximum 36 months.
3. 3Applications: two-step open call (concept note then full application); online submission via PROSPECT mandatory.
4. 4Consortia: lead applicant coordinates; co-applicants and affiliated entities allowed; financial support to third parties permitted under conditions.

Key selection features:two-step evaluation (concept note screening then shortlisted full applications), technical and financial capacity checks, possible contractual expenditure verification and third-party assessment for FNLC components ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documents, application forms, guidelines and PROSPECT/PADOR registration information are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Funding & Tenders Portal.

Call reference:EuropeAid. Title: Partnering for impact in pursuit of the green and just energy transition. Contracting authority: European Commission (DG International Partnerships / Delegation to South Africa). Budget available: €2,550,000. Grant size: minimum €800,000; maximum €1,200,000 per grant. Percentage co-financing: minimum 50% and maximum 95% of total eligible costs. Deadline for submission of full applications: 27 August 2026, 12:00 Brussels time. Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory; lead applicants must register in PADOR and the Participant Register (PIC) prior to submitting the application.

Footnote:See Guidelines and all annexes published with the call for full technical, budgetary and contractual details Guidelines & Annexes ¹

1. 1Eligibility overview (applicants and partners)
2. 2Funding mechanism and permissible forms of financing
3. 3Consortium and partner requirements
4. 4Geographic and sector scope
5. 5Project maturity and duration requirements
6. 6Budgeting, eligible costs and FNLC (financing not linked to costs)
7. 7Selection, evaluation and reporting procedures
8. 8Monitoring, audit, third-party assessment and contractual controls
9. 9Key dates and submission rules
10. 10Practical annexes and templates provided

Detailed eligibility, funding type and operational rules

The call targets civil society organisations (CSOs) to support inclusive, gender-responsive policy and capacity development and to strengthen communities and local authorities to mobilise and monitor resources for sustainable local economic investment in the just energy transition in South Africa. Actions must take place in South Africa; priority provinces are Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal; actions in certain municipalities listed in the Guidelines are an advantage. The action duration must be between 24 and 36 months.

Eligible Applicant Types

Lead applicant requirements:legal person, non-profit-making civil society organisation. Eligible organisational types include NGOs, community-based organisations, indigenous peoples’ organisations, women’s and youth organisations, cooperatives, employer organisations and trade unions, research/academic organisations, non-profit media and other non-governmental associations. Lead applicants must be effectively established in an EU Member State or in the Republic of South Africa or in other countries eligible under NDICI-Global Europe rules. Lead applicants from outside South Africa must include at least one co-applicant established in South Africa. Co-applicants and affiliated entities must meet the same eligibility conditions where applicable. Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support are allowed but have distinct roles and do not sign the mandate/affiliation statement.

Eligible applicant types (explicit list):civil society organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations, labour unions, women’s groups, youth organisations, cooperatives, associations of small traders and businesses, research organisations and universities, non-profit media, local authorities (where applicable) and other non-profit entities that meet the establishment requirement (EU Member States, Republic of South Africa or other NDICI-Global Europe eligible countries).

Funding Type and Form of Grant

Primary financial mechanism:Grant. The call allows grants in the form of reimbursement of eligible costs (actual costs and/or simplified cost options) and may include financing not linked to costs (FNLC) where specified. The tender documents indicate the grant form(s) applicable for this call; applicants must respect the budget templates and the detailed rules in Annex II (General Conditions), Annex III (Budget) and Annex K (guidance on FNLC).

Permitted financial modalities:reimbursement of eligible costs (actual costs) with possible simplified cost options; financing not linked to costs (FNLC) for results‑based payments (if authorised in the call); combination (hybrid) is possible where the call authorises both modalities. Maximum grant per project: €1,200,000; minimum grant: €800,000; contracting authority contribution must be between 50% and 95% of eligible costs.

Consortium Requirement

The lead applicant may apply alone or with co-applicant(s). If the lead applicant is not established in South Africa it must have at least one co-applicant established in South Africa. The call accepts affiliated entities (legal structural links: control or membership) whose costs/results can count as eligible under conditions. The lead applicant is the coordinator and single contact point with the contracting authority; co-applicants sign mandates and affiliated entities sign affiliation statements. Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support to third parties are allowed but play different roles and do not become beneficiaries. Each actor may participate only in one role in a given application.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Geographic scope:actions must take place in South Africa. Priority provinces: Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal. Specific municipalities are called out in the Guidelines and give an advantage in selection. Lead applicants may be established in EU Member States, South Africa or other NDICI-Global Europe eligible countries; lead applicants not established in South Africa must include a South African co-applicant.

Target Sectors and Thematic Focus

Primary thematic sector:energy transition and just energy transition. The call supports capacity building of CSOs and communities to engage in local and national energy planning and to mobilise/monitor resources for sustainable local economic development. Priority areas: renewable energy (generation, transmission, distribution, storage), energy efficiency, green hydrogen and other priority value chains identified in Global Gateway and the South African JET‑IP; support for economic diversification, SMME livelihoods, youth and women employability, and inclusive multi‑stakeholder planning processes at municipal/district level. Projects that improve comprehension and uptake of the Team Europe Investment Package (Global Gateway / JET IP) at local government level are prioritised.

Mentioned Countries

Explicit country:South Africa. Eligible establishment of applicants: EU Member States and South Africa and other NDICI‑Global Europe eligible countries per basic act. The call reference and contract identifier indicate external action managed by the European Commission in South Africa.

Project Stage / Expected Maturity

Expected maturity:implementation‑focused interventions; projects should be at development, validation, demonstration or early implementation stage with clear capacity to deliver evidence‑based inputs to local/district/provincial/national policy and project implementation. Activities may include advocacy, capacity building, training, participatory research, piloting local renewable plans, job‑transition skilling and financial support to third parties. Proposed duration is 24–36 months.

Funding Amount and Budget Rules

Total indicative envelope for the call:€2,550,000. Grants must be between €800,000 and €1,200,000. Contracting authority contribution must be between 50% and 95% of total eligible costs. The budget templates provided in Annex III (cost‑based worksheets 1a/€1B/1c, budget justification sheet 2 and expected sources of funding sheet 3) are mandatory. Applicants may propose contingency reserve (max 5% of direct eligible costs) that can be used only with prior written authorisation of the contracting authority. Indirect costs: flat rate not exceeding 7% of the estimated total eligible direct costs (except volunteer costs and project office costs), unless applicant receives an EU operating grant — in which case they cannot claim indirect costs for the same period. Volunteers’ work may be declared as unit costs if authorised and must not exceed the limits defined by Commission guidance.

Application, Evaluation and Selection

This is an open call for proposals using a two‑step selection process:concept note evaluation followed by full application evaluation for those pre‑selected. The concept note is assessed first (score out of 50, minimum 30 points to be pre‑selected). Pre‑selection then reduces concept notes to an amount equal to at least 200% of the available budget. Pre‑selected lead applicants will be invited to submit full applications; full applications are scored against financial & operational capacity (section 1), relevance (section 2), design (section 3), implementation approach (section 4), sustainability (section 5) and budget/cost‑effectiveness (section 6). Minimum thresholds apply for financial/operational capacity (min 12/20 and no subsection equal to 1) and an overall pass is necessary to become provisionally selected.

1. 1Step 1: Administrative checks and concept note evaluation (score /50; cut-off 30; ranking and pre-selection up to 200% of budget).
2. 2Step 2: Evaluation of full application (selection and award criteria; score /100; quality and capacity checks).
3. 3Step 3: Verification of eligibility using supporting documents (statutes, audited accounts, declaration on honour, PADOR records).
4. 4Award decision and contracting; reserve list maintained for possible additional funding.

Application method and required documents

Applications must be submitted online in PROSPECT and organisations must register in PADOR and the Participant Register (PIC). The applicant must complete the concept note and full application forms (Annex A.1 and A.2), the logical framework (Annex C), the budget (Annex B), identification forms, declaration of honour, self‑evaluation on SEA‑H (if applicable) and supporting documents (statutes, latest accounts, audit report where required, bank identification forms). If PADOR registration is not possible the offline PADOR form (Annex F) must be submitted. Only documents listed in the guidelines will be evaluated; do not send additional annexes unless requested.

Evaluation criteria (summary)

Concept note:relevance (20 pts) and design (30 pts). Full application: section 1 financial & operational capacity (20 pts) — must score at least 12; sections 2 relevance (20 pts); 3 design (15 pts); 4 implementation approach (15 pts); 5 sustainability (15 pts); 6 budget & cost-effectiveness (15 pts). Some scores are weighted (multiplied by 2 for selected subcriteria).

Monitoring, reporting, audit and compliance

Reporting:interim and final narrative and financial reports using the models in Annex VI are mandatory. For grants of €100,000+ the contractual expenditure verification is required for final report; for grants of €5,000,000+ expenditure verification is required with interim reports. Where FNLC is used and the grant or FNLC portion exceeds €100,000 a third party assessment validating the achievement of results will be required together with the financial/narrative report. The contracting authority may commission its own verifications and reserves the right to suspend payments and terminate the contract in case of irregularities, fraud or non-compliance. The coordinator is responsible for accounting, reporting and record‑keeping obligations for at least five years after final payment (three years for grants <= €60,000).

Key compliance instruments and controls:contractual expenditure verification (Annex VII‑A), third party assessment (Annex VII‑B) for FNLC, standard grant contract and general conditions (Annex G & Annex II), procurement rules (Annex IV), model financial guarantee (Annex VIII), transfer of ownership template (Annex IX), self‑evaluation on SEA‑H (Annex L).

Assessment of application process practicalities

Application type:open call. Submission method: online via PROSPECT only (exceptions for technical PADOR issues where offline forms must be submitted together with PROSPECT submission). The portal records Brussels time. IT helpdesk is available Mon–Fri 08:30–18:30 Brussels time; technical support email: ec-external-relations-application-support@ec.europa.eu. Questions to the contracting authority must be sent no later than 21 days before the deadline; replies published at least 11 days before the deadline. The contracting authority may cancel the call at any stage.

Risk management, ethics and values

Applicants must declare absence of conflicts of interest, comply with EU values (human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights), environmental legislation, ILO core labour standards and zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA‑H). For grants over €60,000 beneficiaries (except natural persons, pillar‑assessed entities, and public bodies) must complete a SEA‑H self‑evaluation questionnaire and propose remedial measures where gaps are identified. The contracting authority will apply exclusion and sanction mechanisms in cases of fraud, corruption, significant non‑performance or unlawful conduct, including potential administrative financial penalties and exclusion from future EU funding.

Templates, forms and annexes provided

The call package includes mandatory templates and annexes (Guidelines, Grant Application Form concept note and full application, Budget spreadsheet, Logical Framework template, Identification forms for private and public entities and natural persons, Standard Grant Contract (Annex G) with its General Conditions (Annex II), Clarifications on FNLC (Annex K), Declaration of Honour, PADOR offline registration form, SEA‑H self‑evaluation, model financial guarantee, procurement rules, contractual expenditure verification ToR (Annex VII‑A) and third party assessment ToR (Annex VII‑B), visibility, tax regime information, and reporting templates). Applicants must use these templates exactly as published and upload required supporting documents by the deadline.

Practical application tips (based on call rules)

1. 1Register in PADOR and the Participant Register (PIC) early; obtain PIC and EuropeAid ID ahead of submission.
2. 2Follow the exact structure of the concept note and full application; do not attach unsolicited annexes that exceed page limits.
3. 3Use Annex C (logical framework) to define measurable indicators; if using FNLC mark indicators in the Logframe and ensure they appear as budget headings in Annex B.
4. 4Budget realistically: include contingency reserve (max 5%) only if necessary and justify its use; indirect costs capped at 7% unless ineligible.
5. 5If planning financial support to third parties, define objectives, selection criteria, eligible activities and maximum amounts in the full application (detailed rules in Guidelines).
6. 6Prepare contractual documents and accounting records so they can be made available for eligibility checks and audits.
7. 7Include visibility and communication measures in line with EU Communication and Visibility Requirements; request derogation only when there are security or confidentiality reasons.
8. 8Address SEA‑H and safeguarding in the application and be prepared to complete the SEA‑H self‑evaluation if shortlisted.

How this opportunity would be explained in plain terms

This European Commission call invites established civil society organisations and their partners to submit project proposals to strengthen the capacity of communities, local authorities and CSOs in South Africa to plan and manage a green and just energy transition. The programme funds substantial projects (€0.8M to €1.2M) that build stakeholder capacity, support local renewable energy planning, promote inclusive economic diversification and skilling for green jobs, and enable community participation in resource mobilisation and project monitoring. Applicants must apply via the Commission’s online systems (PADOR and PROSPECT), meet non-profit and legal‑establishment criteria, follow strict reporting, procurement and audit rules, and demonstrate operational and financial capacity. Projects may use conventional reimbursement budgets and, where authorised, payments tied to agreed results (financing not linked to costs). The selection process is competitive and follows a two‑stage evaluation: concept note preselection followed by full application evaluation and verification of supporting documents prior to contracting.

Extracted key documents (selected links)

Call documents (Guidelines, Application forms, Logical Framework, Budget templates, Standard Grant Contract with General Conditions, ToR for contractual expenditure verification and third party assessment) are published and downloadable from the call web page. Use the official repository referenced in the call text for the authoritative versions Call page.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Guidelines for applicants, application forms and annexes are available on the call page and must be used for preparing your submission. See: webgate.ec.europa.eu

Opportunity Overview

Key Facts at a Glance

This open call for proposals, reference EuropeAid, is funded by the European Commission to support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), communities, labour unions, and local authorities in South Africa to engage in the green transition. The primary focus is on mobilizing and monitoring resources for sustainable local economic development that promotes a just, inclusive, and climate-friendly energy transition while ensuring inclusion, transparency, and accountability [[1]][[2]].

Total Budget:The overall indicative amount available is €2,550,000, with grants ranging between €800,000 (minimum) and €1,200,000 (maximum) per project [[1]].

Deadline:Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT by 27 August 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time [[2]].

Location:Actions must take place in South Africa, with priority given to Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, and specific municipalities like Emalahleni, Polokwane, and eThekwini [[2]].

Who Should Apply

Eligible Applicants

The lead applicant must be a non-profit-making legal person and a civil society organization, such as a non-governmental organization (NGO), trade union, women's or youth organization, local traders' association, cooperative, or research institution [[2]].

The lead applicant must be established in an EU Member State, South Africa, or a country eligible under the NDICI-Global Europe basic act. If the lead applicant is not established in South Africa, they must act with at least one co-applicant established in South Africa [[2]].

1. 1Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including NGOs and community-based organizations
2. 2Labour unions and social partners
3. 3Local authorities and municipalities
4. 4Women's and youth organizations
5. 5Research and scientific organizations

Priority Areas and Objectives

Specific Objectives

The call aims to achieve three specific objectives:strengthening CSO capacity to formulate evidence-based inputs for energy planning; strengthening community capacity to mobilize and monitor resources for sustainable local investment; and strengthening skilling and job-transitioning initiatives in green economy sectors like renewable energy and green hydrogen [[2]].

Priority will be given to actions that share knowledge on the Global Gateway Investment Package and Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan (JET-IP), support local renewable energy planning, promote economic diversification for affected communities, and enhance youth and women employability in green sectors [[2]].

Financial Details and Conditions

Grant Structure

The grant is based on the reimbursement of actual eligible costs. Indirect costs are eligible at a flat rate of up to 7% of total eligible direct costs. A contingency reserve of up to 5% may be included with prior authorization [[2]].

Application Process and Evaluation

Two-Step Procedure

The application process involves two steps:first, the submission and evaluation of a Concept Note (Step 1), and second, the submission and evaluation of a Full Application by pre-selected lead applicants (Step 2) [[2]].

Concept notes must score at least 30 out of 50 to be pre-selected. The full application is evaluated on financial/operational capacity (minimum 12 points required), relevance, design, implementation approach, sustainability, and budget cost-effectiveness [[2]].

Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory. Applicants must register in PADOR to obtain a EuropeAid ID and Participant Identification Code (PIC) before submitting [[2]].

Important Requirements

Applicants must comply with EU values, including human rights, gender equality, and environmental standards. A zero-tolerance policy applies to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA-H), requiring a self-evaluation questionnaire for grants exceeding €60,000 [[2]].

Visibility of EU funding is mandatory, requiring the display of the EU emblem and relevant funding statements unless exceptional security or political sensitivities justify a derogation [[2]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official Guidelines for Grant Applicants: Guidelines PDF
2. 2PROSPECT Portal for Submission: PROSPECT
3. 3PADOR Registration: PADOR