Promoting citizens’ active engagement and democratic participation in public policymaking, beyond elections, as well as broader civic engagement

This is an EU call under the CERV programme (Priority 2) managed by EACEA to promote citizens' active engagement and democratic participation beyond elections, using output-based lump sum grants. The call opened 3 March 2026 with a single-stage submission deadline on 29 April 2026 (17:00 CET) and evaluation planned May–October 2026, with grant agreements expected January 2027. The indicative budget for Priority 2 is €10,000,000 (€6,000,000 for civil society projects and €4,000,000 for local/regional public bodies), minimum grant €75,000, project duration typically 12–24 months, and transnational consortia of at least two applicants from different eligible countries are required. Proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and comply with eligibility, exclusion, ethical, child protection and no-profit/double-funding rules.

Promoting citizens’ active engagement and democratic participation (CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV-ENGAGEMENT-BEYOND-ELECTIONS)

Call type and schedule

Quick facts

Call for proposals under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV). Type of action: CERV Lump Sum Grants. Single-stage submission. Opening date: 03 March 2026. Deadline: 29 April 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Indicative evaluation: May–October 2026; grant signature from January 2027.

Objective:Support projects that increase citizens’ and representative associations’ participation in democratic and civic life beyond elections, strengthen civic engagement and societal resilience, and link citizens to public policymaking at local to EU levels ¹.

What it funds

Activities are event- and output-based (work packages/events). Eligible actions include structured participatory/deliberative processes, awareness-raising, training, civic tech and digital tools for engagement, capacity-building for public bodies, and dissemination. Support to political parties or proselytising is excluded. Projects must be transnational (unless specific sub-priority allows national public bodies).

Form of grant and financial rules:Lump sum grants. Minimum EU grant per project €75,000. No fixed maximum per project; total indicative call budget €30,000,000 distributed across three priorities (approx. €10M each). Projects are normally 12–24 months.

Who can apply

Eligibility depends on sub-priority but in general: non-profit private legal entities or public universities as lead applicants for civil-society focused projects; local/regional public bodies for sub-priority targeting public authorities; national public bodies competent in electoral matters for the elections-related sub-priority. International organisations can participate. Natural persons are not eligible.

1. 1Minimum consortium: at least two applicants from two different eligible countries for most sub-priorities (transnational requirement)
2. 2Lead applicant may submit only one proposal under this call (multiple submissions by same lead cause rejection)
3. 3Activities must take place in eligible countries and beneficiaries must register in the Participant Register (PIC required)
4. 4Projects must respect EU values, data protection and child safeguarding rules where applicable

Budget overview

Applications submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal using the CERV Lump Sum application templates. Proposals must respect page limits and submission rules; required annexes and legal/financial checks apply.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, annexes, eligibility rules and the lump sum decision are in the Call Document and Portal reference materials: Call document and templates

CERV 2026: Promoting citizens’ active engagement and democratic participation in public policymaking, beyond elections (CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV-ENGAGEMENT-BEYOND-ELECTIONS)

Opportunity type: Call for Proposals within the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV), Citizens’ engagement and participation 2026. Reference: CERV-2026. Type of action: CERV-LS CERV Lump Sum Grants under the CERV Lump Sum Grant Model Grant Agreement. Single-stage call. Opening date: 03 March 2026. Deadline: 29 April 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Evaluation period: May to October 2026. Information to applicants: October 2026. Grant agreement signature: January 2027. Total estimated call budget: €30,000,000, with €10,000,000 indicative for this Topic (Priority 2), split into Sub-priority 2.1 MAIN FOCUS CSO (€6,000,000) and Sub-priority 2.2 MAIN FOCUS PUBLIC BODIES AT LOCAL OR REGIONAL LEVEL (€4,000,000) Call Topic Page Call Document PDF ¹.

Objectives and scope specific to this Topic (Priority 2)

Priority 2 supports actions that instil a lasting culture of participatory democracy and encourage citizens to take an active role in representative democracy by participating in decision-making, engaging in civic activities, and exercising rights and responsibilities as EU citizens beyond elections. Projects must directly involve citizens, including young people, in activities linked to EU policies and to the policymaking process, with a strong practical link to public bodies and public decisions.

Sub-priority 2.1 MAIN FOCUS CSO (Civil Society Organisations):Eligible actions include: structured participatory and deliberative consultative processes enabling direct citizen contributions to public policymaking; research and implementation of innovative practices in democratic participation at local, regional, national and EU levels; facilitation of interactions between public bodies and citizens with a focus on local level and youth engagement; development, implementation and dissemination of digital tools and platforms to facilitate engagement and democratic debate and support EU civic tech; ensuring wider access to participation opportunities; and developing, implementing and disseminating programs, tools or materials to inform citizens about their rights and duties as citizens. Activities designed to support a specific European Citizens’ Initiative or to rally support on a single theme only are not supported. Formats that are not representative, have no actionable results or follow-up, or are disconnected from public policymaking will not be considered.

Sub-priority 2.2 MAIN FOCUS PUBLIC BODIES AT LOCAL OR REGIONAL LEVEL:Targets local or regional public authorities. Eligible actions include: organising structured participatory and deliberative consultative exercises to enable citizen input to public policymaking; increasing interactions between public bodies and citizens, with emphasis on local level and youth engagement; using digital tools and platforms to facilitate citizens’ participation and democratic debates; and improving access to information about participation opportunities at all governance levels.

Expected impacts for Priority 2:Increased citizen empowerment and involvement in decision-making from local to EU level; greater active participation of diverse people, particularly at local level and among young people; wider and better use by public bodies of inclusive, representative consultative and deliberative processes; greater uptake of digital and innovative solutions complementing in-person exchanges and support for the EU civic tech sector; and more frequent and effective use of participatory and deliberative exercises linked to concrete policy impacts, notably at local level.

Categorisation and structured information

Eligible Applicant Types:Lead applicants and co-applicants must be legal entities. For Sub-priority 2.1 (CSO main focus): Lead applicants must be non-profit private legal entities or public universities established in eligible countries. Co-applicants must be non-profit legal entities, public or private, or international organisations established in eligible countries. For Sub-priority 2.2 (Public bodies at local or regional level): Lead applicants must be regional or local public bodies such as regions, counties, towns, municipalities or other local and regional authorities established in eligible countries. Co-applicants must be non-profit legal entities, public or private, or international organisations established in eligible countries. Individuals are not eligible. International organisations are eligible as co-applicants. EU bodies, except the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, cannot participate. Entities without legal personality may participate under strict conditions. Typical eligible applicant types include: NGO, nonprofit, association, foundation, public university, research institute housed in a public university, local government, regional authority, international organisation. For-profit SMEs or companies are not eligible as lead applicants in Priority 2 and may only participate as co-applicants if they are non-profit legal entities.

Funding Type:Grant in the form of Lump Sum contributions under the CERV Lump Sum Grant Model Grant Agreement. The grant reimburses a fixed amount per work package event based on predefined parameters rather than actual costs, with payment tied to outputs and deliverables, not to cost reporting.

Consortium Requirement:Transnational consortium required for both Sub-priority 2.1 and 2.2: at least two applicants from two different eligible countries. Single-applicant projects are not permitted under Priority 2. Associated partners may join without funding; affiliated entities may participate but do not count towards the minimum consortium composition.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants must be established in eligible CERV countries: EU Member States including overseas countries and territories, and non-EU countries associated to the CERV Programme or in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. Activities must take place in eligible countries. Entities subject to EU restrictive or conditionality measures are not eligible.

Target Sector:Democracy, governance and public administration innovation, civil society and civic engagement, participatory and deliberative democracy, digital civic technology and platforms, information access, public policy co-creation, youth engagement, rights and citizenship education, inclusion and equality mainstreaming across participation processes.

Mentioned Countries:Region-focused on EU and CERV-associated countries. No specific individual countries are named for this Topic beyond EU and associated eligibility. The programme explicitly references activities across EU Member States and eligible associated non-EU countries.

Project Stage:Projects are expected to design, develop, pilot and implement participatory and deliberative processes and digital tools; conduct evidence-gathering and practical deployments; and demonstrate linkages to policymaking. Typical stages include development, validation and demonstration, followed by implementation and early scale-up within the grant period, with an emphasis on actionable outcomes and policy uptake.

Funding Amount:Minimum EU grant per project: €75,000. No maximum grant amount is set in the call; the grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested. Topic 2 total indicative budget is €10,000,000, split as €6,000,000 for Sub-priority 2.1 and €4,000,000 for Sub-priority 2.2.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage submission, via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted.

Nature of Support:Money in the form of EU Lump Sum grants. The grant covers lump sum contributions per work package event. No financial support to third parties is allowed under this call.

Application Stages:1 stage. One-stage submission with one-step evaluation against admissibility, eligibility, operational capacity and award criteria. Ranked list within Topic and sub-priorities, with ex aequo tie-breakers applied sequentially to Relevance, then Quality, then Impact scores.

Success Rates:The call documentation does not provide success rate statistics for this Topic or call year. Applicants should note competitive evaluation and defined thresholds: Relevance minimum pass score 25 out of 40, overall threshold 70 out of 100.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding is generally required under CERV action grants. The specific funding rate will be fixed in the Grant Agreement based on the lump sum methodology and call rules. Applicants must ensure a balanced project budget and sufficient resources, with no-profit and no double-funding rules. The call does not specify an explicit percentage co-funding rate for Priority 2 in the public fiche; the funding rate will be set during grant preparation and reflected in the Data Sheet of the Grant Agreement.

Eligibility, composition and duration

• Legal status: Applicants must be legal entities. Natural persons are not eligible.
• Leads for Sub-priority 2.1: Non-profit private legal entities or public universities.
• Leads for Sub-priority 2.2: Local or regional public bodies.
• Co-applicants (both sub-priorities): Non-profit legal entities (public or private) or international organisations.
• Consortium: At least two applicants from two different eligible countries; transnational projects are mandatory for Priority 2.
• Geographic scope: Activities must take place in eligible CERV countries.
• Grant size and duration: Minimum EU grant €75,000; typical duration 12 to 24 months; extensions possible by amendment if duly justified.

Activities that can be funded and constraints

• Structured participatory and deliberative processes with clear methodologies, representativeness, and actionable outputs linked to policymaking.
• Innovation in democratic participation practices; pilots and deployment at local, regional, national and EU levels.
• Citizen-public body interaction hubs, particularly at local level and engaging young people.
• Digital civic tech: platforms and tools to enable citizen participation and democratic debate; complement in-person engagement.
• Information access improvements for participation opportunities; citizen rights and duties education.
• Focus on inclusiveness, gender equality, non-discrimination and reaching groups facing barriers to participation.
• Non-eligible: Activities supporting specific political parties or proselytising. Activities focused on a specific European Citizens’ Initiative or rallying support solely on a single theme. Engagement formats lacking representativity or actionable results, or disconnected from policymaking.

Evaluation and award criteria

Relevance assesses alignment with call priorities and objectives, robust needs assessment, target group definition with gender perspective, EU transnational dimension, transferability, and complementarity. Quality evaluates clarity and consistency, methodology with gender perspective, work organisation, risk management, monitoring and evaluation, ethical issues and EU values, and feasibility in time. Impact considers ambition and long-term effects, dissemination and sustainability strategies, multiplier effects, and post-funding continuation.

Legal, financial and reporting framework

• Grant form: Lump sum grant. One lump sum corresponds to one work package event. The lump sum is calculated using prefixed parameters and the estimates in Part A Work packages and Beneficiary Calculation Sheet.
• Work packages events: Each event can include one or more activities within a defined timeframe; direct and verifiable participation of the target groups is mandatory for eligibility and lump sum calculation.
• Outputs and verification: Payment is output-based. Mandatory deliverables include a report on each work package event using the Event description sheet template. Mandatory milestone includes the EU survey on Justice, Rights and Values distributed to event attendees.
• Payments: Prefinancing typically 60 percent of the maximum grant after entry into force or receipt of financial guarantee if required. Balance settled at project end based on final grant amount and achievements.
• Ethics and EU values: Projects must comply with the highest ethical standards, EU values, and applicable EU, international and national law including GDPR. Gender equality and non-discrimination mainstreaming are required. Private entities involving children must provide a child protection policy aligned with Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards; public entities must provide a declaration of honour or CPP.
• No financial support to third parties: Not allowed in this call.
• No double funding and no profit: Strict rules apply. Combination with EU operating grants possible only with clear cost separation.
• Consortium agreement: Required.

Budget and timing overview

How to apply and what to submit

1. 1Prepare the consortium and register entities: All beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC.
2. 2Submit via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Access the Topic page and use the Electronic Submission System.
3. 3Complete all parts and annexes: Part A Administrative forms with Lump Sum Budget and Work packages; Part B Technical description uploaded as PDF; Part C KPI tool online; Mandatory annexes (see below).
4. 4Observe page limits and formatting: Part B is limited to 70 pages for this call. Excess pages are disregarded by evaluators.
5. 5Confirm declarations: Mandates, correctness and completeness, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion compliance.

Mandatory application components and annexes:Part A online: Administrative data for coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities; Lump Sum Budget including Work packages and Beneficiary Calculation Sheet. Part B PDF: Technical description following the provided template. Part C online: KPI tool with all sections completed. Mandatory annexes: List of previous key projects over the last 4 years for each applicant, except newly established organisations; Child protection policy for private entities implementing activities involving children; Declaration of honour or child protection policy for public entities implementing activities involving children. For Priority 2 there are no additional Letters of Support required; however, for completeness, ensure all eligibility evidence is provided. Other annexes beyond those requested will not be retained for evaluation.

Templates: structure of the application forms (to guide applicants)

• Part A Administrative forms: General information; Participants; Budget; Other questions including Ethics and Security issues tables; Declarations.
• Part B Technical description structure:
• 1. Relevance: Background and general objectives; Needs analysis and specific objectives; Complementarity with other actions and innovation, European added value.
• 2. Quality: Concept and methodology; Consortium set-up; Project teams, staff and experts; Consortium management and decision-making; Project management, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation strategy; Cost effectiveness and financial management; Risk management.
• 3. Impact: Impact and ambition; Communication, dissemination and visibility; Sustainability and continuation.
• 4. Workplan, work packages, activities, resources and timing: Overall work plan; Detailed work package descriptions per event including objectives, tasks with roles of COO, BEN, AE, AP, milestones and deliverables with due months and dissemination levels; For Lump Sum Grants, each event equals one work package; Timetable of activities.
• 5. Other: Ethics and EU values; Security.
• 6. Declarations: Double funding; Financial support to third parties (not applicable in this call).
• Annexes: Detailed budget table/calculator for Lump Sum Grants (Annex 1 to Part B); CVs if required; Annual activity reports if required; List of previous projects for last 4 years; Other call-specific annexes if requested.

Key compliance points and constraints

• One proposal per lead applicant across all priorities of the call. Multiple submissions as lead will result in all proposals being rejected.
• Activities must respect EU values and policy interests and avoid reputational risks.
• EU officials or policymakers may participate in events but are not intended target groups and cannot be counted towards direct participant thresholds in lump sum calculations.
• Generative AI use is permitted for proposal drafting but requires transparency and verification of content, sources and citations.
• EU restrictive and conditionality measures exclude affected entities from participation in any funded role.

Where to find official information and support

• Topic page and submission: CERV-2026 on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Call document and model grant agreements: Access via the Topic page and Portal Reference Documents.
• Lump sum decision and methodology: Decision authorising the use of lump sums under CERV.
• Guidance: Online Manual; EU Grants AGA Annotated Grant Agreement; Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment.
• Helpdesks: IT Helpdesk for portal issues; National Contact Points where established; EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu for non-IT questions using the call reference.
• Info session materials: Online Info Session held on 12 March 2026 by EACEA for CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV.

General summary

This opportunity funds transnational projects that move democratic participation in the EU beyond the ballot box. Under Priority 2 of the 2026 CERV Citizens’ engagement and participation call, applicants will design and run structured, representative and inclusive participatory and deliberative processes linked to real policymaking, strengthen citizen-public body interactions with a strong local and youth focus, and develop and disseminate digital civic technology that complements in-person engagement. The Topic’s two sub-priorities distinctly target civil society-led projects and local or regional public authority-led projects, with both streams requiring at least two applicants from two different eligible CERV countries. The programme uses an output-based lump sum grant model where each work package corresponds to a defined event or cluster of activities with direct, verifiable participation. Proposals must demonstrate strong alignment with EU values, gender equality and non-discrimination mainstreaming, clear methods and evaluation, and credible pathways to policy impact and sustainability. The Topic’s indicative budget is €10 million (€6 million for CSO-led projects and €4 million for local/regional public authority-led projects), with a minimum grant of €75,000, typical duration of 12 to 24 months, single-stage submission by 29 April 2026, evaluation through October 2026, and grant agreements expected in January 2027. Applicants submit via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using Part A, Part B and Part C templates and mandatory annexes, following strict page limits and ethical-compliance requirements. The call expects projects to deliver practical, inclusive and scalable participation models that empower diverse citizens, support public bodies in using modern, representative engagement formats and tools, and result in visible, concrete policy changes and improved democratic resilience across the EU and associated countries ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary sources: Topic page CERV-2026 EU Funding & Tenders Portal; Call document CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV Call fiche PDF; Lump sum decision CERV Lump Sums Decision; Application form templates Application Form Template; Programme overview and National Contact Points CERV Programme Overview CERV NCPs; EACEA info session announcement 12 March 2026.

CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV-ENGAGEMENT-BEYOND-ELECTIONS: Call for Proposals

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a European Union call for proposals under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, specifically Priority 2, which aims to promote citizens' active engagement and democratic participation in public policymaking beyond elections, as well as broader civic engagement. The call is managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and is part of the EU's commitment to empowering strong and resilient democracies through citizen participation and civic engagement at local, regional, national and transnational levels.

Key Deadlines and Timeline

Call Opening and Submission Deadline:The call opened on 3 March 2026. The submission deadline is 29 April 2026 at 17:00:00 CET (Brussels time). This is a single-stage submission process with one-step evaluation.

Evaluation and Grant Agreement Timeline:Evaluation will take place from May to October 2026. Applicants will be informed of evaluation results in October 2026. Grant agreements are expected to be signed in January 2027.

Funding Amount and Budget

The total estimated available budget for all three call priorities (Elections, Beyond Elections, and Disinformation/FIMI) is €30,000,000. For Priority 2 (Beyond Elections), the budget is split as follows: €10,000,000 overall, with €6,000,000 allocated to Sub-priority 2.1 (Main Focus Civil Society Organisations) and €4,000,000 to Sub-priority 2.2 (Main Focus Public Bodies at Local or Regional Level). The European Commission reserves the right not to award all available funds or to redistribute them between call topics/priorities depending on the quality of proposals received.

Minimum and Maximum Grant Amounts:The minimum grant amount is €75,000. There is no maximum grant amount limit, although the grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested. Individual project budgets must be balanced with sufficient resources to implement the project successfully.

Eligibility Criteria

Geographic Eligibility

Activities must take place in eligible countries, which include all EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), as well as non-EU countries associated with the CERV Programme or those in ongoing negotiations for association where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. Eligible countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Applicant Eligibility - Sub-priority 2.1 (Civil Society Focus)

• Lead applicants must be non-profit private legal entities or public universities from eligible countries
• Co-applicants must be non-profit legal entities (public or private bodies) or international organisations from eligible countries
• Minimum consortium composition: at least two applicants (lead applicant and at least one co-applicant) from two different eligible countries (transnational requirement)
• All participants must be registered in the Participant Register before submitting the proposal
• Natural persons are not eligible
• Projects must be transnational in nature

Applicant Eligibility - Sub-priority 2.2 (Public Bodies Focus)

• Lead applicants must be local or regional public bodies (regions, counties, towns, municipalities and/or other levels of local and regional authorities) from eligible countries
• Co-applicants must be non-profit legal entities (public or private bodies) or international organisations from eligible countries
• Minimum consortium composition: at least two applicants from two different eligible countries (transnational requirement)
• Single applicant projects are not allowed for this sub-priority - transnational partnerships are mandatory
• The EU grant applied for cannot be lower than €75,000

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations are not eligible. These include entities involved in bankruptcy, insolvency, suspended business activities, breach of social security or tax obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, links to criminal organisations, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies in compliance with EU contracts or grants, irregularities under EU Regulation 2988/95, or creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent legal obligations. Applicants must also not have misrepresented information during the award procedure or been involved in call preparation causing distortion of competition.

Project Duration and Activities

Project Duration:Projects should normally range between 12 and 24 months. Extensions are possible if duly justified and approved through an amendment to the grant agreement.

Eligible Activities for Sub-priority 2.1 (Civil Society Organisations)

• Supporting, carrying out and facilitating structured participatory and deliberative consultative processes that enable citizens to contribute directly to public policymaking beyond elections
• Supporting research and implementation of innovative practices in democratic participation at local, regional, national and EU levels
• Facilitating interactions between public bodies and citizens to promote participatory/deliberative democracy, with focus on local level and engaging young people
• Developing, implementing and disseminating digital tools and platforms to facilitate citizens' engagement and participation in public policymaking and democratic debates, including support to civic tech in the EU
• Ensuring wider access to information about opportunities for citizens' participation at all levels
• Developing, implementing and disseminating programs, tools or materials to inform citizens about their rights and duties as citizens
• Activities must be directly linked to EU policies and involve diverse citizens from different backgrounds and genders in concrete, actionable results

Activities related to specific European Citizens' Initiatives or those designed to gain citizens' support on a specific theme only will not be supported. The focus must be on discussing, debating and finding common solutions rather than rallying around a specific cause. Engagement formats that lack representativity or reach only a very limited range of citizens, activities without concrete or actionable results, or processes disconnected from public policymaking and public bodies will not be considered.

Eligible Activities for Sub-priority 2.2 (Public Bodies at Local/Regional Level)

• Organisation by public bodies of structured participatory and deliberative consultative exercises enabling citizens to contribute directly to public policymaking beyond elections
• Increasing interactions between public bodies and citizens to promote participatory/deliberative democracy, with focus on local level and engaging young people
• Support to public bodies to rely on digital tools and platforms to facilitate citizens' engagement and participation in public policymaking and democratic debates
• Support to public bodies in ensuring wider access to information about opportunities for citizens' participation at all levels

Grant Mechanism and Funding Rate

Form of Grant:This call uses lump sum grants (CERV Lump Sum Grants - CERV-LS). Lump sums are fixed amounts reimbursed based on pre-defined outputs, not actual costs incurred. This simplified financing mechanism reduces administrative burden on beneficiaries.

Budget Categories:Eligible costs covered by lump sums include personnel costs (employees, direct contracts, seconded persons, SME owners, volunteers), subcontracting costs, travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods and services, and financial support to third parties (if applicable). Lump sums are calculated based on the number of direct participants and number of eligible countries per work package or event.

Application and Submission Requirements

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper applications are not accepted. Submission is a two-step process: first, applicants must create an EU Login user account and register their organisation in the Participant Register to receive a 9-digit participant identification code (PIC). Second, proposals must be submitted via the Topic page in the Calls for Proposals section.

Application Form Components:Proposals consist of four parts: Part A (administrative information about participants and lump-sum budget, filled in directly online), Part B (technical description of the project, downloaded template completed as PDF and uploaded), Part C (KPI tool with additional project data, filled in directly online with all sections mandatory), and Annexes (mandatory supporting documents such as child protection policies if applicable, list of previous projects for key projects of last 4 years, and for Sub-priority 1.2 only, Letter of Support from relevant authorities).

Page Limits and Format Requirements:Part B is limited to a maximum of 70 pages. Evaluators will not consider additional pages beyond this limit. Minimum font size must be Arial 9 points, page size A4, with margins of at least 15 mm on all sides. Proposals must be readable, accessible and printable. Excess pages will be made invisible and disregarded.

Evaluation Criteria and Award Process

Proposals undergo a standard submission and evaluation procedure with one-stage submission and one-step evaluation. All applications are first checked for formal requirements (admissibility and eligibility). Admissible and eligible proposals are then evaluated against the award criteria by an evaluation committee assisted by independent outside experts.

Award Criteria and Scoring

Maximum total points available is 100 points. Proposals must achieve an individual threshold score of at least 25 points out of 40 for the Relevance criterion AND an overall score of at least 70 points to be considered for funding within available budget limits. Other proposals will be rejected. In case of equal scores within the same priority budget envelope, priority is determined successively by scores in Relevance, then Quality, then Impact criteria.

Financial and Operational Capacity Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate stable and sufficient financial resources to successfully implement projects and contribute their share. Financial capacity checks are normally conducted for coordinators, except for public bodies, international organisations, and projects requesting €60,000 or less. Organisations participating in multiple projects must have sufficient capacity to implement all projects simultaneously.

Applicants must provide operational capacity evidence through: general profiles and qualifications of staff responsible for project management and implementation; description of consortium participants; and a list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years). Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempted from operational capacity checks. Newly established organisations (less than 12 months existence) are not required to provide validated financial documents such as activity reports or financial accounts.

Grant Agreement Terms and Payment

Prefinancing:After grant agreement signature, beneficiaries normally receive prefinancing of 60 percent of the maximum grant amount (exceptionally less or no prefinancing). This is paid 30 days from entry into force or when financial guarantee (if required) is provided, whichever is latest.

Final Payment and Recovery:At project end, the final grant amount is calculated. If total earlier payments exceed the final grant amount, the beneficiary must repay the difference. All payments are made to the coordinator. Payments are automatically lowered if the coordinator or consortium members have outstanding debts to the EU.

Prefinancing Guarantees:If required, prefinancing guarantees are set during grant preparation and are normally equal to or lower than the prefinancing amount. Guarantees must be in euros from approved banks/financial institutions in EU Member States. For non-EU beneficiaries, guarantees from national institutions may be exceptionally accepted. Guarantees are released at project end according to Grant Agreement conditions.

Special Requirements and Conditions

Consortium Agreement

A consortium agreement is mandatory for multi-beneficiary grants. This internal arrangement allows dealing with exceptional or unforeseen circumstances and enables beneficiaries to redistribute grant money according to consortium-internal principles.

Ethics and EU Values Compliance

Projects must comply with the highest ethical standards and EU values based on Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union and Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. All applicable EU, international and national law must be respected, including the General Data Protection Regulation. Projects must promote gender equality and non-discrimination mainstreaming, ensuring equal empowerment of women and men in all their diversity and reducing discrimination for particular groups including those at risk of multiple discrimination. Individual data must be collected and broken down by sex (sex-disaggregated data), disability or age whenever possible.

Child Protection:Private entities implementing activities involving children (persons under 18) must provide a child protection policy covering the four areas described in the Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards. Public entities must provide either a declaration of honour or their child protection policy if one exists. The policy must be available online and transparent, including clear information about staff recruitment (including trainees and volunteers) and background checks (vetting), procedures and rules for staff including reporting rules, and continuous training.

No Profit Rule and Double Funding

Grants may NOT give a profit, meaning the surplus of revenues plus EU grant over total costs is strictly prohibited. This is checked at project end. It is strictly prohibited to cumulate funding from the EU budget except under EU Synergies actions. Any given action may receive only ONE grant from the EU budget, and cost items may NOT be declared under two EU grants. Projects must be designed as different actions, clearly delineated and separated for each grant without overlaps.

Multiple Proposals and Lead Applicant Restrictions

A lead applicant (Coordinator) cannot submit more than one application under this call across all priorities and topics. In case of multiple proposals submitted by the same lead applicant, ALL proposals will be rejected and will not be evaluated further.

Supporting Information and Resources

An online Info Session was held on 12 March 2026 from 10:00 am to 13:00 pm CET to present call opportunities, objectives, priorities, eligibility criteria and the application process. Presentations and recordings are available on the EACEA event page. The call document (Version 1.0, dated 2 March 2026) and application form templates are available in the Submission System. The Standard application form (CERV) is specific to this call and available only in the Submission System, not on the Topic page.

For call-specific questions, applicants should contact the CERV National Contact Point of their country (if established) or email EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu, clearly indicating the call reference CERV-2026-CITIZENS-CIV in the subject line. For IT-related questions about the Submission System, contact the IT Helpdesk. Additional guidance is available in the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Grant Agreement).

Important Reminders:Applicants should submit applications well in advance of the deadline to avoid technical problems. Call deadlines cannot be extended. All participants must be registered in the Participant Register before submission. Proposals may be changed and resubmitted until the deadline. The call may be updated, so applicants should check the Portal Call and Topic pages regularly. By submitting an application, applicants accept all call conditions in the Call document and related documents.

Contact Information and Support

Managing Agency:European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Directorate EACEA.B.3 (Citizens and EU Values). Non-IT related questions: EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu. IT Helpdesk: available via the Portal for technical questions about submission system, forgotten passwords, access rights and roles.

Portal and Documentation:All applications must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible from the Topic page). Reference documents including the Call Fiche, Lump Sum Decision, Application Form templates, Model Grant Agreements and Annotated Grant Agreement are available through the Portal Reference Documents section.