Prévenir les violences basées sur le genre et garantir l’accès à des services de santé intégrés pour les survivantes en RDC

EU Action Grant EuropeAid supports prevention of gender-based violence and provision of integrated, survivor-centered health services in the DRC, prioritizing provinces in the Kivu–Kinshasa corridor and Kinshasa and requiring coverage of at least two provinces plus Kinshasa. The call foresees a single award of €3,600,000 with EU co-financing of 75–90% for actions of 24–48 months. Lead applicants must be non-profit NGOs established in an EU Member State, the DRC, or eligible NDICI countries and must form a consortium with at least one co-applicant, demonstrating recent operational and financial capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Concept note and full application must be submitted together online via PROSPECT by 21 May 2026, 23:00 Brussels time, following the call annexes and requirements on SEA-H, visibility, procurement and safeguarding.

Opportunité — EuropeAid/186014/DD/ACT/CD

Résumé essentiel

Subvention d'action de l'Union européenne visant à prévenir les violences basées sur le genre (VBG) et à garantir l'accès à des services de santé intégrés et sensibles au genre pour les survivantes en République démocratique du Congo (principalement provinces du couloir vert Kivu-Kinshasa).

Montant disponible:Budget indicatif total: €3,600,000. Montant de subvention demandé pour chaque proposition: minimum €3,600,000 — maximum €3,600,000 ¹

1. 1Objectifs financés: prévention des VBG, prise en charge médicale et psychosociale des survivantes, intégration SSR et santé mentale, renforcement des capacités des prestataires et gouvernance sensible au genre
2. 2Zone d'intervention: République démocratique du Congo (priorité aux provinces du couloir vert Kivu‑Kinshasa; projet doit couvrir au moins deux provinces et Kinshasa)
3. 3Durée d'action requise: 24 à 48 mois
4. 4Soumission: obligatoire en ligne via PROSPECT (PADOR pour enregistrement des organisations)

Qui peut postuler

Lead applicants admissibles:organisations non gouvernementales sans but lucratif établies en RDC, dans un État membre de l’UE ou autre pays éligible tel qu’indiqué dans l’appel. Les codemandeurs et entités affiliées sont autorisés et doivent satisfaire aux mêmes critères d’éligibilité. L’éligibilité financière et opérationnelle sera vérifiée pour les candidats présélectionnés.

Soumission et pièces

Soumission en ligne via PROSPECT obligatoire; PADOR requis pour l’enregistrement des organisations. Les notes conceptuelles sont évaluées en premier, puis les candidats présélectionnés soumettent la demande complète (annexes: budget, logframe, documents financiers, déclaration sur l’honneur, etc.). Voir portail officiel pour soumettre: EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Date limite:Date et heure limite (Bruxelles): 21/05/2026 à 23:00 (PROSPECT). Retards ou soumissions hors portail entraînent le rejet de la proposition ¹.

Critères opérationnels rapides

1. 1Action doit cibler prévention VBG et services de santé intégrés sensibles au genre
2. 2Propositions évaluées en trois étapes: admissibilité et présélection des concept notes, évaluation des demandes complètes, vérifications d’éligibilité finales
3. 3Possibilité de soutien financier à des tiers (sub‑grants) — plafond €60,000 par tiers, sauf justification exceptionnelle
4. 4Exigences contractuelles: visibilité UE, respect des valeurs UE, tolérance zéro vis‑à‑vis d’exploitation/abus/harcèlement sexuel

Contact technique et documents:les lignes directrices et tous les formulaires (Annexes A1/A2, B, C, F, G, L, etc.) sont publiés avec l’appel sur le portail officiel et doivent être respectés tels quels. Les clarifications sont publiées publiquement; les questions techniques à PROSPECT helpdesk. EU Funding & Tenders Portal

Footnotes

1. 1Consultez les lignes directrices et les annexes publiées sur le portail pour les détails sur le processus en deux étapes (concept note puis demande complète), les exigences PADOR/PROSPECT et les documents obligatoires: Annexes A.1/A.2, B (budget), C (logframe), F (PADOR), G (contrat type), L (SEA-H).

Reference:EuropeAid. Programme: Sub-Saharan Africa under NDICI-Global Europe. Contracting Authority: European Commission. Status: Open for submission. Official portal and documents are provided via the EU Funding & Tenders / PROSPECT systems Funding & Tenders opportunity page.

Scope and Objectives

This call supports a single, large-scale action that prevents gender-based violence (GBV) and ensures access to integrated, gender-sensitive health services for survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), aligning with the Unis pour la santé, phase 3 financing agreement and the Global Gateway Health approach.

Overall objective:Improve the health and well-being of the DRC population, particularly women, girls, and vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons.

Specific objectives:

• OS1: Prevent GBV by transforming social norms and community dynamics, strengthening psychosocial well-being, and promoting informed, voluntary access to protection and justice mechanisms.
• OS2: Improve access of women and girls, including displaced populations, to integrated, gender-sensitive health services (GBV care, sexual and reproductive health, mental health) with clear, safe, and operational referral mechanisms to shelters and legal/judicial assistance, in line with the Maputo Protocol (Article 14).
• OS3: Strengthen institutional capacities, quality of care (including mental health and psychosocial support), and health system accountability to prevent abuse, uphold dignity and patient rights, and institutionalize gender-sensitive services.

Priorities and expected results:

• Community-level reduction in social tolerance of GBV and improved understanding of health, psychosocial, and sexual and reproductive health and rights under the Maputo Protocol.
• Enhanced knowledge among women, girls, men, and boys of rights, service availability, shelters, SRHR, GBV prevention, and legal/judicial recourse.
• Active engagement of community, religious, and customary leaders as change agents supporting GBV prevention and referrals to protection.
• Increased use of safe, quality, gender-sensitive SRHR and mental health services by women and girls, including care pathways for pregnancies resulting from sexual violence, access to timely post-rape care including PEP kits, and survivor-centered medical and psychosocial care.
• Operational local health–MHPSS–protection–justice service continuum with harmonized, functional multisectoral referral mechanisms used by providers and justice actors.
• Upgraded provider competencies in gender, GBV prevention, PFA, survivor-centered ethics, and patient-centered care.
• Functional and accessible accountability, complaints, and feedback mechanisms known to women and adolescents.
• Systematic gender mainstreaming in health governance, planning, and monitoring.

Activities (Indicative and Non-Exhaustive)

• Community dialogues and awareness-raising on GBV prevention, SRHR (Maputo Protocol Article 14), domestic violence, early marriage, and legal rights; culturally and religiously sensitive messaging; specific engagement of men and boys (positive masculinities).
• Structured engagement with community/religious/customary leaders to promote GBV prevention and safe referrals to protection.
• Strengthening SRHR service offer (contraception, ANC/PNC, emergency obstetric care) and adolescent-friendly services; menstrual hygiene promotion integrated into health services.
• Clinical and psychosocial survivor care; ensured availability and continuous supply management of PEP and post-rape kits; survivor-centered care and safe referrals to shelters and legal aid.
• Support to shelters for women and girl survivors and operational health–shelter referral pathways.
• Establishment/reinforcement of local coordination health–protection–justice; development and operationalization of harmonized multisectoral referral mechanisms.
• Provider training on gender, patient rights, GBV care protocols, ethics, mental health and psychosocial support, and PFA.
• Institutional capacity building and governance support for gender integration, accountability systems, complaint and feedback mechanisms.
• Digitally enabled solutions where appropriate for early identification, safe referral, and survivor follow-up (data protection and safeguarding compliance required).

Eligibility and Participation

Eligible Applicant Types:Lead applicant: non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) established in an EU Member State, in DRC, or in an NDICI-Global Europe eligible country. Co-applicants: must meet the same criteria as the lead. Affiliated entities are allowed if meeting structural link conditions (control or membership). Associates may participate without funding except per diems and travel. Government bodies may act as associates but not beneficiaries. Contractors can be engaged under procurement rules; they cannot also be beneficiaries, affiliates, associates, or subgrantees.

Geographic Eligibility of Applicants:Applicants must be established in an EU Member State, in the DRC, or in countries eligible under NDICI-Global Europe (IVCDCI). The action itself must be implemented in DRC, primarily within the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor, covering at least two corridor provinces plus Kinshasa.

Consortium Requirement:A consortium is mandatory. The lead must act with one or more co-applicants. Mandates from each co-applicant are required at full application stage.

Operational and financial capacity:Lead applicants must evidence implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa within the last five years of an action of similar nature to this call and with a budget at least equivalent to the proposed action. Financial capacity is verified; external audit reports are required for larger budgets per the guidelines. All beneficiaries and affiliates must sign a declaration on honour regarding exclusion criteria if the grant requested exceeds €15,000.

Funding Framework

Funding Type:Action grant. Primary financial mechanism is reimbursement of eligible costs. Simplified cost options (unit costs, lump sums, flat rates) can be used. Clarifications on financing not linked to costs (FNLC) are included in the documentation; however, the call text specifies reimbursement as the grant form for this action. If FNLC is applied, third-party assessment arrangements and budget/logframe marking must follow Annex VII-B and Annex K.

Co-funding Requirement:EU contribution must be between 75% and 90% of total eligible costs; applicants must provide 10% to 25% co-financing from non-EU sources. Contributions in kind are not eligible as costs nor as co-financing (except volunteers’ work under specific conditions). Indirect costs are eligible up to 7% of direct eligible costs (excluding project office line and volunteers’ work).

Financial provisions and cost eligibility:Eligible costs include staff, travel and per diems, equipment and supplies, consumables, services/contracts (procurement rules apply), project office costs, external evaluations, translation, financial services, and expenditure verification. A contingency reserve up to 5% of direct costs may be included with prior written authorization for use. Ineligible costs include debts/interest, provisions, double-funded costs, land/building purchases unless conditions apply, exchange losses, in-kind contributions (except eligible volunteers' work), bonuses in staff costs, negative interest, credits to third parties, and national public administration salaries. Nationality and origin rules for procurement apply per Annex IV. Taxes may be eligible or accepted under specific conditions detailed in Annex J.

Application and Evaluation

Application Type and Submission:Open call; online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory. Applicants must register in PADOR (EuropeAid ID) and are strongly encouraged to register for a Participant Identification Code (PIC). Both concept note (Annex A.1) and full application (Annex A.2) are submitted together by the deadline, but the evaluation is sequenced: concept notes are assessed first, then full applications of preselected leads; final eligibility is verified thereafter.

Application Stages:Three stages: 1) Administrative check and concept note evaluation against relevance and design criteria; 2) Full application evaluation including technical quality, logframe robustness, implementation approach, sustainability, budget and cost-effectiveness, and operational/financial capacity; 3) Eligibility verification of applicants and affiliates with supporting documents. Ranked selection follows budget availability.

Timeline (indicative):Info session: 30/04/2026. Deadline: 21/05/2026 at 23:00 (Brussels). Concept note outcome: 28/05/2026. Notification of award decision: 15/07/2026. Contract signature: 30/08/2026 ¹.

Target Sectors and Thematic Coverage

• Health systems and basic health services (DAC 12220)
• Gender equality (DAC 15130) and human rights (DAC 15160)
• Ending violence against women and girls (DAC 13020)
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning, ANC/PNC, emergency obstetric care, and care for pregnancies resulting from sexual violence
• Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
• Protection and justice linkages (health–protection–justice continuum)
• Menstrual hygiene and WASH linkages where relevant to GBV risk and service access
• Digital solutions for safe identification, referral, and follow-up subject to data protection and safeguarding

Third-Party Support and Subgrants

Financial support to third parties (subgrants) is permitted to achieve the action’s objectives. The maximum per third party is €60,000 unless justified that achieving objectives would otherwise be impossible or overly difficult. The full framework for objectives to be achieved, eligible activities, eligible types of entities, selection criteria, amount determination criteria, and overall cap must be specified in Annex A.2. Recipients must comply with EU restrictive measures screening.

Governance, Ethics, and Safeguards

• Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment: selected beneficiaries and affiliates (with specified exceptions) must complete the self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H (Annex L).
• Mandatory visibility of EU funding unless a justified derogation is approved for safety or political sensitivity.
• Conflict of interest avoidance, anti-corruption compliance, prohibition of unusual commercial expenses, and adherence to environmental legislation and core labour standards.
• Data protection compliance under EU and national law; secure handling of survivor data and sensitive health information.
• Monitoring, reporting, expenditure verification (Annex VII-A), and if applicable third-party assessment of FNLC results (Annex VII-B).

Templates and Required Application/Contracting Documents

• Annex A.1: Grant application – concept note (structure: summary; description covering context, objectives, stakeholders, intervention logic, activities, timeframe; relevance; maturity and expected impact; applicant and partners; project details).
• Annex A.2: Grant application – full application (sections: general information; detailed action description up to 18 pages; methodology up to 5 pages; indicative action plan; sustainability up to 3 pages; logical framework in Annex C; budget in Annex B; financing sources; experience; declarations; co-applicant mandates; affiliated entity statements).
• Annex B: Budget (worksheets 1a costs-based; €1Bcosts-based + FNLC; 1c FNLC only; 2 Justification; 3 Expected sources of funding).
• Annex C: Logical framework (results chain, indicators with units, baselines and targets, data sources, FNLC marking where applicable; activities matrix).
• Annex D: Identification forms (public body; private/public law body; natural person).
• Annex F: PADOR offline registration form (if online registration is not feasible).
• Annex G: Standard grant contract, general conditions, model financial guarantee, expenditure verification ToR, third-party assessment ToR, reporting templates.
• Annex H: Declaration on honour regarding exclusion and selection criteria.
• Annex J: Information on applicable tax regime.
• Annex K: Clarifications on financing not linked to costs (use only if FNLC is applied; budget and logframe marking; third-party assessment).
• Annex L: Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H.

Categorization Answers

Eligible Applicant Types:NGO; nonprofit; international NGO; local NGO; networks and federations meeting NGO non-profit status; affiliated entities with structural links; associates may include public bodies, community-based organizations, healthcare providers, legal aid or justice actors, shelters. Government bodies may act as associates but are not beneficiaries under this call; individuals are not eligible as beneficiaries.

Funding Type:Grant (Action Grant) primarily on a reimbursement-of-costs basis with the option to use simplified cost options; documents include clarifications for financing not linked to costs.

Consortium Requirement:Consortium required (lead applicant plus one or more co-applicants). Mandates required from co-applicants; affiliated entities allowed under structural link rules.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants established in EU Member States, the DRC, or NDICI-eligible countries. Activities must take place in the DRC within the specified provinces, covering at least two provinces plus Kinshasa.

Target Sector:Health systems and basic health services; gender equality; human rights; GBV prevention and response; sexual and reproductive health and rights; mental health and psychosocial support; protection and justice integration; menstrual hygiene/WASH linkages; digital health referral and case management solutions with safeguarding.

Mentioned Countries:Congo (Democratic Republic of); EU Member States. Provincial focus within DRC: Tshopo, Tshuapa, Mongala, Sud-Ubangi, Équateur, Mai-Ndombe, and Kinshasa.

Project Stage:Implementation and scale-up of integrated services; development and deployment of coordinated health–protection–justice pathways; provider capacity building; system strengthening; validation through monitoring and evaluation. TRL is not applicable; maturity expectations include clear intervention logic, robust logframe, and operational readiness in target provinces.

Funding Amount:Single award of €3,600,000 with EU co-financing between 75% and 90% of total eligible costs; project budget must align exactly with this grant size.

Application Type:Open call via PROSPECT (online). Concept note and full application submitted together; staged evaluation (concept, full, eligibility verification).

Nature of Support:Money (grant disbursements per contract payment schedule; initial pre-financing, possible further pre-financing, and balance subject to conditions and verification). Non-financial services are not provided by the call itself.

Application Stages:3 stages: 1) administrative and concept note evaluation; 2) full application evaluation; 3) eligibility verification and supporting documents check before award.

Success Rates:Not published in the call documentation. Selection is competitive against the stated criteria; one grant is foreseen for award within the available envelope.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Applicants must provide 10% to 25% co-funding of total eligible costs from non-EU sources. Indirect costs up to 7% of direct eligible costs are allowed; contingency up to 5% of direct costs requires prior authorization. In-kind contributions are not eligible as costs nor accepted as co-financing except volunteer work under strict conditions.

How to Prepare a Strong Application (Structure Guidance)

1. 1Register your organization in PADOR and obtain a EuropeAid ID; prepare or obtain a PIC via the EU Participant Register; ensure profiles are up to date.
2. 2Complete Annex A.1 (Concept Note) with a concise summary; describe context, objectives, stakeholder analysis, intervention logic, activities clusters, timeframe; demonstrate relevance to call objectives and provinces; outline maturity and expected impact, including cross-cutting issues.
3. 3Complete Annex A.2 (Full Application). Key sections: 2.1.1 Description (max 18 pages) detailing relevance, target groups and final beneficiaries, stakeholder engagement, activities by output, indicators and data sources, risks and assumptions, publication plans; 2.1.2 Methodology (max 5 pages) including implementation methods, organization and team functions, monitoring and evaluation, communication and EU visibility, and where used, FNLC monitoring; 2.1.3 Indicative action plan (Gantt by semester/month 1..n); 2.1.4 Sustainability (max 3 pages) across financial, institutional, policy, and environmental dimensions; 2.1.5 Logical Framework (Annex C); 2.1.6 Budget and justification (Annex B), expected sources of funding (worksheet 3).
4. 4Design the Logframe (Annex C) with clear impact, outcomes, and outputs; define robust indicators with units, baselines, targets, data sources; mark indicators forming part of the budget if any simplified costs or FNLC are used; include an activities matrix linking to each output.
5. 5Build the Budget (Annex B). Use sheet 1a for cost-based, optionally €1Bfor hybrid with FNLC, or 1c for FNLC only; sheet 2 provides narrative justification linking each cost line to activities/results; sheet 3 balances expected funding sources. Respect 7% cap on indirect costs, 5% cap on contingency, and €60,000 cap per third-party support recipient unless justified.
6. 6Prepare declarations: Annex H (declaration on honour) for lead, co-applicants, affiliates; co-applicant mandates and affiliated entity statements (A.2 section 5); SEA-H self-evaluation (Annex L) for selected beneficiaries during contracting; identity and bank identification forms (Annex D).
7. 7Plan for verification: expenditure verification (Annex VII-A) if applicable; third-party assessment only if FNLC part is used; ensure procurement follows Annex IV; prepare to demonstrate tax treatment per Annex J.
8. 8Ensure ethics, safeguarding, and data protection: survivor-centered approaches; informed consent; confidentiality and secure data handling; complaint and feedback mechanisms; visibility measures or approved derogation where safety requires it.

What This Opportunity Is About (Summary and Explanation)

The European Commission will fund one large, consortium-based action in the DRC to reduce GBV and deliver integrated, survivor-centered health services, including SRHR and MHPSS, while building an operational continuum between health, protection, and justice services. Interventions must focus on provinces across the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor and Kinshasa, transform harmful social norms, equip providers with gender- and rights-based competencies, ensure timely access to post-rape care and PEP kits, and institutionalize accountability and feedback mechanisms for women and adolescents. The call requires a non-profit NGO lead with one or more co-applicants from the EU, DRC, or other NDICI-eligible countries. The single award is €3.6 million, with 75%–90% EU co-financing, over 24–48 months. Proposals are submitted online via PROSPECT with both the concept note and full application, and evaluated in three stages. The budget uses the EU’s external actions grant framework, allowing cost-based reimbursement with simplified options and strict procurement, tax, and verification rules. Strong applications will present a coherent theory of change, a robust logframe with measurable indicators and reliable data sources, a feasible provincial coverage plan, risk and safeguarding measures, and a realistic, cost-effective budget supported by co-financing. This opportunity is designed to create measurable, sustainable improvements for GBV survivors and at-risk women and girls through integrated, rights-based health and protection systems in the DRC.

Footnotes

1. 1Key call documents and calendar are provided in the official guidelines in French. Access the call dossier, annexes, and online submission environment via the opportunity page EU Funding & Tenders opportunity page.

This grant opportunity under reference EuropeAid supports actions to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and improve access to integrated health services for survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), focusing on provinces in the Kivu-Kinshasa green corridor: Tshopo, Tshuapa, Mongala, Sud-Ubangi, Equateur, Mai-Ndombe, and Kinshasa. Actions must cover at least two provinces plus Kinshasa, aligning with the Unis pour la santé phase 3 financing agreement.

Key Dates and Budget

Total Budget:€3,600,000 available for Action Grants.

Grant Size:Minimum and maximum: €3,600,000 per grant.

Funding Rate:75% to 90% of total eligible costs.

Publication:20 February 2026.

Full Application Deadline:21 May 2026 at 23:00 Brussels time. Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory.

Objectives

General Objective:Improve health and well-being of the population, especially women, girls, and vulnerable groups including internally displaced persons in DRC.

• OS1 (25% indicative): Prevent GBV by transforming social norms, strengthening psychosocial well-being, and promoting access to protection and justice.
• OS2 (60% indicative): Strengthen access to integrated, gender-sensitive health services (GBV, SRH, mental health) with clear referral mechanisms to shelters and legal aid, per Maputo Protocol.
• OS3 (15% indicative): Build institutional capacities, care quality including mental health, and health system accountability to prevent abuse and institutionalize rights-centered services.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead Applicant

• Legal person, non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO: voluntary, independent from government, non-profit, not political party or trade union).
• Established in EU Member State, DRC, or eligible countries per IVCDCI-Europe in the World.
• Directly responsible for preparation and management; not intermediary.
• Not in exclusion situations (section 2.4 PRAG).
• Implemented similar action in Sub-Saharan Africa in last 5 years with equivalent budget.

Co-Applicants

Must meet same criteria as lead applicant. Mandatory to have at least one co-applicant. Sign mandate in Annex A.2.

Affiliated Entities

Structural link (control or membership) with lead/co-applicants. Same eligibility as applicants. Sign affiliated entity statement.

Action Duration

24 to 48 months.

Geographic Focus

Implemented in DRC provinces:Tshopo, Tshuapa, Mongala, Sud-Ubangi, Equateur, Mai-Ndombe, Kinshasa (at least two plus Kinshasa).

Financial Support to Third Parties

Allowed, max €60,000 per third party unless impossible/difficult otherwise. Define objectives, activities, eligibility, selection criteria, amounts in Annex A.2 section 2.1.1.

Eligible Costs and Financing Forms

Reimbursement of eligible costs (actual costs and/or simplified cost options). Indirect costs up to 7% of direct eligible costs (excluding project office, volunteers). Contingency reserve up to 5% of direct eligible costs.

• Human resources, travel, equipment/supplies, project office, other costs/services.
• Taxes/VAT ineligible unless non-reclaimable (prove at final report).
• No in-kind contributions as co-financing (except volunteers if allowed).

Application Process

1. 1Register in PADOR (mandatory for legal entities). Use PIC if available.
2. 2Submit Concept Note (Annex A.1) and Full Application (Annex A.2) simultaneously via PROSPECT.
3. 3Documents: Budget (Annex B), Logical Framework (Annex C), ID forms (Annex D), PADOR offline if needed (Annex F), Honour declarations (Annex H), statutes, financial statements, audit if applicable.
4. 4Evaluation: Step 1 (Concept Note: min 30/50 points, top 400% budget), Step 2 (Full: capacity 20pts, relevance/design 50pts, etc., min thresholds), Step 3 (Eligibility check).

Key Requirements and Tips

• Mandatory SEA-H self-evaluation (Annex L) for grants >€60K (non-evaluation criterion).
• Visibility: EU emblem and statement required unless security derogation justified.
• Ethics: Zero tolerance for SEA-H; comply with EU values, anti-corruption.
• Procurement: Follow Annex IV rules.
• Reporting: Narrative/financial reports, expenditure verification (>€100K), third-party assessment if FNLC.

Primary source:EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Portal. Guidelines (French): Lignes Directrices. Apply via PROSPECT; contact DELEGATION-DEM-REP-OF-CONGO-FCS@eeas.europa.eu for queries.

Footnotes

1. 1Deadlines in Brussels time; convert locally. Full docs in EN/FR on portal.