RIZA Call for proposals

The RIZA Call for Proposals (CERV programme) provides cascade funding to grassroots civil society organisations working with migrant, refugee, and diaspora women, prioritising migrant/refugee women-led groups and actions in the Southern-Mediterranean region while remaining open to organisations established in any EU Member State. Eligible non-profit applicants must have at least one year of activity, an annual budget under €300,000, equal representation of women in governance, and capacity to manage sub-grants for 12-month projects. The 2026 round offers 34 sub-grants (16 micro grants of €17,778; 12 small grants of €32,778; 6 medium grants of €60,000) with total available funding of €1,037,784, funded at 100% with 90% disbursed on signature and 10% after completion. Applications follow a two-stage process with Stage 1 deadline 31 July 2026 and Stage 2 (full proposals for shortlisted applicants) deadline 31 October 2026; consult the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and riza@migrantwomennetwork.org for official documentation and submission details.

Purpose

What is funded

Grants to intermediaries that provide financial support to grassroots civil society organisations working to protect and promote EU values and fundamental rights, with a focus on migrant and refugee women. Activities include capacity building, advocacy, and fostering democratic participation and community cohesion.

Who can apply:Eligible applicants are civil society organisations acting as intermediaries across the EU, prioritising Tier 1: migrant and/or refugee women led organisations. Other eligible tiers include grassroots womens rights organisations, migrant organisations and grassroots human rights organisations running programmes for migrant/refugee women.

1. 1Priority regions: Southern Mediterranean states encouraged (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta) but applicants from any EU Member State may apply.
2. 2Project duration: 12 months.
3. 3Selection: two-stage process with shortlisting between stage 1 and stage 2.

Funding volumes and deadlines

Total available budget approximately €1,037,784. Multiple grant sizes are available as listed below. Application cut-offs: 31 July 2026 and 31 October 2026 (multiple cut-off model). For the full call text and application details see the official portal or the programme page RIZA call page ¹.

Contact and resources:information session scheduled 9 June 2026 10:00-12:00 CET. More details and contact email: riza@migrantwomennetwork.org or visit RIZA information.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call and application forms are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Opportunity summary

Core facts

Call title:RIZA Call for proposals. Programme / Identifier: CERV-2024. Project name: RIZA: Building European Democracy with Women of Migrant Descent. Call type: Multi-Topic Call administered via a call for proposals for civil society organisations acting to protect and promote Union values; this particular action is a call to intermediaries giving financial support to third parties. Overall programme period: 2021-2027. Total budget allocated in the dataset: €1,037,784. Duration of each selected action: 12 months.

Deadlines:This call uses a multiple cut-off model. Two explicit deadlines in the scraped record are: 2026-07-31T17:00:00+00:00 and 2026-10-31T17:00:00.000Z. The original portal entry was recorded 2026-06-05 and an information session was scheduled for Tuesday 9 June 2026 10:00-12:00 CET. For the official listing see the portal link in the footnote ¹.

Eligible applicants and target beneficiaries

This is a call aimed at civil society intermediaries who will provide financial support to third parties (sub-grantees). The call explicitly prioritises grassroots organisations led by or working directly with migrant and refugee women. The call lists four priority tiers of eligible applicants (Tier 1 is the priority group): Tier 1: Migrant and/or refugee women led organisations with a human rights based mission. Tier 2: Grassroots women’s rights organisations with a stand-alone programme aimed at supporting migrant and/or refugee women. Tier 3: Migrant and/or refugee organisations with a stand-alone programme aimed at supporting migrant and/or refugee women. Tier 4: Grassroots human rights organisations with a stand-alone programme aimed at supporting migrant and/or refugee women.

Eligible applicant types (detailed):grassroots NGOs, migrant- and refugee-led organisations, women-led civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, human rights NGOs, and intermediaries or civil society organisations that will act as grantmakers to third parties. Organisations must be established in an EU Member State to receive RIZA funding.

Geographic and thematic scope

Beneficiary scope:open to qualified organisations established in any EU Member State. The 2026 (second) RIZA round has a regional focus on Southern-Mediterranean states and organisations in those countries are particularly encouraged to apply. Explicitly mentioned countries/territory focus are: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta. However, RIZA funding is open to any organisation established in any EU Member State.

Call priorities and eligible activities

The call defines three priorities. Applicants must align their proposed activities with one or more priorities. Priority 1: Support and Capacity Building of Migrant and Refugee women. Priority 2: Advocating for the fundamental rights of migrant and refugee women. Priority 3: Promoting the role of migrant and refugee women in democratic dialogue, community cohesion and cross-cultural solidarity. The call text indicates that a detailed list of eligible activities per priority is provided in the full call for proposals on the portal; applicants should consult that detailed section for activity-level eligibility and examples.

Available grants and financial details

Grant amounts and award counts are specified in the call data. There are three award sizes distributed across the 2026 round as follows.

Total number of sub-grants available in this round:34. The dataset also lists an overall budget line of €1,037,784 for the action. The call duration for selected projects is 12 months.

Funding type, nature of support and co-funding

Funding type:Primary financial mechanism: grant (to intermediaries who will in turn give financial support to third parties). The nature of support is monetary grants to beneficiaries and additionally non-financial capacity building/advocacy support as defined in the priorities.

Co-funding requirement:the scraped call text does not state an explicit co-funding or mandatory financial contribution from applicants. The full call documentation should be consulted to confirm whether any percentage co-financing, in-kind contributions or cost-sharing rules apply to selected intermediaries.

Consortia, project stage and target sectors

Consortium requirement:the call is designed to fund intermediary civil society organisations; the scraped text does not mandate multi-partner consortia. The natural applicant profile is a single intermediary organisation applying to manage sub-grants. If consortium or partnership details are required they would be specified in the full call text. Project maturity / stage: implementation and capacity-building stage. The call targets operational grassroots organisations with programmes ready for delivery and grant management capacity rather than early-stage research.

Target sector(s):civil society, human rights, gender equality and women’s rights, migration and refugee support, democratic participation and civic engagement. Thematic focus combines social inclusion, fundamental rights protection and promotion of democratic participation by women of migrant descent.

Application process, evaluation stages and templates

Application type:open call for proposals (call for intermediaries) published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with multiple cut-off deadlines. An information session for prospective applicants was scheduled for 9 June 2026; the portal listing and the RIZA project web page are referenced for detailed application instructions.

1. 1Application stages: two-stage process. Stage 1: eligibility, admissibility and general relevance screening for all applicants. Stage 2: shortlisted candidates only proceed to full evaluation of relevance, quality and impact.
2. 2Selection criteria: the scraped summary indicates evaluation of relevance, quality and impact at stage 2. Detailed scoring, thresholds and sub-criteria are provided in the full call documentation available on the portal.
3. 3Templates and submission: the scraped summary does not include application form templates. Typical Portal practice: applicants complete an online application form via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using mandatory sections for eligibility, workplan, budget and expected impact. Applicants should consult the full call page and downloadable guidance documents for template forms, budget tables and annex requirements.

Applicants should expect to provide at minimum:organisational legal details and proof of establishment in an EU Member State; description of the organisation's mandate and track record; a project description aligned with one or more priorities; budget and planned use of sub-grants; risk management and safeguarding policies (particularly when working with women and migrants); plans for monitoring and evaluation; and details on how sub-grants will be allocated and managed.

Success rates and award opportunities

The scraped call data does not provide an explicit historical success rate or expected number of applicants. What is known from this call: the funder intends to award 34 grants in the 2026 round across three sizes (16 micro, 12 small, 6 medium). Because the number of applicants is unknown, an overall success rate cannot be calculated from the scraped content. Applicants are advised to consider the limited number of awards and the call's stated regional focus when assessing competition.

Contact, additional resources and administrative notes

Contact email provided in the scraped text:riza@migrantwomennetwork.org. Public information page referenced: www.migrantwomennetwork.org/riza. The EU portal reference URL for the call is provided in the footnote ¹.

Mentioned countries

Explicitly mentioned countries:Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta. Geographic eligibility more broadly: all EU Member States (organisations must be established in an EU Member State).

How to prepare a competitive application (practical checklist)

1. 1Confirm legal establishment in an EU Member State and gather registration documents.
2. 2Ensure organisational mission aligns with human rights and migrant/refugee women support; if Tier 1, confirm migrant/refugee women leadership and be prepared to document it.
3. 3Select which priority or priorities your project addresses and map activities to the priority-specific eligible activities from the full call text.
4. 4Prepare a 12-month work plan with clear objectives, milestones, indicators and a monitoring and evaluation approach.
5. 5Prepare a detailed budget showing how funds will be used, including planned sub-grant allocation and administrative costs for managing third-party grants.
6. 6Document safeguarding, protection and inclusion policies, particularly for work with migrant and refugee women.
7. 7Collect CVs or short bios of key staff and evidence of organisational experience in grant management and grassroots mobilisation.
8. 8Register and submit via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by the applicable cut-off deadline; attend the information session or review its materials.

Templates:specific application form templates and budget tables are not included in the scraped summary. As standard practice for Portal calls, applicants should download the call documentation and templates from the official call page and complete the online application form sections. The two-stage evaluation suggests an initial shorter eligibility/admissibility form followed by a more detailed full proposal stage for shortlisted applicants.

Concluding summary

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it:RIZA Call for proposals is a dedicated EU-funded intermediary grant programme under the CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) framework which aims to strengthen the capacity of grassroots civil society organisations supporting migrant and refugee women to uphold and promote EU values and fundamental rights. The call targets organisations able to act as intermediaries and make sub-grants, prioritising migrant and refugee women-led groups (Tier 1) and other grassroots women’s rights and human rights actors with dedicated programmes for migrant and refugee women. The 2026 round specifically encourages applications from the Southern-Mediterranean region (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta) while remaining open to any organisation established in an EU Member State. The fund will allocate grants across three sizes (micro, small, medium) for 12-month actions with two-stage evaluation (eligibility/admissibility then full evaluation for shortlisted candidates). Applicants should consult the full call documentation on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for detailed eligibility rules, templates, budget guidance and priority-specific eligible activities and follow the portal submission process by the stated cut-off deadlines. The portal reference and full call are the authoritative sources for application and contractual provisions ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Call for proposals for civil society organisations active on protecting and promoting Union values: call to intermediaries (giving financial support to third parties). Official portal listing: ec.europa.eu

Who Should Apply

Eligibility & Priority Tiers

The RIZA Call for proposals is a cascade funding opportunity under the EU CERV programme designed to support grassroots civil society organisations working with migrant, refugee, and diaspora women across the EU ¹.

The call has a regional focus on Southern-Mediterranean states (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta), but is open to qualified organisations established in any EU Member State ².

Priority Tiers:Tier 1 (Priority): Migrant and/or refugee women-led organisations with a human rights-based mission ³.

Tier 2: Grassroots women’s rights organisations with a stand-alone programme supporting migrant/refugee women ³.

Tier 3: Migrant/refugee organisations with a stand-alone programme supporting migrant/refugee women ³.

Tier 4: Grassroots human rights organisations with a stand-alone programme supporting migrant/refugee women ³.

Key Eligibility Requirements

1. 1Established in an EU Member State
2. 2Non-profit and independent from political/religious parties and governments
3. 3Minimum 1 year of operational experience
4. 4Annual budget below €300,000
5. 5Equal representation of women in governance and leadership
6. 6Commitment to EU values and migrant women’s inclusion

Grant Amounts & Funding Details

All grants are funded at 100% with no co-financing required ⁴.

90% of the grant amount is disbursed upon signing the grant agreement, and the remaining 10% is paid after project completion and training ⁴.

Call Priorities & Focus Areas

1. 1Support and Capacity Building of Migrant and Refugee women
2. 2Advocating for the fundamental rights of migrant and refugee women
3. 3Promoting the role of migrant and refugee women in democratic dialogue, community cohesion, and cross-cultural solidarity

Application Process & Deadlines

The application process consists of two stages:Stage 1 (eligibility and relevance) and Stage 2 (full proposal for shortlisted candidates) ⁵.

Stage 1 deadline:31 July 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time ¹.

Stage 2 deadline:31 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time ¹.

Applicants will be informed of selection outcomes by December 2026 ⁵.

Additional Information & Support

An online information session is scheduled for 9 June 2026 at 10:00 CET to provide guidance on the application process ⁵.

For more details, visit RIZA Funding Information or contact riza@migrantwomennetwork.org ⁵.

Total funding available:€1,037,784 ⁶.

Project duration:12 months ⁷.

Footnotes

1. 1DevelopmentAid: RIZA Call for proposals details and deadlines DevelopmentAid.
2. 2European Network of Migrant Women: RIZA Q&A sheet confirming EU country eligibility ENMWomen.
3. 3TripleFunds: Detailed breakdown of priority tiers and eligibility criteria TripleFunds.
4. 4GenderFivePlus: Funding details including 100% funding and disbursement schedule GenderFivePlus.
5. 5GenderFivePlus: Application process stages and deadlines GenderFivePlus.
6. 6EUFundingPortal: Total funding amount and grant breakdown EUFundingPortal.
7. 7EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Official call duration and programme details EU Portal.