Strengthening Civil Society Organisations and Not-for-Profit Media to promote Democracy, Media Pluralism and Civic Participation in Zimbabwe

EU Delegation call EuropeAid invites eligible Financial Framework Partner Agreement (FFPA) beneficiaries to apply for a single action grant to strengthen civil society organisations and not-for-profit media in Zimbabwe to promote democracy, media pluralism and civic participation. The overall indicative budget is €2,000,000 with requested grants required to be between €1,900,000 and €2,000,000, a minimum 50% of direct eligible costs to be allocated as financial support to third parties (FSTP), and cost-based components between 55% and 95% where applicable. Actions must be implemented in Zimbabwe over 36 to 48 months and address media and information literacy, digital resilience, investigative journalism, protection of journalists and advocacy for an enabling legal environment. Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT with registration in PADOR and the EU Participant Register by 6 July 2026, 12:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Scope and objectives

Grants to support Zimbabwean civil society and not-for-profit media to promote democracy, media pluralism and civic participation. Activities may include media and information literacy, digital resilience and safety, investigative journalism, capacity building, legal assistance and financial support to local actors to counter misinformation and improve media freedom, with attention to youth and women.

Budget and grant size:Total indicative budget €2,000,000. Single action to be awarded. Individual grant requests must be between €1,900,000 and €2,000,000. Financial support to third parties (sub-grants) is mandatory and should represent at least 50% of total direct eligible costs; maximum per third party normally €60,000 unless justified up to €150,000.

1. 1Deadline: 6 July 2026, 12:00 Brussels time
2. 2Action location: Zimbabwe only
3. 3Duration: 36 to 48 months
4. 4Form of financing: Action grant (reimbursement of eligible costs and possible financing not linked to costs where specified)

How to apply:mandatory online submission via PROSPECT and PADOR registration. Concept note and full application are submitted together; concept notes are evaluated first. See guidelines and annexes for application forms, logframe and budget requirements ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Guidelines for applicants and full documentation, templates and procedural details are available on the F&T Portal: Guidelines for applicants call 186313 EUD Zimbabwe.

Opportunity summary

Call reference EuropeAid. Action grant to fund a single large action in Zimbabwe to strengthen civil society organisations (CSOs) and not-for-profit media to promote democracy, media pluralism and civic participation, combat misinformation and support digital resilience. Published 06 May 2026. Total indicative budget €2,000,000. Deadline for submission of full applications: 6 July 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Online submission mandatory via PROSPECT; mandatory registration in PADOR and the EU Participant Register. Evaluation is two-stage: concept note first, then full application for pre-selected lead applicants. The contracting authority is the European Commission (DG International Partnerships / EU Delegation to Zimbabwe).

Who can apply (eligible applicant types)

Primary eligible lead applicants:organisations holding a Financial Framework Partner Agreement (FFPA) under call EuropeAID/175569/DH/FFP/MULT. Lead applicants must be established in a Member State of the European Union, in Zimbabwe, or in a country eligible under the NDICI - Global Europe instrument. Co-applicants and affiliated entities are permitted and must satisfy the same eligibility rules as applicable to lead applicants. The call targets civil society and media actors: non-profit organisations, NGOs, not-for-profit media, networks, federations, research or training organisations in the media and digital rights field, and other CSOs. Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support (sub-grantees/third parties) are foreseen: associates may participate without receiving grant funds except for per diems/travel; contractors and third party recipients must follow procurement and FSTP rules. Individuals cannot be lead applicants; public bodies and governments may be excluded in specific cases according to the practical guide. The lead applicant must not be in exclusion situations described in the practical guide.

Funding type and financial modalities

Primary funding mechanism:Action grant (reimbursement of eligible costs, with possibility to combine cost-based reimbursement and financing not linked to costs (FNLC) where specified). The grant may be implemented using actual costs and/or simplified cost options (lump sums, unit costs, flat rates) as allowed and justified in the application. The action must include financial support to third parties (sub-grants / FSTP) as an essential component.

Total budget and grant size:Overall indicative amount €2,000,000. Requested grant must be between €1,900,000 and €2,000,000. Cost-based component of the grant must be between 55% and 95% of total eligible costs. Financial support to third parties (FSTP) must represent at least 50% of overall direct eligible costs and the maximum per third party is €60,000, except where achieving objectives would be impossible or overly difficult in which case single third-party awards may be raised up to €150,000 ¹.

Consortium requirement and organisational roles

This call will contract one single action implemented by one lead applicant (the coordinator). Co-applicants and affiliated entities are allowed and may participate in implementation and incur eligible costs. The lead applicant must sign the declaration by the lead applicant and the coordinator acts as sole interlocutor of the contracting authority. Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support must be clearly identified and/or selected through transparent procedures. A sole applicant model is possible where several entities form a legal entity or network that meets eligibility criteria.

Geographic eligibility and location of activities

Action location:activities must take place in Zimbabwe. Lead applicants may be established in the EU, in Zimbabwe or in NDICI-Global-Europe eligible countries. The geographical zone is Southern Africa Region per portal metadata. The call explicitly targets Zimbabwe; actions must be country-specific and responsive to Zimbabwe's context.

Priority themes and target sector

Thematic focus:civil society strengthening, independent and not-for-profit media, media pluralism, freedom of expression, media and information literacy, combating misinformation/disinformation (especially online), digital resilience and digital safety, investigative journalism, protection and safety mechanisms for journalists (with attention to women journalists), advocacy for legal and policy reform to safeguard civic space, networking and regional engagement. Target groups: CSOs working on media, community radio, not-for-profit digital media, content creators, influencers, youth and women groups, journalists and human-rights defenders.

Project maturity and duration

Expected maturity:implementation-ready, operational CSO/programme level — capacity-building, demonstration and scaling of proven media/CSO activities. Actions must be operationally ready and can include institutional strengthening, pilot initiatives, capacity assessments, FSTP grants to local actors. Permitted duration: minimum 36 months, maximum 48 months.

Application and selection procedure

Call type:Open call for proposals with combined submission: concept note (Annex A.1) and full application (Annex A.2) submitted together. First assessment stage evaluates concept notes; pre-selected lead applicants are invited for full application evaluation. Mandatory online submission via PROSPECT; mandatory registration of organisations in PADOR (EuropeAid ID) and the Participant Register (PIC). Questions to contracting authority by email deadline 21 days before submission; answers published publicly.

1. 1Stage 1: Opening & administrative checks and concept note evaluation (concept notes scored out of 50). Pre-selection based on score and ranking until the aggregate amount requested reaches 200% of available budget.
2. 2Stage 2: Evaluation of full application (quality, capacity, financial and operational capacity, award criteria) scored out of 100; selection and provisional list produced.
3. 3Stage 3: Verification of eligibility of applicants and affiliated entities and other supporting documents (eligibility check); award decision and contract signature.

Nature of support to beneficiaries

Beneficiaries will receive financial support (grant funds) and non-monetary services:technical assistance, capacity-building, coaching, monitoring and evaluation support, legal assistance and rapid-response protection mechanisms. Grants include a large mandatory component for financial support to third parties (sub-grants to local CSOs and media).

Application / documentation templates and forms

Applicants must use the provided annexes and templates. Key documents that must be completed and submitted via PROSPECT/PADOR as indicated: Annex A.1 – Concept note (grant application form concept note); Annex A.2 – Full application form; Annex B – Budget (Excel: worksheets 1a/€1B/1c as relevant) with justification and cost breakdown; Annex C – Logical framework (logframe) and Annex E3d Activities Matrix; Annex F – PADOR offline registration form (if PADOR not possible); Annex H – Declaration of honour on exclusion and selection criteria; Annex L – Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H (for grants > €60,000). Additional reference documents: Guidance for applicants, Standard Grant Contract (Annex G), PRAG/ePRAG. Detailed financial reporting templates (Interim/Final narrative and financial reports, Annex VI) and contractual expenditure verification ToR (Annex VII-A) are provided and must be respected.

Application form structure (high level):Concept note (Annex A.1): summary table (overall and specific objectives, beneficiaries, outputs, activities), 2-page description of the action, relevance, maturity, added value, cross-cutting issues; Full application (Annex A.2): detailed description (max 13 pages), activity matrix, detailed action plan (half-yearly/monthly for year 1), logical framework (Annex C), budget (Annex B) including justification worksheets, experience section, declarations, mandates for co-applicants and affiliated entity statements. Financial annexes require detailed cost breakdown and justification. For FNLC components, performance indicators, units and value-per-unit are required in budget worksheets. Detailed templates are provided in annexes.

Evaluation criteria and scoring

Concept notes:scored out of 50 across relevance (20) and design (30) with intervention logic doubled in weight. Full applications: selection criteria assess financial and operational capacity (20 points) and award criteria cover relevance (20), design (15), implementation approach (15), sustainability (15) and budget/cost-effectiveness (15) for a total of 100 points. Minimum thresholds apply (e.g. Section 1 financial/operational capacity must score >=12 or be rejected). Pre-selection reduces concept notes to those whose requested contributions aggregate to 200% of available budget.

Success rates and competitiveness

No explicit numerical success rate is provided in the call documents. The pre-selection method reduces concept notes to a pool whose requested contributions equal 200% of the available budget; shortlisted applicants are invited to submit full applications and final awards are made from that pool. The selection process is competitive and only one grant will be awarded under this call; a reserve list will be maintained. Applicants should therefore expect high competition and prepare high-quality, well-justified proposals.

Co-funding and cost-sharing requirements

Co-financing:the cost-based component must represent between 55% and 95% of total eligible costs if cost-based financing is used. The contracting authority expects the balance of the total action cost (i.e., costs beyond the EU contribution) to be financed from sources other than the EU budget or EDF. The grant may finance 100% of eligible costs only if fully justified in Annex A.2 Section 2.1 and accepted during evaluation. For FNLC results, the EU contribution is fixed against results and other sources cannot be counted as EU co-financing for the FNLC component. Volunteers' work may be accepted as in-kind contribution under specific rules, up to limits detailed in the guidelines.

Financial support to third parties (FSTP) requirements

FSTP is mandatory and essential. FSTP must represent at least 50% of total direct eligible costs. Maximum per third party is €60,000, except where achieving objectives would be impossible or overly difficult (up to €150,000 allowed with justification). Sub-granting must use transparent, competitive selection procedures adapted to local capacities; application forms and selection criteria must be pre-defined in Annex A.2 Section 2.1; coaching, capacity building and monitoring for sub-grantees must be included. FSTP beneficiaries cannot be on EU restrictive measures lists.

Eligible actions and illustrative activities

Eligible actions must address the call priorities and take place in Zimbabwe. Indicative types include: media and information literacy campaigns (youth focus); strengthening digital resilience and security for CSOs and not-for-profit media; capacity building, training, coaching and on-the-job support for independent media and CSOs (including community radio and digital outlets); investigative journalism partnerships; legal support and advocacy for media freedom and protection mechanisms for journalists; coordinated multi-stakeholder mechanisms to address misinformation, hate speech and co-produce public-interest content; support for women journalists and measures to counter harassment and gender-based threats; facilitation of regional participation and network building. Actions must mainstream human rights, gender equality, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

1. 1Capacity assessments and training, mentoring, on-the-job coaching
2. 2Coordination platforms, joint sector analysis, advocacy campaigns
3. 3Digital security risk assessments, rapid response mechanisms, tool configuration and incident response protocols
4. 4FSTP sub-grants to local CSOs/media via competitive calls, with built-in capacity support
5. 5Provision of legal assistance and protection mechanisms for journalists (incl. women journalists)
6. 6Support to investigative journalism and collaborative reporting with CSOs
7. 7Regional engagement and network support to participate in regional forums on media freedom and digital rights

Duration, reporting, audits and control

Allowed duration:minimum 36 months, maximum 48 months. Reporting: interim and final narrative and financial reports using Annex VI templates; detailed breakdowns and contractual expenditure verification reports required depending on grant size (contractual expenditure verification required with interim reports for grants >= €5,000,000 and final report for grants > €100,000). For FNLC components a third-party assessment of achieved results is required where thresholds apply. The contracting authority and EU bodies (OLAF, European Court of Auditors, EPPO) have audit and on-the-spot access rights; records must be retained for at least five years after payment of the balance (three years if grant <= €60,000). Procurement must follow Annex IV procurement rules; non-compliance may render expenditure ineligible.

Risk, ethics and safeguards

Applicants must ensure absence of conflicts of interest, comply with anti-corruption, anti-bribery, environmental legislation and ILO core labour standards. Beneficiaries (and affiliated entities) must assess their internal policies on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) via Annex L questionnaire for grants > €60,000 and implement mitigation measures. Visibility requirements apply, but derogations are possible for security reasons and must be requested and justified in the full application. Beneficiaries must ensure that no funds are provided to entities or persons subject to EU restrictive measures and must respect the regime of conditionality for protection of the Union budget.

Key deadlines and indicative timetable

Deadline for submission of full applications:6 July 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. Clarification request deadline: 15 June 2026 12:00. Clarifications published by 25 June 2026. Information to lead applicants on opening, administrative checks and concept note evaluation: 30 August 2026. Notification of contracting authority decision: 15 October 2026. Contract signature: by 30 November 2026. These dates are indicative and some (2,3,4) are fixed per guidelines.

Successive administrative steps a successful applicant will undergo

1. 1Step 1: Submission via PROSPECT and PADOR registration; opening and administrative checks; concept note evaluation.
2. 2Step 2: If pre-selected, full application evaluation including selection and award criteria, budget assessment and capacity verification.
3. 3Step 3: Eligibility verification of applicants and affiliated entities based on supporting documents; signing of grant contract (standard grant contract or contribution agreement where pillar-assessed).
4. 4Post-award: implementation with interim/final reporting, contractual expenditure verification or third-party assessment where required, monitoring, visibility and possible audits.

Success indicators and payments

Budgeting can use actual costs and/or simplified cost options. Where FNLC is used, payments are linked to achievement of pre-agreed indicators and validated via third-party assessment; the FNLC component and associated indicators must be included in Annex I and Annex III and in logframe. Pre-financing and further payments are governed by Article 15 of the general conditions and special conditions; a financial guarantee may be requested for pre-financing if the grant exceeds €60,000, except for specified exempt categories.

Co-funding and percentage rules (summary)

• Cost-based component must be between 55% and 95% of total eligible costs.
• FSTP must represent at least 50% of overall direct eligible costs.
• Grant requested must be between €1,900,000 and €2,000,000 for this call.
• Grant may finance the entire eligible costs only with strong justification and subject to evaluation.

Templates and annex checklist (applicants must submit)

Mandatory submission documents (via PROSPECT/PADOR):Annex A.1 Concept note, Annex A.2 Full application form (if applicable for pre-selected lead applicants), Annex B Budget (Excel worksheets 1a/€1B/1c as relevant) with justification, Annex C Logical Framework (logframe), Annex G Standard Grant Contract (for information), Annex H Declaration on Honour (signed), Annex F PADOR registration (if online PADOR not possible), Annex L SEA-H self-evaluation (if applicable), legal statutes/articles of lead applicant, latest accounts or audit report where required, mandates from co-applicants and affiliated entities, and any documents listed in Section 2.2.5 of the guidelines. Do not send additional annexes not requested.

Practical and technical tips

Register in PADOR and the EU Participant Register early. Follow the concept note format strictly (font, margins, page limits). Provide a realistic, cost-effective budget with clear justification in Annex B worksheet 2. Ensure the FSTP design, selection criteria and maximum amounts are clearly set in the full application. Prepare logframe indicators with baseline, targets, sources and data collection methods (RACER). Plan for monitoring, contractual expenditure verifications and third-party assessments for FNLC as required. Include visibility measures and consider security-related visibility derogation requests when justified.

Where to apply:Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT: webgate.ec.europa.eu and organisations must be registered in PADOR: webgate.ec.europa.eu. Additional help: ePRAG guidance and the PROSPECT user manual. Contact for call questions: DELEGATION-ZIMBABWE-CALLS-FOR-PROPOSALS@eeas.europa.eu. For IT support re PROSPECT/PADOR: ec-external-relations-application-support@ec.europa.eu ¹.

Quick reference — essential facts

1. 1Call reference: EuropeAid
2. 2Total indicative budget: €2,000,000
3. 3Grant size requested: €1,900,000 to €2,000,000
4. 4Location of action: Zimbabwe (actions must take place in Zimbabwe)
5. 5Application deadline: 06/07/2026, 12:00 (Brussels time)
6. 6Submission portal: PROSPECT (mandatory) and registration in PADOR/Participant Register mandatory
7. 7Mandatory FSTP: at least 50% of total direct eligible costs; max per sub-grant €60,000 (exception up to €150,000 justified)
8. 8Project duration: 36 to 48 months
9. 9Evaluation: two-stage (concept note then full application), eligibility checks and contractual verifications/TPA as applicable

This opportunity is a targeted EU action grant to fund a single comprehensive programme that will provide direct technical and financial support to Zimbabwean civil society and not-for-profit media actors to protect and expand civic space, strengthen media pluralism and fight misinformation, with emphasis on youth and women’s participation and digital resilience. The grant is large and competitive, requires thorough documentation (legal, financial, logframe and budget justification) and a mandatory sub-granting (FSTP) component. Applicants must be FFPA beneficiaries and meet registration requirements in PADOR and the EU Participant Register. The selection process is rigorous and follows EU procedures (PRAG) including contractual expenditure verifications and third-party assessments for FNLC components where required. Prepare a complete, cost-justified proposal with a clear FSTP design, robust monitoring and protection measures for journalists and staff, and detailed visibility and risk mitigation planning.

Footnotes

1. 1Guidelines for applicants, annexes and technical documents (including PROSPECT user manual and financial templates) are available on the Funding & Tenders Opportunities portal and in the call annexes published with reference EuropeAid.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is an EU grant opportunity managed by the European Commission under the Civil Society Organisations Thematic Programme, financed through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe Regulation. The call aims to strengthen civil society organisations and not-for-profit media in Zimbabwe to promote democracy, media pluralism, and civic participation. The opportunity is designed as a single action framework partnership agreement where one successful applicant will manage a complex programme of technical and financial support to civil society organisations working on media issues in Zimbabwe. ¹

Reference and Programme Details:The call reference is EuropeAid. It falls under the Civil Society Organisation Multi-annual Action Plan 2025-2027 and the Support to Civil Society in Partner Countries (INTPA) programme. The geographical zone is Southern Africa Region, with implementation focused on Zimbabwe.

Funding Amount and Duration

Total Budget:The overall indicative amount available is €2,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Grant Range:Any grant requested must fall between €1,900,000 (minimum) and €2,000,000 (maximum). This means applicants must request funding within a very narrow range, essentially seeking the full or near-full budget allocation.

Co-financing Requirements:The cost-based component of any grant must fall between 55% and 95% of total eligible costs. The balance must be financed from sources other than the EU general budget or European Development Fund. Full EU financing (100%) may be possible if justified as essential to carry out the action, with justification required in the application.

Project Duration:The initial planned duration must be between 36 and 48 months (3 to 4 years).

Objectives and Priorities

The global objective is to promote democracy through engaged, informed and empowered citizens who can freely express their views and safeguard civic space in Zimbabwe. The specific objective is to support Zimbabwean civil society in the media sector and not-for-profit media to create an enabling environment, ensure access to public-interest information, and combat misinformation and disinformation, particularly in the digital space.

Call Priorities

• Improve civil society, media and public awareness, particularly among young people, of the dangers of misinformation and disinformation through media and information literacy initiatives
• Enhance digital resilience and safety for not-for-profit media and civil society organisations, enabling them to navigate and overcome digital threats while ensuring their ability to contribute to inclusive and democratic civil society
• Enhance the professionalism, political and financial independence and sustainability of civil society organisations operating in the media sector, particularly in the digital space, alternative platforms, content creators, influencers and community radios, to provide reliable information and engage in democratic governance including through investigative journalism
• Support initiatives that promote media freedom and counter harassment, discrimination and physical violence on journalists and media practitioners as human rights defenders, and advocate for legal reforms ensuring an enabling environment for them to operate without fear of harassment, censorship or legal repercussions, particularly for women journalists
• Enhance collaboration between independent media and civil society organisations in the fields of media freedom, freedom of expression, misinformation and disinformation and hate speech, developing mechanisms for cooperation particularly in the digital space

Eligible Applicants

This call uses a Framework Partner Agreement approach. Lead applicants must be beneficiaries of a Financial Framework Partner Agreement (FFPA) under call EuropeAID/175569/DH/FFP/MULT. ²

Lead Applicant Requirements

• Must be a beneficiary of the Financial Framework Partner Agreement (FFPA) under the specified call
• Must be established in a Member State of the European Union, in Zimbabwe, or in another country eligible under NDICI - Global Europe
• Must not be in any exclusion situations as listed in the practical guide
• Must not be detected in EU restrictive measures
• Must be directly responsible for preparation and management of the action with co-applicants and affiliated entities, not acting as an intermediary
• Must act with co-applicants as specified in the guidelines

Co-applicants and affiliated entities must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant. Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, with their costs eligible in the same way as the lead applicant's costs. Affiliated entities must have a structural link with applicants (legal or capital link, control relationship, or membership in the same network or federation).

Ineligible Applicants

Applicants in any exclusion situation are ineligible. These include entities subject to EU restrictive measures, those with substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud, and those failing to meet financial or operational capacity requirements. Natural persons cannot be lead applicants, though they may participate as associates.

Eligible Actions

Actions must take place in Zimbabwe and address civil society and independent media, fight against misinformation and disinformation, media and information literacy including digital, investigative journalism, communication and awareness-raising, digital safety and protection, and advocacy for freedom of expression.

Indicative Types of Action

• Reinforcing media and information literacy initiatives for civil society organisations and the wider public, with particular focus on young people, to increase awareness of risks of misinformation and disinformation
• Strengthening digital resilience and safety of civil society organisations operating in the media sector, including not-for-profit media, enabling them to anticipate, withstand and respond to digital threats
• Enhancing professionalism, political and financial independence and sustainability of civil society organisations operating in the media sector, including not-for-profit media, digital media, alternative platforms, content creators, influencers and community radios
• Supporting civil society advocacy campaigns and participation in multi-stakeholder dialogue promoting media freedom, countering harassment and discrimination of journalists and media practitioners, and advancing legal and policy reforms
• Developing mechanisms for cooperation between public interest media and civil society organisations in the digital space to address misinformation and hate speech and promote accurate information dissemination
• Support to civil society-led protection mechanisms for journalists and media actors as human rights defenders, including actions to promote an enabling environment for their safety, security and well-being
• Support for Zimbabwean civil society and not-for-profit media organisations to engage in regional forums, networks and platforms on media freedom, digital rights and civic space

Actions must respond to country-specific needs and contexts while maintaining flexibility to address arising needs in an evolving environment. Actions must integrate cross-cutting principles of human rights, gender equality, social inclusion particularly of vulnerable groups, and environmental sustainability. Involvement and participation of youth and women organisations will constitute clear added value.

Indicative Types of Activities

• Capacity assessments and capacity-building activities for civil society organisations, not-for-profit media and media activists including training, coaching and on-the-job training
• Coordination of civil society and independent media actors to work alongside each other in complementary, strategic and interconnected manner
• Promotion of coordination forums and platforms, conduct of joint sector analyses and formulation of action plans and networks
• Provision of flexible support for civil society and not-for-profit media actors such as legal assistance and holistic protection mechanisms tailored to specific and evolving risks
• Facilitation of experience and knowledge sharing among civil society organisations and independent media, including development of communication tools, exchanges of experience, dissemination of good practices, mentoring and coaching, twinning arrangements
• Awareness raising, advocacy and campaigns design and implementation based on research and evaluation of current trends
• Conduct of digital security risk assessments for organisations and at-risk individuals, provision and configuration of security tools, support for development and implementation of digital security policies and incident-response protocols

Financial Support to Third Parties

Financial support to third parties (FSTP) is deemed essential to achieve the objectives of this action. Support to local actors is a key and essential component of this grant. The amount of FSTP should be at least 50% of the total amount of overall direct eligible costs. ³

Maximum Amounts per Third Party:The maximum amount of financial support per third party is €60,000, except where achieving the objectives would otherwise be impossible or overly difficult, in which case this threshold can be exceeded up to €150,000. A threshold below €60,000 can be set if appropriate.

Support must be open to a wide range of civil society organisations including not-for-profit media through transparent selection of applications, including emerging stakeholders. Proposals should be submitted in response to a competition. For award of financial support, grant beneficiaries may use their own procedures provided they comply with principles of proportionality, sound financial management, equal treatment and non-discrimination, ensure transparency and prevent conflicts of interest. Application forms and procedures should be tailored to the technical and managerial capacities of local organisations. Evaluation and selection should be based on high quality and innovative ideas and initiatives.

Recipients of financial support cannot be designated in the lists of EU restrictive measures. The lead applicant must define in the full application the overall objectives, specific objectives and outputs to be achieved with financial support, different types of eligible activities, types of persons or categories of persons who may receive support, criteria for selecting entities and giving support, criteria for determining exact amounts per third entity, and maximum amounts which may be given.

Eligible Costs

Grants take the form of reimbursement of eligible costs, which may be based on actual costs incurred and/or simplified cost options. Only costs directly linked to action implementation and attributable to it are eligible. Costs must not include indirect costs via cost drivers, ineligible costs, or costs already declared under another budget item.

Eligible Direct Costs

• Human resources including technical staff, administrative and support staff, salaries of international and local staff, travel per diems
• Travel costs including international travel and local travel
• Equipment and supplies including purchase or rental of vehicles, furniture, computer equipment, machines and tools, spare parts
• Project office costs including vehicle costs, office rent, consumables and office supplies, telecommunications and utilities
• Other costs and services including audit and expenditure verification, evaluation costs, translation and interpretation, financial services
• Financial support to third parties as described above
• Visibility and communication costs as required

Indirect Costs:Indirect costs may be eligible for flat-rate funding not exceeding 7% of estimated total eligible direct costs (except volunteer costs and project office costs). If any applicant or affiliated entity receives an operating grant financed by the EU, it may not claim indirect costs on incurred costs within the proposed budget for the action.

Contingency Reserve:The budget may include a contingency reserve not exceeding 5% of estimated direct eligible costs. It can only be used with prior written authorisation of the contracting authority.

Ineligible Costs

• Debts and debt service charges including interest
• Provisions for losses or potential future liabilities
• Costs declared by beneficiaries and financed by another action or work programme receiving EU grant
• Purchases of land or buildings except where necessary for direct implementation of the action
• Currency exchange losses
• In-kind contributions except for volunteers' work
• Bonuses included in staff costs
• Negative interest charged by banks or financial institutions
• Credit to third parties
• Salary costs of personnel of national administrations

Application Process and Deadlines

Submission Deadline:The deadline for submission of applications is 6 July 2026 at 12:00 PM Brussels time. Applications submitted after this deadline will be rejected. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit, as heavy internet traffic or connection faults could lead to submission difficulties.

Questions Deadline:Questions may be sent by email no later than 21 days before the deadline (by 15 June 2026) to DELEGATION-ZIMBABWE-CALLS-FOR-PROPOSALS@eeas.europa.eu. Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline.

Application Submission Method

Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT at webgate.ec.europa.eu. Online submission via PROSPECT is obligatory for this call. Upon submission, the lead applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in their PROSPECT profile. Supporting documents, except the declaration on honour on exclusion criteria, shall be uploaded in PADOR.

Lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities must register in PADOR before submission. Registration in the Participant Register is also mandatory. It is strongly recommended to register in PADOR well in advance and not to wait until the last minute before the deadline.

Required Application Documents

• Concept note (Annex A.1 - Grant application form - Concept note)
• Full application (Annex A.2 - Grant application form - Full application)
• Budget (Annex B in Excel format)
• Logical framework (Annex C in Excel format)
• Statutes or articles of association of lead applicant, co-applicants and affiliated entities
• Declaration on honour (Annex H) signed by lead applicant and all co-applicants and affiliated entities certifying they are not in exclusion situations (required where grant exceeds €15,000)
• For action grants exceeding €750,000: external audit report from approved auditor certifying accounts for up to last 3 available financial years, or self-declaration signed by authorised representative certifying validity of accounts
• Copy of lead applicant's latest accounts (profit and loss account and balance sheet for last closed financial year)
• PADOR registration form (Annex F) if online registration is impossible for technical or security reasons
• Self-evaluation questionnaire on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (Annex L) for grants exceeding €60,000

Documents must be supplied as originals with blue ink signature or qualified electronic signature, photocopies or scanned versions of blue-ink originals. Where documents are not in an official EU language, a translation into English of relevant parts proving eligibility must be submitted. Supporting documents not provided by the deadline may result in application rejection.

Evaluation Process

Applications are evaluated in three steps:administrative checks and concept note evaluation, evaluation of full applications, and verification of eligibility of applicants and supporting documents.

Step 1: Administrative Checks and Concept Note Evaluation

The contracting authority will assess whether the deadline has been met and whether the application satisfies all criteria specified in the checklist. Concept notes that pass this check will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the proposed action. Concept notes will receive an overall score out of 50 using the evaluation grid. Only concept notes with a score of at least the specified threshold will be considered for pre-selection. The number of concept notes will then be reduced to those whose total aggregate amount of requested contributions equals 200% of the available budget for the call.

Concept Note Evaluation Criteria (Maximum 50 points):Relevance of the action (20 points): consistency with call objectives (5 points), relevance to country/region/sector needs (5 points), target groups and final beneficiaries (5 points), added value elements (5 points). Design of the action (30 points): intervention logic (10 points), context analysis (5 points), risks and assumptions (5 points), indicative activities (5 points), cross-cutting issues (5 points).

Step 2: Evaluation of Full Applications

Pre-selected applications will be evaluated on their quality, including proposed budget and capacity of applicants and affiliated entities. Evaluation uses selection criteria (financial and operational capacity) and award criteria (relevance, design, implementation approach, sustainability, budget and cost-effectiveness). Full applications receive an overall score out of 100.

Full Application Evaluation Criteria (Maximum 100 points):Financial and operational capacity (20 points): project management experience (5 points), technical expertise (5 points), management capacity (5 points), financial stability of lead applicant (5 points). Relevance of the action (20 points): consistency with call objectives (5 points), relevance to country/region/sector needs (5 points), target groups and beneficiaries (5 points), added value elements (5 points). Design of the action (15 points): intervention logic (5 points), logical framework matrix (5 points), context analysis (5 points). Implementation approach (15 points): action plan (5 points), monitoring and evaluation (5 points), project management (5 points). Sustainability of the action (15 points): long-lasting benefits (5 points), multiplier effects (5 points), sustainability (5 points). Budget and cost-effectiveness (15 points): budget appropriateness (5 points), efficiency (10 points, weighted double).

If the total score for financial and operational capacity is less than 12 points, the application will be rejected. If the score for at least one subsection under financial and operational capacity is 1, the application will also be rejected.

Step 3: Verification of Eligibility

Eligibility verification is performed only for applications provisionally selected according to their score and within available budget. The declaration by the lead applicant will be cross-checked with supporting documents. Any missing supporting document or incoherence may lead to rejection. Eligibility of applicants and affiliated entities will be verified according to criteria in the guidelines, including exclusion criteria. Any rejected application will be replaced by the next best placed application on the reserve list that falls within available budget.

Award Decision and Contract Signature

After verifying supporting documents, the evaluation committee will make a final recommendation to the contracting authority, which will decide on the award of grants. The contracting authority may decide not to award any grants and cancel the call without applicants having any right to compensation. The award decision will indicate successful applicants, names of rejected applicants, and a reserve list if any.

Notification:Lead applicants will be informed in writing of the contracting authority's decision. In case of rejection, they will be informed of reasons for the negative decision. Successful applicants will be requested to provide additional information and documents, including the self-evaluation questionnaire on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment for grants exceeding €60,000. Notification will be sent by email and will appear online in the PROSPECT profile.

Contract Signature:Following the award decision, beneficiaries will be offered a contract based on the standard grant contract (Annex G). By signing the application form, applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant contract. The budget proposed must be corrected to remove obvious arithmetical errors or ineligible costs prior to signing the contract.

Indicative Timetable

This timetable refers to provisional dates except for dates related to clarification deadlines and application submission deadline. The timetable may be updated by the contracting authority during the procedure. Updated information will be published on the website of DG International Partnerships or the Funding and Tenders Portal.

Key Conditions and Requirements

Ethics and Values

• Applicants must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation with other applicants or parties involved in the actions
• Applicants must comply with environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements and core labour standards as defined in International Labour Organisation conventions
• Applicants must commit to and ensure respect of basic EU values including respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights, including rights of minorities
• The European Commission applies zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, physical abuse or punishment, threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, and other forms of intimidation
• Applicants must comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption
• Applications will be rejected if unusual commercial expenses emerge, such as commissions not mentioned in the main contract, commissions not paid for actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to tax havens, or commissions paid to unidentified payees or front companies

Visibility Requirements

Applicants must take all necessary steps to ensure visibility of the European Union as the funder or co-funder of the action through correct and prominent display of the EU emblem and relevant funding statement. Actions wholly or partially funded by the EU must ensure visibility of EU financing by displaying the EU emblem in accordance with guidelines set out in the Operational guidelines for recipients of EU funding. All measures and activities relating to visibility and communication must comply with the latest Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU-funded external action. Derogation from contractual visibility obligations is permitted in exceptional situations due to security issues, local political sensitivities, or when in the interest of the beneficiary or contracting authority, determined on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the EU.

Application Restrictions

• The lead applicant may not submit more than one application under this call for proposals
• The lead applicant may not be awarded more than one grant under this call for proposals
• The lead applicant may not be a co-applicant or affiliated entity in another application at the same time
• A co-applicant or affiliated entity may not be the co-applicant or affiliated entity in more than one application under this call for proposals
• A co-applicant or affiliated entity may not be awarded more than one grant under this call for proposals

Support and Guidance

Applicants can access the PRAG (Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions) at wikis.ec.europa.eu. Project Cycle Management Guidelines are available at ec.europa.eu. The Financial Toolkit is available at ec.europa.eu. Information on the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) is available at commission.europa.eu.

All technical questions related to PADOR and PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at ec-external-relations-application-support@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT. The working languages of IT support are English, French and Spanish. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants will be published on the website where the call was published: DG International Partnerships website at ec.europa.eu and/or the Funding and Tenders Portal at ec.europa.eu.

Context and Background

Zimbabwe has a vibrant ecosystem of national civil society organisations, including not-for-profit media, and international actors working on issues such as legal and policy reform, press freedom, access to information, professional standards, community broadcasting, media monitoring, gender in and through media, and digital rights. However, the country faces significant challenges. The 2013 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and access to information, but these protections are often undermined by restrictive laws including the Broadcasting Services Act, Cyber and Data Protection Act, and public-order legislation. International indices continue to classify Zimbabwe as a challenging environment for independent media and free expression. Media pluralism is slowly expanding, especially via digital and community outlets, but operates within a legally restrictive, politically polarised and economically fragile ecosystem. ⁴

In the context of shrinking civic space and decreased funding availability, civil society organisations and not-for-profit media are in need of further support to continue delivering their crucial role. Collaboration between media and civil society organisations is paramount to safeguard freedom of expression. Strengthened, sustainable and independent media are essential for providing reliable information and conducting thorough investigations into governance issues, thereby complementing civil society's efforts in governance. The EU Delegation has supported civil society organisations and networks in Zimbabwe's media sector for several years, with projects still being implemented on journalism education, investigative journalism, support to community radios, and fight against disinformation and misinformation.

Footnotes

1. 1This is a single action framework partnership agreement where only one successful applicant will be contracted to manage the complex programme of technical and financial support to civil society organisations working on media in Zimbabwe.
2. 2Applicants must already be beneficiaries of the Financial Framework Partner Agreement (FFPA) under call EuropeAID/175569/DH/FFP/MULT to be eligible. This is a mandatory requirement and applicants should verify their FFPA status before applying.
3. 3Financial support to third parties is deemed essential to achieve the objectives of this action. The minimum 50% threshold for FSTP as a percentage of total direct eligible costs is a key requirement that applicants must meet in their budget planning and proposal design.
4. 4International indices referenced include Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Freedom House, Article 19, and the African Media Barometer, which consistently classify Zimbabwe as a challenging environment for independent media and free expression.