Support Scheme Support to Civil Society Organisations in Kosovo in the field of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, Gender Equality and Gender-Based Vi...

Restricted call EuropeAid by the European Union Office in Kosovo offering €2,500,000 across three lots for civil society actions in Diversity, Equality and Inclusion; Gender Equality and Women Empowerment; and Access to Justice. Grants per project range from €220,000 to €500,000 with EU contribution covering 60–95 percent of eligible costs and action durations of 24–48 months depending on the lot. Lead applicants must be non-profit NGOs registered at least three years prior; for Lots 1 and 2 the lead must be established in Kosovo while Lot 3 allows non-Kosovo leads if a Kosovo co-applicant is included. Concept notes must be submitted via PROSPECT by 18 May 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time under a two-stage restricted procedure with mandatory PADOR registration and compliance with EU visibility, reporting and SEA-H requirements.

High-level summary

What the call funds

Action grants to strengthen capacities and resilience of local civil society in Kosovo on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI), Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) including gender-based violence, and Access to Justice. Grants finance actions such as service delivery, advocacy, capacity-building, awareness-raising and policy/monitoring work (microfinance and general economic income-generation activities are excluded).

Total budget:€2,500,000 (indicative allocation across three lots) ¹

1. 1Lot 1 Diversity, Equality and Inclusion — indicative envelope €1,000,000; grant size €250,000–500,000; duration 24–48 months; co-financing 60–95%
2. 2Lot 2 Gender Equality and Women Empowerment — indicative envelope €1,000,000; grant size €250,000–500,000; duration 24–48 months; co-financing 60–95%
3. 3Lot 3 Access to Justice — indicative envelope €500,000; grant size €220,000–250,000; duration 24–36 months; co-financing 60–95%

Who can apply

Non-profit non-governmental organisations acting locally. For Lots 1 and 2 lead applicants must be established in Kosovo. Lot 3 lead applicants may be established in Kosovo, an EU Member State or another eligible country but must include at least one co-applicant established in Kosovo if the lead is not local. Applications may include co-applicants and affiliated entities; associates, subcontractors and recipients of financial support have defined roles in the guidelines.

Key administrative points

Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory. Organisations must register in PADOR and use the standard concept-note → restricted full-application two-stage process. An information session is scheduled (20 April 2026, 11:00 Webex) and queries are handled via the published contacts.

Deadline (concept note):18 May 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time; full-application deadline will be set for pre-selected applicants.

Eligibility and reporting highlights

Eligible actions must take place in Kosovo. Grants are awarded as reimbursement of eligible costs and/or financing not linked to costs where allowed. Detailed budgets, logical framework and required annexes (including Declaration on Honour, PADOR info, audit or accounts depending on thresholds) must be submitted at full application. Contracting authority is the European Commission (Delegation/INP-related services).

1. 1Minimum and maximum EU contribution per project by lot (see list above)
2. 2Co-financing required: minimum 5 0? 60% to maximum 95% of total eligible costs (applicants must cover balance)
3. 3Financial and operational capacity checks apply; contractual expenditure verification or third-party assessment is required above specified thresholds

Applications must follow the call Guidelines and Annex templates (concept note, full application form, Annex B budget, Annex C logframe). Pre-selected applicants will be invited to submit full applications and must provide supporting documents (statutes, latest accounts, declaration on honour, PADOR forms where required).

Footnotes

1. 1Full guidelines, annexes and application forms are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu (publication reference EuropeAid).

This is a restricted call for proposals published by the European Commission — European Union Office in Kosovo — under the Civil Society Facility and Media Programme (CSF) and the Thematic Programme for Human Rights and Democracy (HR&D). The call reference is EuropeAid. It is open for submission with concept notes due 18 May 2026 (12:00 Brussels time) and full applications to be invited after pre-selection. Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory and applicants must register in PADOR/Participant Register. An information session for applicants is scheduled 20 April 2026 (Webex). More information and guidance documents (application forms, guidelines, budgets, logframe templates, standard contract, annexes) are published with the call EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Call Purpose:Reinforce capacities and resilience of local civil society in Kosovo to perform effectively, promote gender-responsive and inclusive policies and improve access to justice. The call is divided into three Lots: Lot 1 Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI); Lot 2 Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE); Lot 3 Access to Justice.

Total Budget and Indicative Lot Allocation:Total indicative amount for the call: €2,500,000 (2025 budget). Indicative allocation: Lot 1 (DEI) €1,000,000; Lot 2 (GEWE) €1,000,000; Lot 3 (Access to Justice) €500,000.

Who can apply and eligible participants

Lead applicants and co-applicants must be legal persons and non-profit. For Lots 1 and 2 the lead applicant must be an NGO established and effectively established in Kosovo (statutes must show head office in eligible country) and registered for at least three years prior to the call launch. For Lot 3 the lead applicant may be established in Kosovo, an EU Member State or any other eligible country; however if the lead applicant is not established in Kosovo it must have at least one co-applicant established in Kosovo. Co-applicants and affiliated entities are allowed and must meet the same eligibility conditions. Affiliated entities are entities with a structural legal/capital or membership link to applicant (control or membership). Associates, contractors and recipients of financial support (if authorised) are distinct roles and must follow the rules in the guidelines.

Eligible applicant types:Primary eligible applicants: non-governmental organisations (local CSOs). Co-applicants and affiliated entities may include NGOs and other legal entities meeting the eligibility rules. Public bodies, international organisations and pillar-assessed entities are subject to specific rules and derogations described in the guidelines; natural persons are not typical applicants for this call.

Technical and thematic scope

Three separate Lots with specific objectives and priority themes. Actions must be implemented in Kosovo and must follow a human-rights based approach (HRBA) and gender mainstreaming. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call.

1. 1Lot 1: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI). Priorities: rights of elderly; rights of children; rights of persons with disabilities; LGBTIQ+ rights; rights of non-majority communities; inter-ethnic dialogue.
2. 2Lot 2: Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE). Priorities: combat gender-based violence; women’s right to land/property/inheritance; women workers’ rights; sexual and reproductive health and rights; equal participation and leadership in small municipalities; Women, Peace and Security.
3. 3Lot 3: Access to Justice. Priorities: improve access to free legal professions and enhance free legal aid (including through modern IT tools) and ensure access for non-majority communities.

Financial modalities, co-financing and eligible costs

Grants under this call are Action Grants. The contracting authority funds either reimbursement of eligible costs and/or financing not linked to costs (FNLC) depending on the project design. Eligible costs and modalities follow the Practical Guide (ePRAG) and the General Conditions in Annex II. Indirect costs may be claimed as a flat-rate up to 7 % of eligible direct costs (subject to conditions). A contingency reserve up to 5 % of estimated direct eligible costs may be included with prior written authorisation. Volunteers' work may be accepted as in-kind co-financing up to 50 % of all sources of financing, subject to unit cost rules.

Application process, templates and required documents

This call is run as a restricted call for proposals. Applicants must submit a concept note first (deadline 18 May 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time). Concept notes are evaluated and only invited applicants submit a full application. Submission via PROSPECT is mandatory. PADOR registration is mandatory (lead applicants at concept stage; co-applicants and affiliated entities at full application stage). Key documents published with the call include: Guidelines for Grant Applicants (restricted), Annex A.1 Concept Note form, Annex A.2 Full Application form, Annex B Budget templates (1a, €1B, 1c), Annex C Logical Framework, Annex G Standard Grant Contract (special conditions and general conditions), Annex H Declaration of Honour, Annex F PADOR offline form, Annex J tax information, Annex L SEA-H self-evaluation, Annex VII (expenditure verification and third party assessment ToR). The full application has mandatory supporting documents (statutes, latest accounts, external audit report if applicable, signed declarations by co-applicants/affiliated entities etc.).

Application templates and structure:Mandatory templates to complete: Concept Note (Annex A.1) — includes summary table, 2-page action description, 3-page relevance. Full Application (Annex A.2) — includes 18-page description, methodology (5 pages), indicative action plan (4 pages), sustainability (3 pages), logical framework (Annex C), budget and budget justification (Annex B worksheets), experience matrices, PADOR registration form (Annex F) if needed, declarations (Annex H). Budget templates: Worksheet 1a (cost-based), €1B (cost-based + FNLC) and 1c (FNLC only), Worksheet 2 justification, Worksheet 3 expected sources of funding. Logical framework guidance and Activities Matrix (Annex E3d) must be completed and will be part of Annex I Description of the Action in the contract.

Evaluation, selection and timeline

Step 1:Administrative checks and evaluation of concept notes (scored out of 50, minimum 30 to be pre-selected). The contracting authority will pre-select concept notes up to 200% of available budget per lot and invite those lead applicants to submit full applications. Step 2: Full application evaluation (selection and award criteria) scored out of 100 with thresholds and mandatory financial/operational capacity checks. Step 3: Verification of eligibility and supporting documents for provisionally selected proposals. Provisional timetable published with call: Concept deadline 18/05/2026; invitation to full application approx. July 2026; full application deadline Sept/Oct 2026; notification Nov/Dec 2026; contract signature Dec 2026. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all funds or to reallocate between lots if insufficient quality proposals are received.

Application stages and number of steps:Two stages: 1) Concept note submission and evaluation; 2) Full application submitted only by pre-selected applicants and evaluated with selection/award criteria, followed by eligibility checks and award decision.

Eligibility, selection and assessment details

Eligibility criteria (actors):lead applicant must be a legal, non-profit NGO with at least three years registration; co-applicants and affiliated entities must satisfy the same rules. Actions must be implemented in Kosovo and must address the Lot-specific priorities. Financial/operational selection criteria include stable financial capacity (accounts, external audit report for grants > €750,000) and management/technical capacity. Award criteria cover relevance, design, intervention logic, monitoring & evaluation, sustainability and budget/cost-effectiveness. Specific minimum/maximum EU contribution per lot and co-financing percentages apply (see table above).

1. 1Eligibility of lead applicant: nonprofit NGO, established under national law, head office in eligible country; registered for at least 3 years; for Lots 1 & 2 must be effectively established in Kosovo.
2. 2Co-applicants: must satisfy eligibility and sign mandate. If lead applicant is external to Kosovo for Lot 3, at least one Kosovo co-applicant is required.
3. 3Affiliated entities: allowed if structural (control or membership link) and must sign affiliated entity statement.
4. 4Submission: online via PROSPECT; PADOR ID / PIC required.

Key compliance and safeguard rules

Applicants must comply with EU values, environmental legislation, ILO core labour standards and anti-corruption rules. The contracting authority applies zero tolerance to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H); successful applicants (above thresholds) must complete a SEA-H self-evaluation questionnaire (Annex L) and implement mitigation measures. Declarations on honour (Annex H) are required for exclusion criteria (e.g. fraud, final judicial decisions) for amounts over €15,000.

Categorisation answers (detailed)

Below are detailed, question-by-question extractions and categorizations of the opportunity based on the published call and its annexes.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Primary: non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local civil society organisations. Co-applicants, affiliated entities and associates may be NGOs, public bodies, international organisations or other legal persons as allowed in the guidelines; public bodies and international organisations are covered by specific rules/derogations. Individuals are not the target applicant type. The call is explicitly for civil society organisations and media actors in Kosovo; networks and federations may be affiliated entities where statutes show membership.
2. 2Funding Type: Action Grants (grant awarded as reimbursement of eligible costs and/or financing not linked to costs (FNLC) depending on the proposal). The call also references standard grant contracts and possible contribution agreements for pillar-assessed entities.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Consortium is allowed but not mandatory. The lead applicant may apply alone or with co-applicants and affiliated entities. For Lot 3, if the lead applicant is not established in Kosovo a co-applicant established in Kosovo is mandatory. Therefore both single-applicant and consortium-style applications are accepted depending on Lot and applicant profile.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Actions must be implemented in Kosovo (Geographical Zone: Kosovo under UN resolution). Eligible applicants are primarily organisations established in Kosovo for Lots 1 and 2; Lot 3 allows organisations outside Kosovo but requires local co-applicant(s) in Kosovo if lead applicant is abroad. The programme is financed by EU external action instruments (CSF/HR&D).
5. 5Target Sector: Civil society, human rights, gender equality, social inclusion, rule of law and access to justice; thematic sectors: diversity, equality & inclusion; gender equality and women empowerment; access to justice (legal aid, free legal professions, non-majority communities). Sector categories: civil society, human rights/democracy, rule of law, gender, social inclusion, legal services.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Kosovo (explicit). The call references EU programmes but the action location is Kosovo. The contracting authority is the European Commission / European Union Office in Kosovo. Some provisions mention participation from EU Member States or other eligible countries for Lot 3 co-applicants.
7. 7Project Stage: The call funds implementation activities across the results chain: actions should be implementation-focused (service delivery, capacity building, advocacy, monitoring) and can include research/analysis as part of implementation. Typical maturity expected: development / implementation / demonstration and policy engagement. Proposals must present a logical framework with outputs, outcomes and impact and show how activities lead to concrete results.
8. 8Funding Amount: Total call €2,500,000. Lot-specific ranges: Lot 1 and Lot 2: min €250,000 / max €500,000. Lot 3: min €220,000 / max €250,000. Minimum EU contribution percentages: 60% of total eligible costs (i.e. applicants must co-finance at least 5% up to 40% so final EU share is 60% to 95%). Indicative budgets: Lot 1 = €1,000,000; Lot 2 = €1,000,000; Lot 3 = €500,000.
9. 9Application Type: Restricted call with two-stage submission: 1) Concept Note (Annex A.1) — online via PROSPECT; 2) Full Application (Annex A.2) invited applicants only. Submission and management via PROSPECT and PADOR registration required. Deadlines and IT helpdesk hours noted in the guidelines.
10. 10Nature of Support: Money (grant funding — reimbursement of eligible costs and/or financing not linked to costs) plus non-monetary: capacity-building expectations, monitoring/evaluation, visibility and communication requirements, and mandatory reporting/third-party assessments in some cases.
11. 11Application Stages: Two stages (concept note evaluation; invited full applications). The full application evaluation itself has administrative and technical/financial checks and possible verification of supporting documents (three evaluation steps described in the guidelines).
12. 12Success Rates: Not explicitly provided. The selection process pre-selects proposals scoring >=30/50 and then selects proposals up to 200% of available budget for invitation to full application; final selection depends on scoring and available funds. Given competitive international CSF/HR&D calls, expect moderate to low success rates; exact probability depends on number and quality of submissions and cannot be computed from the document.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Yes. Any grant requested must fall within 60% — 95% EU co-financing of total eligible costs (i.e. applicants must provide co-financing between 5% and 40% of total eligible costs). The balance must be financed from other sources than the EU general budget (or EDF if applicable). Volunteer in-kind work can be part of co-financing (up to 50% of total sources) following unit-cost rules.
14. 14Templates: Application form templates and structure: Mandatory Annexes: A.1 Concept Note, A.2 Full Application, Annex B Budget (Worksheets 1a, €1B, 1c; Worksheet 2 justification; Worksheet 3 expected sources), Annex C Logical Framework (logframe-LFM) and Annex E3d Activities Matrix, Annex F PADOR offline registration, Annex G Standard Grant Contract (special conditions and Annex II general conditions), Annex H Declaration on Honour, Annex J tax information, Annex L SEA-H self-evaluation, Annex VII-A Terms of Reference for contractual expenditure verification (AUP), Annex VII-B Terms of Reference for Third Party Assessment (TPA) for FNLC. Budget and logframe are required parts of Full Application. The Full Application provides strict page limits for narrative, methodology, action plan and sustainability sections, and the logframe and budget must be completed in the provided templates.
15. 15Other compliance and checks: Financial capacity evidence (latest accounts, external audit reports if thresholds exceeded), legal status documents, mandates and affiliated entity statements, declaration on honour, and SEA-H self-evaluation for awards above certain thresholds. The contracting authority may require pre-financing guarantees in specific cases. Expenditure verifications (AUP) and third party assessments for FNLC components are mandatory above thresholds shown in the guidelines.

How to prepare a competitive proposal — key points from the guidelines

1. 1Follow the concept note template exactly: the evaluation of concept notes is based exclusively on the submitted form. Include the summary table, 2-page description and 3-page relevance as required.
2. 2If invited to full application, respect page limits: Description (max 18 pages), Methodology (max 5 pages), Indicative action plan (max 4 pages), Sustainability (max 3 pages), Logframe (Annex C) and Budget (Annex B). Provide a convincing intervention logic and measurable RACER indicators.
3. 3Demonstrate operational and financial capacity: provide evidence of previous experience in similar actions (last 3 years) and provide latest accounts and audit reports where required.
4. 4Design a robust monitoring, reporting and evaluation system aligned with the logframe. If FNLC is used, ensure indicators transposed into budget (Annex B worksheet €1B/1c) and that validation arrangements (third party assessment) are planned and budgeted if required.
5. 5Comply with visibility and communication obligations and mainstream cross-cutting issues (HRBA, gender, disability inclusion, environment). Include a gender-responsive indicator at least.
6. 6Ensure realistic and transparent budgeting; justify amounts in worksheet 2 and include any planned contingency (max 5%) with contracting authority approval.
7. 7Register early in PADOR and PROSPECT and attend the information session if possible. Prepare required supporting documents well in advance (statutes, accounts, mandates, declarations).

This summary extracts and organizes the essential information applicants need to decide eligibility, prepare applications and structure proposals. Applicants should read the Guidelines for Grant Applicants and all annexes (application forms, budgets, logframe, standard grant contract) carefully, and follow PROSPECT and PADOR user manuals. Official documents and templates are authoritative; ensure all supporting documentation and declarations are available and valid at the time of submission ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Call and full documentation including Guidelines, Application Forms (concept note and full application), Annexes B and C (Budget and Logical Framework), Annex G Standard Grant Contract, Annex H Declaration on Honour and Annex L SEA-H questionnaire are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu. Access the specific prospect page for reference EuropeAid.

Opportunity Overview

This is a restricted call for proposals under the Civil Society Facility and Media Programme and the Thematic Programme for Human Rights and Democracy, managed by the European Union Office in Kosovo. The call supports civil society organisations working on diversity, equality and inclusion, gender equality and women empowerment, and access to justice. The opportunity is structured in three distinct lots, each with specific objectives and funding parameters.

Publication Reference:EuropeAid

Total Budget Available:€2,500,000 across all three lots

Submission Deadline:18 May 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time

Call Structure and Lots

The call is divided into three separate lots, each addressing distinct thematic areas and with independent funding allocations and requirements.

Lot 1: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)

Specific Objective:Strengthen the role and capacity of civil society organisations to promote fair treatment and full participation of marginalised and vulnerable groups in society, create public accountability, and introduce positive behavioural change.

Priority Areas:

• Rights of elderly persons
• Rights of children
• Rights of persons with disabilities
• Rights of LGBTIQ+ persons
• Rights of non-majority communities
• Inter-ethnic dialogue

Funding Parameters:Minimum grant: €250,000; Maximum grant: €500,000. EU contribution must represent 60-95 percent of total eligible costs. Indicative budget allocation: €1,000,000.

Action Duration:Minimum 24 months; Maximum 48 months

Lot 2: Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE)

Specific Objective:Strengthen the role and capacity of civil society organisations to tackle root causes of gender inequality and contribute to implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan III.

Priority Areas:

• Freedom from all forms of gender-based violence
• Women's rights to land, property and inheritance
• Strengthening women workers' rights
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Equal participation and leadership in small municipalities (population less than 10,000)
• Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Funding Parameters:Minimum grant: €250,000; Maximum grant: €500,000. EU contribution must represent 60-95 percent of total eligible costs. Indicative budget allocation: €1,000,000.

Action Duration:Minimum 24 months; Maximum 48 months

Lot 3: Access to Justice

Specific Objective:Strengthen the role and capacities of civil society organisations to reduce social inequalities by enhancing access to justice for all individuals, particularly those from marginalised communities.

Priority Areas:

• Improving access to free legal professions including notaries, lawyers and paralegals, with particular attention to non-majority communities
• Enhancing free legal aid across all areas specified by the Law on Free Legal Aid, including through modern IT tools

Funding Parameters:Minimum grant: €220,000; Maximum grant: €250,000. EU contribution must represent 60-95 percent of total eligible costs. Indicative budget allocation: €500,000.

Action Duration:Minimum 24 months; Maximum 36 months

Eligibility Criteria

Lead Applicant Requirements

The lead applicant must be a legal person and non-profit-making non-governmental organisation registered for at least three years prior to the call launch date. For Lots 1 and 2, the lead applicant must be effectively established in Kosovo. For Lot 3, the lead applicant may be established in Kosovo, an EU Member State, or any country eligible under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument. The lead applicant must be directly responsible for preparation and management of the action and not act as an intermediary.

Co-applicants and Affiliated Entities:Co-applicants must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant. For Lot 3, if the lead applicant is not established in Kosovo, at least one co-applicant must be established in Kosovo. Affiliated entities must have a structural link with the applicants and satisfy the same eligibility conditions.

Restrictions on Applications:The lead applicant may submit only one application per lot and may not be awarded more than one grant per lot. A co-applicant or affiliated entity may not participate in more than one application per lot and may not be awarded more than one grant per lot.

Eligible Actions

Actions must address the specific objectives and priorities of the selected lot. Actions must take place in Kosovo. Ineligible action types include individual sponsorships for workshops or scholarships, actions that may violate human rights or cause significant environmental harm, charitable donations, humanitarian activities, actions linked to political parties or of political or religious nature, actions falling within general state administration activities, infrastructure projects, microfinance, retrospective financing of completed projects, and core funding of applicants.

Cross-Cutting Requirements:All applicants must consider gender equality as a cross-cutting issue. At least one specific objective and one indicator in each proposal should aim at gender equality. Proposals must use the human rights-based approach methodology and integrate relevant cross-cutting issues including environmental sustainability, promotion of human rights, democracy, good governance, youth support, and children's rights.

Financial Conditions and Budget

Eligible Costs:Eligible costs include human resources, travel, equipment and supplies, project office costs, and other services. Costs must be necessary for action implementation, identifiable and verifiable, recorded in beneficiary accounts, and compliant with applicable national tax and social security legislation. Ineligible costs include debts and interest, provisions for losses, costs financed by other EU actions, currency exchange losses, in-kind contributions except volunteer work, performance-based bonuses, and salary costs of national administration personnel.

Indirect Costs:Indirect costs may be claimed as a flat rate not exceeding 7 percent of estimated total eligible direct costs, excluding project office costs and volunteer costs.

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

Co-financing:The balance between the total action cost and the EU contribution must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund. Volunteer work may comprise up to 50 percent of all sources of financing.

Application Procedure

Restricted Call Process

This is a restricted call for proposals. In the first phase, applicants must submit concept notes for evaluation. Lead applicants whose concept notes are pre-selected will be invited to submit full applications in the second phase. After evaluation of full applications, an eligibility check will be performed for provisionally selected applications.

Registration Requirements:Lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities must register in PADOR and obtain a unique EuropeAid ID. Registration in the Participant Register is also mandatory to obtain a Participant Identification Code. Online submission via PROSPECT is obligatory for this call.

Concept Note Phase:Concept notes must be submitted online via PROSPECT by 18 May 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. The concept note should include a summary of the action, description covering background and objectives, relevance analysis, target groups and beneficiaries, and indicative budget information. Concept notes will be evaluated on relevance and design, with a maximum score of 50 points. Only concept notes scoring at least 30 points will be considered for pre-selection.

Full Application Phase:Pre-selected lead applicants will be invited to submit full applications. The full application must include detailed description of the action, implementation approach, action plan, sustainability analysis, logical framework, and detailed budget. Full applications will be evaluated on financial and operational capacity, relevance, design, implementation approach, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness, with a maximum score of 100 points.

Supporting Documents:Full applications must be accompanied by statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant and co-applicants, declaration on honour on exclusion criteria, latest accounts, external audit reports where applicable, and PADOR registration forms if online registration is not possible. For grants exceeding €750,000, an external audit report is required; otherwise a self-declaration certifying account validity is acceptable.

Information Session

An information session will be held on 20 April 2026 at 11:00 via Webex. Interested organisations should send an email by 16 April 2026 at 12:00 to delegation-kosovo-fincon@eeas.europa.eu indicating the names, nationalities and email addresses of participants and their organisation, with a maximum of two participants per organisation.

Questions and Clarifications

Questions may be sent by email no later than 21 days before the deadline for submission of concept notes to delegation-kosovo-fincon@eeas.europa.eu. Replies will be provided no later than 11 days before the deadline. All questions and answers will be published on the DG International Partnerships website and the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal.

Evaluation and Selection

Concept Note Evaluation

Concept notes will be evaluated on five criteria:consistency with call objectives, relevance to country and sector needs, clarity of target groups and beneficiaries, added-value elements, and intervention logic. Each criterion is scored 1-5, with a maximum total of 50 points. Concept notes must score at least 30 points to proceed. Pre-selected concept notes will be ranked by score, and sufficient concept notes will be selected to reach 200 percent of the available budget for the call.

Full Application Evaluation

Full applications are evaluated on six criteria:financial and operational capacity, relevance of the action, design of the action, implementation approach, sustainability, and budget and cost-effectiveness. The evaluation grid has a maximum score of 100 points. If the total score for financial and operational capacity is less than 12 points, or if any subsection scores 1, the application will be rejected. Applications are ranked by score, and the highest-scoring applications are provisionally selected until the available budget is reached.

Eligibility Verification:Eligibility verification is performed only for provisionally selected applications. The contracting authority will cross-check the declaration on honour with supporting documents and verify applicant eligibility according to the criteria in the guidelines.

Key Conditions and Obligations

Reporting and Monitoring

Beneficiaries must provide interim and final reports describing action implementation, difficulties encountered, changes introduced, and degree of achievement of results measured by indicators. Reports must include a narrative and financial component using templates provided by the contracting authority. The reporting period is typically 12 months unless otherwise specified. Interim reports must be submitted within 60 days of the reporting period end; final reports must be submitted within three months of the implementation period end, or six months if the coordinator is not headquartered in Kosovo.

Contractual Expenditure Verification:For grants exceeding €100,000, a contractual expenditure verification report must be submitted with the final report. For grants of €5,000,000 or more, the report must be submitted with interim reports. The report must be produced by a practitioner approved by the contracting authority and must examine whether declared costs are real, accurately recorded, and eligible.

Visibility Requirements:Beneficiaries must publicise the fact that the European Union has financed or co-financed the action in accordance with EU Communication and Visibility requirements. The EU emblem must be displayed prominently, and all communications must include a statement that views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the contracting authority.

Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEA-H) Policy:Successful applicants other than natural persons, pillar-assessed entities, and governments must complete a self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H policy for grants exceeding €60,000. This is an administrative requirement, not part of the evaluation, but failure to comply may affect contract signature.

Code of Conduct:Beneficiaries must comply with a code of conduct including respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse are prohibited. Beneficiaries must report any breaches of ethical standards or human rights violations to the contracting authority within 30 days.

Payment and Contract Terms

Payment Schedule:Payments are made according to the payment schedule specified in the special conditions, typically including initial pre-financing, further pre-financing payments, and a final balance payment. The first instalment of pre-financing may be subject to validation of a financial guarantee.

Grant Contract:Successful applicants will be offered a grant contract based on the standard grant contract template. By signing the application form, applicants agree to accept the contractual conditions if awarded a grant. The contract includes special conditions specific to the action and general conditions applicable to all EU-financed grant contracts for external actions.

Contract Duration:The contract enters into force on the date when the second party signs. Implementation begins on the day following signature or on a later date as specified. The execution period ends when the final balance payment is made by the contracting authority.

Important Dates and Timeline

Key Considerations for Applicants

Applicants should carefully review the guidelines and ensure their organisation meets all eligibility criteria before applying. Early registration in PADOR and the Participant Register is strongly recommended to avoid technical difficulties. Concept notes should be clear, concise and demonstrate strong alignment with the call priorities. Full applications must provide detailed justification of budgets and demonstrate clear intervention logic with measurable indicators. Applicants should ensure they have the necessary financial and operational capacity to implement the proposed action and comply with all reporting and visibility requirements. Gender equality must be mainstreamed throughout the proposal, and human rights-based approaches should be clearly articulated.

Footnotes

1. 1The call is financed under both the Civil Society Facility and Media Programme and the Thematic Programme for Human Rights and Democracy. Lots 1 and 2 are financed under the Civil Society Facility; Lot 3 is financed under the Thematic Programme for Human Rights and Democracy.