Support to public authorities to combat racism, xenophobia, LGBTIQ-phobia and all other forms of intolerance, including intersectional discrimination

This grant opportunity is part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) and focuses on combating racism, xenophobia, LGBTIQ-phobia, and all other forms of intolerance, including intersectional discrimination. The call titled "Support to public authorities to combat racism, xenophobia, LGBTIQ-phobia and all other forms of intolerance, including intersectional discrimination," is identified as CERV-2025-EQUAL-RESTRICTED. It is designed specifically for public authorities, highlighting their role in promoting equality and fighting against discrimination.

Key details include the following: the call is planned to open on July 15, 2025, and close on October 23, 2025, with a total budget of €13,200,000 allocated to the initiative. The funding mechanism is a CERV Lump Sum Grant, which simplifies project funding by providing a fixed amount. Although public authorities are the primary applicants, civil society organizations may potentially collaborate. It is not specified whether a consortium is required for applications; however, partnerships are encouraged to enhance project impact.

Geographical eligibility generally includes EU Member States, EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), and EU candidate countries such as Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia, but the exact eligible countries will be detailed in the call document. The projects should focus on implementation and development stages, emphasizing awareness campaigns and capacity-building activities for public authorities.

The funding is expected to range from a minimum of €50,000 to potentially €1 million per project, although individual project amounts are not explicitly stated. The application process is single-stage, meaning there is only one round of applications, and submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

There is no co-funding requirement, and the lump sum grants are designed to cover 100% of eligible costs. Success rates and specific funding amounts per project remain unspecified, but similar calls under CERV typically exhibit competitive bidding with historical success rates ranging from 10% to 39%.

In summary, the CERV 2025 call aims to empower public authorities in the EU/EEA to combat systemic discrimination through financial support via lump-sum grants, encouraging projects that align with EU values of equality and human rights. The planned budget highlights the EU's commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable societies. Interested applicants are advised to carefully review the comprehensive guidelines and prepare their proposals accordingly.

This is a call for proposals for EU action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). The call, titled "Call for proposals to promote equality and to fight against racism, xenophobia and all other forms of discrimination (CERV-2025-EQUAL)", aims to support public authorities in combating racism, xenophobia, LGBTIQ-phobia, and all other forms of intolerance, including intersectional discrimination. This initiative falls under one of the six priorities within the CERV program. The type of action is CERV-LS, which stands for CERV Lump Sum Grants, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is CERV Lump Sum Grant [CERV-AG-LS].

The call follows a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date for submissions is 15 July 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is 23 October 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation period is scheduled from October 2025 to March 2026, with information to applicants expected in March-April 2026. Grant agreements are projected to be signed between April and July 2026.

The admissibility conditions require applicants to adhere to the proposal page limits and layout as described in Section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are detailed in Section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries. Other eligibility conditions are also outlined in Section 6 of the call document. The financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Section 8, while the award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Section 9 of the call document. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Section 10 of the call document.

The available budget is divided across several topics: CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTISEMITISM and CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTIMUSLIM have a combined budget of 6,800,000 EUR. CERV-2025-EQUAL-RESTRICTED, CERV-2025-EQUAL-LGBTIQ, CERV-2025-EQUAL-DIVERSITYMGT, and CERV-2025-EQUAL-RACI-DISC share a budget of 13,200,000 EUR.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the call document, proposal template, and annexes before preparing their applications. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and Online Manual are available for guidance on submission procedures and technical aspects. For non-IT related questions, applicants should contact the CERV Contact Point of their country or email EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu for priorities 1, 4, 5, and 6, and EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu for priorities 2 and 3.

Supporting documents include the Call document, application form templates (Standard application form (CERV), Detailed budget table (CERV LSII), Declaration on Honour regarding CPP by public entities), Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), CERV Work Programmes, CERV Regulation 2021/692, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sums for actions under the CERV programme (2021-2027), Guidance on managing lump sum grants, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

In summary, this EU grant opportunity under the CERV program aims to fund projects that actively promote equality and combat various forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, and LGBTIQ-phobia. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline in October 2025. Applicants need to carefully follow the guidelines and conditions outlined in the call document and related annexes. The program seeks to support public authorities in their efforts to create more inclusive and equitable societies across Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, the mention of "public entities" in the "Declaration on Honour regarding CPP by public entities" suggests that public authorities are eligible applicants. The reference to LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants also implies that various types of organizations with legal entity validation can apply. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a "CERV Lump Sum Grant" (CERV-LS). The budget is allocated as a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the partner search announcements suggest that collaboration is possible and perhaps encouraged, but not necessarily mandatory. Section 6 of the call document may provide more information.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document and in the list of participating countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: equality, fight against racism, xenophobia, all other forms of discrimination, anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, LGBTIQ rights, and diversity management.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text, but the "list of participating countries" is referenced, implying that eligibility is based on a defined list of countries, likely within the EU or associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly mentioned, but given the focus on action grants, it is likely to be at the stage of development, validation, or demonstration, rather than basic research or early-stage idea generation.

Funding Amount: There are two budget allocations mentioned: 6,800,000 EUR for CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTISEMITISM and CERV-2025-EQUAL-ANTIMUSLIM, and 13,200,000 EUR for CERV-2025-EQUAL-RESTRICTED, CERV-2025-EQUAL-LGBTIQ, CERV-2025-EQUAL-DIVERSITYMGT, and CERV-2025-EQUAL-RACI-DISC. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text, so the funding amount per project cannot be determined.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Call for proposals" title and the single-stage deadline model.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals for EU action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). It aims to promote equality and combat racism, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination. The call is structured around six priorities: combating antisemitism, combating anti-Muslim hatred, addressing restricted rights, supporting LGBTIQ rights, promoting diversity management, and fighting racism and discrimination. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the application process is a single-stage submission. The call is scheduled to open on July 15, 2025, with a deadline of October 23, 2025. Eligible applicants and participating countries are detailed in the call document. Applicants should carefully review the call document and related annexes, including the application form templates, budget table, and model grant agreements, to prepare their proposals. The European Commission provides various support resources, including an IT helpdesk, online manual, and contact points for non-IT related questions.