Support to the African Governance, Peace & Security Architectures – grant component

This open call EuropeAid funds action grants to strengthen African governance, peace and security architectures with an indicative budget of €4,000,000 and a submission deadline of 30 April 2026. Eligible lead applicants are legal entities such as NGOs, public bodies, international organisations and consortia established in Sub‑Saharan Africa or eligible partner countries. Activities may include capacity building, conflict prevention, early warning, mediation support and institutional strengthening aligned with AU/REC priorities and EU values. Applications must be submitted online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and follow standard EU external action grant rules including co‑financing, no‑profit, reporting and verification requirements.

Call reference & key dates

EuropeAid/186141/DD/ACT/Multi • Deadline 30 April 2026

What it funds:Action grants to reinforce African governance, peace and security architectures — capacity building, institutional support, monitoring, coordination and related activities in Sub-Saharan Africa (see call documents for scope and eligible actions).

Total budget:€4,000,000 (total EU budget for the grant component).

Who can apply:Legal entities such as NGOs, public bodies, international organisations and consortia (lead applicant plus co‑applicants/affiliated entities). Applicants must meet standard EU external‑action eligibility and exclusion criteria and register in the EU participant systems (PADOR/PIC) as required by the call ¹.

1. 1Grant type: Action grants for external action (EuropeAid).
2. 2Geographical zone: Sub‑Saharan Africa / Miscellaneous Countries.
3. 3Application: Full proposals submitted online via the Funding & Tenders Portal (see call page).

Practical notes:submission is online; downloadable templates include grant application form, budget, logframe, reporting templates, contractual expenditure verification terms of reference, model grant contract and annexes. Check tax/VAT eligibility, procurement and asset transfer rules in the annexes.

Footnotes

1. 1Registration and submission rules, required templates and applicant guidance are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal call page (Grant Application Form, PADOR/PIC registration and Annexes).

Basic call data and administrative facts

Call title:Support to the African Governance, Peace & Security Architectures – grant component. Reference: EuropeAid. Procurement instrument: Action Grants (grant). Published: 16 March 2026. Deadline for submission: 30 April 2026 (Brussels time). Total budget indicated for this grant component: €4,000,000. The call is indicated as Open For Submission on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Submission method: online submission through the Commission’s candidate portal / PROSPECT system (online submission mandatory for this call).

Primary documents and templates provided by the contracting authority:The portal listing for this call includes: Grant Application Form Full Application; Grant Application Form Concept Note; Guidelines for applicants; Budget templates (worksheets 1a, €1B, 1c); Justification worksheet; Logical Framework (LogFrame) and Activities Matrix templates (Annex e3d); Standard grant contract and Annex II General Conditions; Annexes for procurement, expenditure verification (Terms of Reference for Agreed-Upon Procedures), model financial and narrative reports (interim and final), model report for third party assessment (where financing not linked to costs is used), Identification form for public and private law bodies (PADOR guidance), Declaration on honour and exclusion criteria forms, Annex IX transfer of ownership of assets template, model financial guarantee, tax regime info and detailed reporting templates and instructions. A number of mandatory administrative forms (Legal Entity Sheet, PADOR form, bank identification form) and templates for reporting, financial verification and audit are published with the call documents on the Portal EU Funding Portal. ¹

Detailed eligibility, scope and application features (extracted)

Geographical zone and programme:The call is part of External Actions of the European Union, under the programme geographic area Sub-Saharan Africa / Miscellaneous Countries (the header in the portal indicates Sub-Saharan Africa and Miscellaneous Countries). The action title and documents reference support to African governance, peace and security architectures; the targeted geography is Sub-Saharan Africa and African Union architectures (explicitly framed for African partner countries/regions).

Eligible applicant types:The documentation and templates included with the call reflect standard EU external action grant rules, therefore eligible applicant types are public law bodies (government departments, public authorities), non-profit organisations and NGOs, international organisations and non-governmental entities, research institutions, universities, think tanks, and other legal persons established in eligible partner countries or in countries covered by the call. The standard templates include separate identification forms for public law bodies and private law bodies and mandate/affiliated entity statements for multi-beneficiary structures, indicating that lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entities and associated partners can participate. The materials also reference operating grants vs action grants and include requirements for practitioners (audit/AUP), indicating both not-for-profit organisations and public bodies are anticipated applicants. Individuals and for-profit companies are not the primary target unless specifically allowed by the call rules and their legal form is consistent with the eligibility rules; the documentation places emphasis on NGOs, public bodies, international organisations and affiliated entities.

Funding type and modalities:Primary financial mechanism: grant (Action Grant). The call documentation sets out standard EU grant contract templates and general conditions applicable to EU external actions. The budget and worksheets include provisions for reimbursement of eligible costs and also include the framework for financing not linked to costs (FNLC) where applicable. The published call page identifies the instrument as Action Grants and provides budget templates, the standard grant contract and legal annexes.

Consortium requirement:Consortium or single beneficiary models are supported by the published documentation. The application package includes: a Grant Application Form for Full Application, Mandate templates for co-applicants, Affiliated Entities statements and multi-party contractual arrangements, and PADOR/Legal Entity instructions. The special conditions and Annex II include both single-beneficiary and multi-beneficiary rules. Therefore applicants may apply as a single beneficiary or as a consortium (multi-beneficiary) depending on how they structure the proposal; a lead/coordinator role is expected where there are co-applicants.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):Region targeted: Sub-Saharan Africa (the call header shows Sub-Saharan Africa and Miscellaneous Countries). Eligibility therefore focuses on partners and actions implemented in Sub-Saharan African countries. The portal and documents use standard External Actions eligibility rules: applicants can be established either in an eligible partner country or in other countries as allowed by the applicable financing instrument; specific eligibility for the call should be confirmed in the Guidelines document attached to the call.

Target thematic sector(s):Primary sectors targeted by the action: governance, peace and security architectures. The call specifically addresses African governance, peace and security architectures and related policy, institutional strengthening and capacity-building interventions at AU/Regional/National levels.

Explicitly mentioned countries:No individual African countries are named in the scraped content. The call references Sub-Saharan Africa and African Union/continental/regional architectures. Therefore the explicit geographic scope in the available text is Sub-Saharan Africa and Miscellaneous Countries as indicated on the portal.

Project maturity, funding scale and application logistics

Expected project stage / maturity:The call targets actions to support governance, peace and security architectures which typically require implementation, institutional capacity building, policy support, demonstration/pilot activities and sustained coordination with regional/national bodies. Expected project maturity: implementation / demonstration / capacity-building stage rather than early idea-stage—applicants should present implementable actions with concrete activities, outputs, outcomes and monitoring arrangements (logframe and activities matrix are mandatory).

Indicative funding amount and scale:Total budget for this grant component published on the Portal: €4,000,000. The call includes standard Annex III budget templates allowing applicants to present cost-based budgets or financing-not-linked-to-costs (FNLC) components. Individual award sizes are not explicitly stated in the scraped text; applicants should consult the Guidelines and the Grant Application Form to identify expected maximum per award or per lot.

Application type and submission process:Submission method: online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal / PROSPECT (online submission mandatory). The call lists two application forms: Grant Application Form Concept Note and Grant Application Form Full Application (the call supports concept note stage and invitation to full application typical for two-stage open calls). The call documents include instructions, templates and mandatory forms (declaration on honour, legal entity forms, PADOR guidance, bank identification).

Nature of support to beneficiaries:Primary form of support: financial assistance (grant funding) – monetary. The call also foresees extensive non-financial requirements and services in the templates: narrative reporting, technical monitoring, possible third party assessment, contractual expenditure verification (financial audit/AUP), visibility and communication obligations, and transfer-of-ownership rules for assets purchased under the action.

Application stages:The documents show a two-stage approach is supported by the framework: concept note stage (Grant Application form_Concept Note) and full application stage (Grant Application Form_Full Application). The full application requires a detailed LogFrame, budget worksheets and annexes. For grants involving FNLC (financing not linked to costs) the contract requires third party assessment to validate achievement of results for specific thresholds. Contractual expenditure verification (AUP) is required for reimbursement-based grants above thresholds described in Annex II. Therefore typical application selection flow: (1) concept note (where used) → shortlisting; (2) invitation to submit full application; (3) evaluation of full application and award decision; (4) grant signature and implementation with reporting/verification stages.

Success rates:No success rate data is provided in the published call materials. The Portal does not publish historic success rates for this specific call within the scraped content. Applicants should regard success rates as dependent on sector competition and alignment with EU strategic priorities and the quality of proposals submitted.

Co-funding requirement:The published budget templates and expected sources of funding worksheet indicate that applicants must present the total cost of the action and expected other contributions (applicant, other donors). Standard External Actions grant rules ordinarily require co-financing information and may set a minimum co-financing percentage. The scraped content does not provide a prescriptive fixed co-financing percentage for this call; applicants must consult the Guidelines for this call to determine whether co-financing is mandatory and at what rate. In practice, applicants should plan to show other confirmed or expected contributions and detail any in-kind contributions, volunteers' work (up to 50% of total sources under specific conditions) and confirm whether VAT or taxes are eligible in their case (the Tax Regime Annex explains VAT rules and evidence requirements).

Key applicant requirements, mandatory templates and control obligations

The call package contains a comprehensive set of administrative, financial and contractual templates required for any successful award and contract implementation. Many templates are mandatory at the application stage (legal entity information, declaration on honour) and at contracting/reporting stages (logframe, budget worksheets, narrative and financial interim/final reports, contractual expenditure verification AUP terms of reference, third-party assessment ToR where FNLC used). The standard grant contract Annex II General Conditions govern eligibility, procurement by beneficiaries, subcontracting, financial verification, record keeping, ownership and visibility rules.

1. 1Mandatory administrative templates: Declaration on honour (exclusion criteria), Legal Entity Sheet, Identification Form (private and public law bodies), PADOR registration guidance.
2. 2Proposal templates: Grant Application Form Concept Note; Grant Application Form Full Application; LogFrame and Activities Matrix (Annex e3d); Budget worksheets (1a/€1B/1c) including FNLC subcomponents; Justification worksheet.
3. 3Contractual templates: Standard Grant Contract (special conditions); Annex II General Conditions for EU external actions; Annex IV Procurement rules for beneficiaries; Annex IX Transfer of ownership of assets; Model financial guarantee (Annex VIII).
4. 4Reporting & verification templates: Model narrative interim/final reports (Annex VI); Model financial report, model financial and narrative interim/final reports; Model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification (AUP) and Terms of Reference for AUP (Annexes VII-A and related guidance); third party assessment model (Annex VII-B) where FNLC is used.
5. 5Other specialized templates: Self-evaluation questionnaire SEA-H; Declaration and forms for tax regime evidence; Sample templates for project office costs, procurement files and procedures (Annex IV).

Selection and post-award controls, financial verification and reporting

The call materials and annexes set out the EU External Actions standard control framework. Key controls and reporting obligations include: periodic narrative and financial reporting (interim and final) using provided templates; a contractual expenditure verification report (agreed-upon-procedures AUP) for specified thresholds (e.g., final report required for grants above €100,000; AUP with interim reports for grants equal or above €5,000,000 as per Annex II rules); third party assessment for FNLC components when required; contractual obligations on record keeping for at least five years (three years for amounts <= €60,000); audit and on-the-spot checks by Commission services, OLAF, EPPO and European Court of Auditors; procurement rules and nationality/origin rules in Annex IV for beneficiary-managed procurement; transfer of assets and ownership reporting (Annex IX).

Reporting and verification steps applicants should anticipate:1) Interim narrative and financial reports for each reporting period (usually annual) and a forecast budget for the next reporting period; 2) contractual expenditure verification (AUP) and/or detailed breakdown of expenditure as required by thresholds in Annex II; 3) final narrative and financial report, including evidence for asset transfers, and contractual expenditure verification where required; 4) third party assessment of FNLC-funded results where applicable; 5) adherence to visibility and SEA-H reporting, and provision of all records to verifiers and auditors upon request.

Answers to the required categorisation questions

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Public law bodies (government departments, municipal/regional authorities), NGOs and non-profit organisations, international organisations, universities and research institutes, think tanks, and other legal persons established in eligible countries. The call supports single beneficiaries and multi-beneficiary consortia with affiliated entities and associates. The documentation includes separate identification forms for public and private law bodies and mandates for co-applicants, so multi-party consortia are expressly accommodated.
2. 2Funding Type: Grant (Action Grants). The call supports reimbursement of eligible costs and may allow financing not linked to costs (FNLC) for parts of an action if expressly authorised in the Guidelines; both cost-based and FNLC budget templates are provided.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Other (single or multi). Applicants can submit as a single beneficiary or as a consortium (multi-beneficiary) with a lead/coordinator; co-applicant mandate and affiliated entities templates are provided. The lead coordinator role is required where co-applicants are present.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Sub-Saharan Africa (target geography indicated on the call page). The Portal labels the programme zone Sub-Saharan Africa and Miscellaneous Countries; applicants should consult the Guidelines for the complete list of eligible countries and any cross-eligibility rules.
5. 5Target Sector: Governance, peace and security (policy, institutional capacity, regional and national architecture support).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: None specific in the materials provided; region specified as Sub-Saharan Africa (and 'Miscellaneous Countries' as listed on the call landing page).
7. 7Project Stage: Implementation / demonstration / institutional capacity-strengthening (projects with clearly defined activities, outputs, logframe, monitoring and evaluation).
8. 8Funding Amount: The call’s total budget for the grant component is €4,000,000. Individual award amounts are not specified in the scraped content; applicants must consult the Guidelines and call details for per-grant maxima or lot allocations.
9. 9Application Type: Open call for proposals with online submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (PROSPECT). The dossier shows concept note and full application forms, indicating a two-stage open call process (concept note then full application) is supported.
10. 10Nature of Support: Money (grant funding). The grant is monetary and disbursed according to contract conditions; the documentation also mandates non-financial obligations such as monitoring, capacity-building, reporting and visibility.
11. 11Application Stages: 2 stages in practice (concept note shortlisting then full application); post-award: contracting and implementation stages with periodic reporting and verification steps. The call materials include templates for both concept note and full application stages.
12. 12Success Rates: Unknown. The scraped content does not include historical success rates or the expected number of awards.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: Describe it. The budget templates and Expected Sources of Funding worksheet require applicants to identify other contributions and co-financing. The call materials do not show a single fixed co-financing percentage in the scraped text; applicants should verify the Guidelines for whether co-financing is mandatory and the percentage expected. The general position in EU external actions is that co-financing is often required or advantageous and applicants must present expected sources and amounts of funding (applicant contribution, other donors).

Application templates and structure (what applicants must prepare)

Applicants must prepare and submit the following core documents using the models provided by the contracting authority. The Portal makes these templates available and the text of each template shows precisely the required content and format.

1. 1Grant Application Form – Concept Note (where applicable): short project overview to be used for shortlisting and invitation to full application.
2. 2Grant Application Form – Full Application: full project description, methodology, detailed activities, risk analysis and sustainability, logframe and activities matrix (Annex e3d), maximum page limits and required structure, and sector-specific narrative.
3. 3Budget worksheets (Annex III): cost-based templates 1a (cost-based), €1B (cost-based + FNLC) and 1c (FNLC only). Applicants must provide justification of costs (worksheet 2) and the Expected Sources of Funding table (worksheet 3). If FNLC elements are included, applicants must map FNLC indicators to the logframe and budget FNLC headings.
4. 4Logical Framework (LogFrame) and Activities Matrix (Annex e3d): results chain (impact / outcome / outputs), indicators, baselines, targets, sources of verification and assumptions; Activities matrix links activities to outputs and assumptions.
5. 5Declarations and administrative documents: Declaration on Honour (exclusion criteria), Legal Entity Sheet, PADOR registration or registration form, identification form for public or private law bodies, bank account identification form.
6. 6Mandate and affiliated entity statements: for co-applicants and affiliated entities to confirm roles and commitments.
7. 7Sea-H self-evaluation questionnaire and measures: the call requires SEA-H policy self-evaluation and a plan for improvements where relevant.
8. 8Where relevant: evidence on tax regime (Annex J guidance) to justify VAT or other taxes eligibility or non-recoverability, and proof of other contributions/co-financing.
9. 9Planned monitoring & evaluation documents: draft monitoring & evaluation plan, and where FNLC is used, details on third party assessment arrangements and costs (Annex VII-B).
10. 10If awarded: the standard grant contract (special conditions) and Annex II will be signed; contracting may require a financial guarantee where the pre-financing is above threshold and the coordinator is not exempt (Annex VIII model).

Applicants should closely follow the page and page-limit instructions in the Full Application Form and the Guidelines, ensure the budget worksheets are consistent with the logframe, and attach all requested supporting documentation (statutes, recent accounts, bank details, PADOR information) to avoid administrative rejection.

Key compliance and implementation rules applicants must expect

1. 1Procurement rules: Annex IV sets procurement principles for beneficiary procurement under EU external actions including best price-quality ratio, documentation requirements and nationality/origin rules; failure to comply may render costs ineligible.
2. 2Eligibility of costs: Annex II Articles 14 and 14bis set detailed eligibility rules for actual costs, simplified cost options and financing not linked to costs; Annex J clarifies tax treatment, VAT recoverability proofs and exceptions.
3. 3Financial verification: contractual expenditure verification (AUP) is required depending on thresholds in Annex II: a contractual expenditure verification report is required together with the final report for grants > €100,000 and for interim reports for grants >= €5,000,000, and detailed breakdowns for intermediate thresholds. Terms of Reference for AUP engagements (Annex VII-A) specify practitioner qualifications and reporting requirements.
4. 4Record keeping and audit access: Article 16 requires records and supporting documents to be kept for at least five years following payment of the balance (or three years for grants <= €60,000) and provides auditor access rights (Commission, OLAF, EPPO, Court of Auditors).
5. 5Transfer of assets: Annex IX template and rules in Article 7 specify transfer of ownership of equipment purchased for the action and safeguards on basic EU values for final beneficiaries receiving assets.
6. 6Visibility & communication: strict visibility rules in Article 6 and Special Conditions; EU emblem and funding statement obligations and consultation on communication plans.
7. 7SEA-H, Code of Conduct and safeguards: applicants must provide SEA-H self-evaluation and commit to a survivor-centred approach, reporting, training and prevention measures in line with templates provided.
8. 8No-profit rule and revenue: Article 17 defines no-profit rules, treatment of revenue produced by actions and how any surplus is treated against eligible costs.
9. 9Exclusion and integrity: Declaration on honour and exclusion criteria must be signed; cases of fraud, corruption, grave misconduct, bankruptcy, and other exclusion grounds are explicitly referenced with administrative penalties and exclusion measures.

Practical advice drawn from the published materials

1) Use the exact templates published on the Portal; budget and logframe must be consistent. 2) Provide full evidence for taxes/VAT non-recoverability where taxes are charged and claimed. 3) Prepare capacity evidence (past projects, audited accounts where required, legal status documentation) and ensure PADOR/Legal Entity Sheet data is complete. 4) Anticipate contractual verification requirements: if your proposal requests reimbursement-based funding above verification thresholds, factor contractual expenditure verification and audit costs into the budget. 5) If FNLC is used, specify third party assessment arrangements and budget this cost in Worksheet 1 (FNLC-specific third party assessment heading). 6) Prepare SEA-H documentation and a visible ethical policy. 7) If the first pre-financing instalment is substantial and requested by the call, check the conditions for submitting a financial guarantee (Annex VIII) or whether you qualify for an exemption (public bodies, non-profit organisations, organisations with framework partnership agreements may be exempt).

Footnote

Further official details and the full set of call documents (guidelines, annexes, templates and submission portal) are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal opportunity page and in the call’s document list on the Portal EU Funding Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity page and all call documents (guidelines, application forms, logframe, budget templates, standard contract and annexes) are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This is an open call for action grants under reference EuropeAid, targeting Sub-Saharan Africa and miscellaneous countries. The programme aims to strengthen African governance, peace, and security architectures through capacity building, institutional support, and related activities. The total indicative budget available is €4,000,000.

Key Dates and Budget

Publication Date:16 March 2026.

Deadline:30 April 2026 at 14:00:28 UTC (Brussels time). Applications must be submitted online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Total Budget:€4,000,000 for action grants. Individual grants are expected to range based on project scale, with no specific maximum per grant stated; however, standard EU grant rules apply including no-profit principle and co-financing requirements.

Objectives and Scope

The grant supports initiatives enhancing African-led governance, peace, and security mechanisms, building on prior EU programmes like the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). Activities may include conflict prevention, early warning systems, mediation support, capacity building for Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and coordination with African Union (AU) structures. Projects must align with EU values including human rights, democracy, and rule of law.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicants must be legal entities established in EU Member States, African Union member states, or eligible third countries as per guidelines.
• Co-applicants and affiliated entities from eligible countries; consortia encouraged for regional coverage.
• Non-profit organisations, international organisations, public bodies, or private entities with proven capacity in peace and security.
• Must comply with EU restrictive measures, exclusion criteria, and SEA-H (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment) policies.

Funding Conditions and Rates

Detailed eligibility rules per Article 14 of General Conditions:costs must be incurred during implementation period, necessary, identifiable, and compliant with tax/social laws. Equipment (>€5,000) requires transfer to final beneficiaries per Article 7.5.

Application Process

1. 1Register in PADOR and Participant Register if not already done.
2. 2Submit Concept Note (online via PROSPECT).
3. 3If shortlisted, submit Full Application including Annexes: Description of Action (Annex I), Budget (Annex III), Logical Framework, etc.
4. 4Include Declaration on Honour, Mandates from co-applicants, Affiliated Entity Statements.

Key documents available:Guidelines for Applicants, Standard Grant Contract (Annex II), Budget templates, Logical Framework, Reporting models (narrative/financial), Procurement rules (Annex IV), SEA-H self-evaluation.

Reporting and Verification Requirements

Interim reports every 12 months (or shorter period); final report within 3 months post-implementation (6 months if HQ outside implementation country). For grants >€100,000: contractual expenditure verification (Annex VII); detailed breakdown of expenditure. Third-party assessment if financing not linked to costs used. Records kept for 5 years post-balance payment.

Risks and Considerations

• Strict compliance with EU visibility rules (Article 6, Annex II).
• Procurement must follow Annex IV (best value for money, nationality/origin rules).
• No funding for military equipment; focus on non-lethal support.
• Potential for audits/checks up to 5 years post-payment.
• Successor to prior APSA programmes; align with AU/REC priorities like Silencing the Guns.

Applicants should review full Guidelines (16 March 2026) and templates. Primary source:EU Funding Portal. For SEA-H policy, complete self-evaluation (Annex). Strong consortia with AU/REC involvement recommended.

Footnotes

1. 1Dates from portal scraping; confirm on official site as they appear future-dated (2026). Budget and eligibility per scraped metadata and standard PRAG rules.