Supporting equal participation and representation of women and men in economic and political decision-making.

The European Union's Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) is offering grants under the call CERV-2026-GE-EQUAL-PART-REP, focusing on promoting gender equality. The program invites applications from legal entities, including public bodies, private organizations, NGOs, member state organizations, international organizations, and research institutions that engage in relevant activities. Natural persons are not eligible to apply.

The funding mechanism is structured as a lump sum grant, providing a fixed financial amount, which simplifies project management by linking payments to specific deliverables rather than reimbursing actual costs. Individual projects can receive up to €200,000, with a total budget of €23 million allocated for this call. The opportunity is open to applicants from EU member states, EEA countries, and associated nations involved with the CERV Programme.

The call allows single applicants, including designated National Roma Contact Points (NRCP), to apply individually or in small consortia. It aims to support projects at the implementation and demonstration stage, emphasizing active initiatives that enhance equal participation of women and men in economic and political decision-making roles.

The application process is a single-stage submission, with proposals due by April 28, 2026. Evaluation will occur from April to October 2026, and successful applicants will be notified in October 2026. Grant agreements are expected to be signed between November 2026 and February 2027.

Applications will be assessed based on relevance, quality, and impact, with a total score of 70 points needed for funding consideration. No mandatory co-funding is required, although organizations may need to manage prefinancing and financial responsibility according to their evaluation results.

This call specifically targets gender-related initiatives, aiming for actionable projects that facilitate women's participation in leadership and decision-making, thus addressing broader gender equality issues within the EU. Applicants are encouraged to review the detailed guidelines and requirements provided in the official call document to ensure compliance and successful proposal development.

The EU's Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) is offering action grants to promote gender equality. This specific call, CERV-2026-GE, focuses on four priorities: work-life balance, pay transparency, challenging gender stereotypes, and promoting equal participation and representation in decision-making. The call utilizes a lump sum grant mechanism (CERV-LS).

The total budget for this call is 23,000,000 EUR. The call is structured as a single-stage application process. The call was published on January 29, 2026, and the deadline for submitting applications is April 28, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation period is scheduled from April to October 2026, with information for applicants expected in October 2026. Grant agreements are projected to be signed between November 2026 and February 2027.

Admissibility conditions require applicants to adhere to the proposal page limits and layout guidelines specified in the call document, particularly section 5. Eligible countries are detailed in section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries. Other eligibility conditions are also described in section 6 of the call document.

Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity, and must not be subject to exclusion criteria, as detailed in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are outlined in section 8 of the call document. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is provided in section 4 of the call document. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

Key documents for applicants include the call document itself, standard application forms (CERV) available in the Submission System, a detailed budget table (CERV LSII), and Model Grant Agreements (MGA), specifically the Lump Sum MGA. Additional documents such as CERV Work Programmes, CERV Regulation 2021/692, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the decision authorizing 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, the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Model Grant Agreement), the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement are also provided.

Applicants can find partners through the Funding & Tenders Portal. To submit a proposal, applicants must use the Electronic Submission Service, accessible via the submission button, and select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions of the call document and familiarize themselves with the proposal template, annexes, and the submission system. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and the Online Manual provide guidance on the submission process. For IT-related questions, applicants should contact the IT Helpdesk. Topic-specific questions can be found in the Q&A section of the Topic page. For non-IT related questions, applicants should contact the CERV Contact Point of their country, if established, or email EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu, clearly indicating the reference of the call and topic in the subject line.

This call for proposals under the CERV programme aims to fund projects that actively promote gender equality across various spheres of life. It's a lump sum grant, meaning that funding is provided as a fixed amount based on expected results, rather than actual costs incurred. The four priorities of the call are designed to address key challenges in achieving gender equality, such as unequal pay, work-life balance difficulties, harmful stereotypes, and underrepresentation in decision-making positions. Applicants should carefully review the call documents and related regulations to ensure their proposals align with the program's objectives and meet all eligibility criteria. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal provides all the necessary resources and tools for preparing and submitting a successful application.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the program name (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme) and the thematic focus (gender equality), it can be inferred that eligible applicants may include NGOs, non-profit organizations, governmental bodies, research institutions, universities, and other organizations working in the field of gender equality and related rights. The call document should be consulted for a definitive list.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a CERV Lump Sum Grant (CERV-LS).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. The call document should be consulted for clarification. However, the presence of partner search announcements suggests that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document and in the list of participating countries. The specific geographic eligibility is not detailed in the provided text.

Target Sector: The target sector is gender equality. The specific topics mentioned include work-life balance, pay transparency, addressing gender stereotypes, and promoting equal participation and representation of women and men in economic and political decision-making.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text, but the "list of participating countries" is referenced, implying that the opportunity is open to a defined set of countries, likely within the EU or associated with EU programs.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly defined, but given the nature of action grants, it is likely to support development, validation, demonstration, or implementation of projects aimed at promoting gender equality.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the call is EUR 23,000,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified, so the individual grant amounts are variable.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status.

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

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals for EU action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV), specifically targeting projects that promote gender equality. The call has four priorities: work-life balance, pay transparency, addressing gender stereotypes, and supporting equal participation and representation of women and men in economic and political decision-making. The total budget for this call is EUR 23 million. The funding mechanism is CERV Lump Sum Grants. The call was published on January 29, 2026, and the deadline for submitting applications is April 28, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation period is from April to October 2026, and applicants will be informed of the results in October 2026. The grant agreements are expected to be signed between November 2026 and February 2027. The application process is single-stage, and applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants should carefully review the call document and related annexes for detailed information on eligibility criteria, proposal requirements, and the evaluation process. The call aims to support projects that contribute to advancing gender equality within the EU and participating countries.