Supporting work-life balance, equal share of care responsibilities, family-friendly policies among employers and the value of care sector jobs.

The CERV-2026-GE-WORK-LIFE is a grant opportunity under the European Union's Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) Programme designed to promote gender equality and work-life balance initiatives. Eligible applicants include legal entities such as public authorities, NGOs, research institutions, and civil society organizations established in EU Member States or associated countries. The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant system, where beneficiaries receive a fixed funding amount that simplifies financial management.

The call encourages collaboration, allowing for both single applicants and consortia, though consortia are not a strict requirement. Projects must be implemented across at least two eligible countries and focus on the practical implementation of policies that promote work-life balance, family-friendly workplace practices, and the development of the care sector workforce among other priorities.

The total budget for this call is €23 million, with individual grant sizes likely varying from €100,000 upwards, though specific amounts are not predetermined. The application period opens on January 29, 2026, and closes on April 28, 2026, with the evaluation of applications taking place between April and October 2026. Successful applicants in this competitive call will be notified in October 2026, with grant agreements expected to be signed by late 2026 to early 2027.

The application process involves a single-stage submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals will be assessed for eligibility and then evaluated based on operational capacity, relevance, quality, and impact. While there is no explicit co-funding requirement specified in the call documents, demonstrating sustainability through additional resources may enhance proposals.

This grant opportunity is aimed at projects that implement concrete actions to support gender equality across the EU, focusing on work-life balance, reducing gender gaps in care responsibilities, and promoting family-friendly employer practices. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to foster democratic and inclusive societies based on the rule of law, with a total budget of €92 million allocated for all gender equality actions in 2026. Applicants are advised to consult the call documents for detailed eligibility criteria, submission guidelines, and any necessary documentation.

The EU is offering action grants to promote gender equality under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). This call for proposals, CERV-2026-GE, focuses on four priorities. The call is for CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-LS) with a CERV Lump Sum Grant [CERV-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

The four priorities are: CERV-2026-GE-WORK-LIFE: Supporting work-life balance, equal share of care responsibilities, family-friendly policies among employers and the value of care sector jobs; CERV-2026-GE-PAY-TRANSP-DIR; CERV-2026-GE-GENDER-STEREO; and CERV-2026-GE-EQUAL-PART-REP.

The call for proposals was published on 29 January 2026. The deadline for submitting applications is 28 April 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The evaluation period is scheduled for April to October 2026, with information to applicants in October 2026. The signature of the grant agreement is expected between November 2026 and February 2027.

The total budget for this call is 23,000,000 EUR. The call is a single-stage submission process.

Admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout, which are detailed in section 5 of the call document. Eligible countries are listed in section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries. Other eligible conditions are described in section 6 of the call document. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in section 7 of the call document.

The submission and evaluation processes are described 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 described in section 4 of the call document. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

Applicants should use the standard application form (CERV), which is available in the Submission System. A detailed budget table (CERV LSII) must also be completed. The Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include a Lump Sum MGA. Additional documents include CERV Work Programmes, CERV Regulation 2021/692, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, a Decision authorising the use of lump sums for actions under the CERV programme (2021-2027), Guidance on how to manage lump sum grants, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, and the EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement. Applicants should also consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

To submit a proposal, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal. They should carefully read all provisions of the Call document and familiarize themselves with the proposal template, its annexes, and the submission system.

For IT-related questions, applicants can contact the IT Helpdesk. 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 of the email.

There are 13 partner search announcements available for this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics.

This EU call for proposals aims to promote gender equality through action grants under the CERV program. It focuses on supporting projects related to work-life balance, equal care responsibilities, addressing gender stereotypes, and promoting equal participation and representation. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the application process involves a single stage submission. Applicants need to carefully review the call documents, eligibility criteria, and submission guidelines available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The indicative timeline includes publication in January 2026, a submission deadline in April 2026, evaluation from April to October 2026, and grant agreement signature between November 2026 and February 2027. The total budget allocated for these grants is 23 million EUR.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of EU action grants and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV), eligible applicants could include a range of entities such as NGOs, public bodies, research institutions, universities, and other organizations working in the field of gender equality. The specific eligible entities will be detailed in Section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically an EU action grant. The mechanism is CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-LS).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if single applicants are allowed. This information is likely detailed in the call document, specifically in Section 6. However, the presence of partner search announcements suggests that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document and in the list of participating countries. This suggests that eligibility is likely tied to countries participating in the CERV program, which typically includes EU member states and potentially associated countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is gender equality. The call specifically aims to promote gender equality under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV). The specific priorities mentioned include supporting work-life balance, equal share of care responsibilities, family-friendly policies among employers, and the value of care sector jobs.

Mentioned Countries: The text does not explicitly mention specific countries. Eligibility is determined by the list of participating countries, which is referenced in section 6 of the call document. Therefore, it is not possible to list specific countries without consulting the call document.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly defined, but given the focus on action grants, it is likely that the projects should be at least at the development or validation stage, ready for implementation and impact. The call aims to support concrete actions that promote gender equality.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topics CERV-2026-GE-WORK-LIFE, CERV-2026-GE-PAY-TRANSP-DIR, CERV-2026-GE-GENDER-STEREO, and CERV-2026-GE-EQUAL-PART-REP is EUR 23,000,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified, so the funding amount per project is variable and depends on the proposals received.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status. The call is a single-stage submission process.

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

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 state whether co-funding is required. This information is likely detailed in the call document.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals for EU action grants under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV), specifically aimed at promoting gender equality. The call has four priorities: supporting work-life balance, promoting equal sharing of care responsibilities, encouraging family-friendly policies among employers, and valuing jobs in the care sector. The total budget allocated to these priorities is EUR 23,000,000. 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 will take place 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 a single-stage submission, and applications must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants should carefully review the call document and its annexes, including the proposal template, standard application form, detailed budget table, and model grant agreement. Eligibility criteria are described in Section 6 of the call document and the list of participating countries. Potential applicants can also use the Funding & Tenders Portal to search for partners to collaborate on proposals. For any non-IT related questions, applicants are advised to contact the CERV Contact Point of their country or EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu, clearly indicating the reference of the call and topic in the subject of the email.