Civil society organisations active in protecting and promoting Union values: call to intermediaries (financial support to third parties)

¿De qué trata esta convocatoria?

The call funds intermediaries in EU Member States that re-grant funding to local, regional and national civil society organisations and build their capacity to protect and promote fundamental rights and EU values. It targets non-profit civil society organisations with experience in capacity building and in managing grants to CSOs.

¿Qué financia esta convocatoria?

Scope

The call aims to protect, promote and raise awareness of fundamental rights and EU values by supporting local, regional and national civil society organisations (CSOs) and increasing their capacity. It seeks to select a limited number of intermediaries in EU Member States able to build the capacities of a large number of CSOs active in the fields covered by the CERV programme, including by giving them financial support. Intermediaries should give priority to grassroots, small, remote and rural-based organisations.

Priorities

• Supporting, protecting and strengthening the capacity and resilience of CSOs to protect and promote Union values, including democracy, fundamental rights, equality and the rule of law.
• Supporting CSOs in protecting, promoting and raising awareness of fundamental rights and democratic values.
• Supporting dialogue, transparency and good governance, also where space for civil society is shrinking.

Activities

Proposals must include both of the following:

• Financial support to third parties (CSOs), which must represent a significant part of the project budget. The intermediary defines objectives, the maximum amount and how it is calculated, eligible organisation types, a closed list of eligible activities, the selection procedure and outreach channels. Calls for third parties must stay open for at least two months (open-ended calls are also possible) and must also be published on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Capacity building for CSOs, such as technical and methodological support, thematic training on EU law and policies, training on sustainability and resilience (fundraising, communication, digital security), responses to online and offline threats, and networking and peer learning.

Activities that third parties may carry out include awareness raising, civic dialogues, CSO coalitions, free advice and watchdog work, advocacy, research and analysis to inform policymaking, and targeted support services such as victim support. Projects must be organised in four mandatory work packages: project and risk management, financial support to third parties, capacity building, and communication and dissemination. Intermediaries must set up a management and control system covering conflicts of interest, fraud and respect of EU values by recipients.

Expected outcomes

• Greater public awareness of Union values and Charter rights at local, regional and national level.
• Stronger, more resilient CSOs, including at grassroots level and among vulnerable groups.
• Better protection for CSOs and human rights defenders facing threats, and improved advocacy and watchdog skills.
• More CSO involvement in policymaking and stronger cross-border cooperation within civil society.

Eligible costs

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant with unit cost and flat-rate elements. Budget categories include personnel (including volunteers), subcontracting, purchase costs, financial support to third parties and indirect costs at a flat rate of 7% of eligible direct costs.

¿Cuándo termina el plazo?

24 de febrero de 2027 (111 días)

24 February 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission; evaluation is planned for March to May 2027, information on results in August 2027 and grant agreement signature in November 2027.