Annual Operating Grants to support EU-level Social NGO Networks

Deadline: 15-Apr-25

The European Commission (EC) is accepting applications for the Annual Operating Grants to support EU-level Social NGO Networks.

Objectives

• With the ultimate goal of building a strong social Europe, this Call aims to:
  • Promote social inclusion and combatting poverty by providing financial support to EU-level networks of civil society organisations active in this area at local, regional, national and transnational level. It will thereby contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and its implementing actions, ensuring just transitions, protecting livelihoods, boosting employment, providing access to affordable high-quality social, essential and care services, reducing poverty and inequalities and creating opportunities for all;
  • Support the implementation of the Commission’s EU policy initiatives to put the EPSR principles into practice, notably in the area of social inclusion and combatting poverty;
  • Deliver on the European Pillar of Social Rights is a shared responsibility of the EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society. Civil society organisations are expected to:
    • support the implementation of the EPSR at EU, national and local level, notably by collecting and exchanging data and good practices, cooperating with public authorities in the design and implementation of relevant policies, and delivering specific outputs directly relevant to the EPSR’s principles;
    • organise communication and engagement activities to raise awareness of the EPSR both at the EU and national levels;
  • Support the Commission in implementing and disseminating new initiatives in the poverty, social inclusion and social protection areas;
  • The ultimate goal is to build a stronger social Europe: modernise and strengthen the welfare states to protect people, combat poverty and inequalities, and to face the green, digital and demographic transitions.

Themes and Priorities

• The primary mission of the framework partners should be in the areas of fostering social inclusion and/or combatting poverty
• Applicants should implement work programmes that:
  • contribute concretely and directly to the implementation of the EPSR principles and related initiatives that are relevant to their statutory aim, with a particular focus on national and regional/local level;
  • address directly at least 1 out of 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights;
  • organise communication and engagement activities to raise awareness of the EPSR and promote social rights in Europe;
  • strengthen the capacity of national member organisations and their national, regional and local members to enable them to actively contribute to the EPSR implementation;
  • provide concrete support to the European Semester process (at EU and national levels, including through the Recovery and Resilience Plans) through monitoring of implementation of social policies and initiatives by collecting data and evidence on the ground.

Funding Information

• The estimated available call budget is EUR 13 250 000.

Eligible Activities

• Activities should include:
  • contributing to evidence-based regulation, policies and reforms at EU/national/local level to support EPSR implementation and providing the Commission with input for policy design, e.g. by gathering relevant evidence (especially from local levels) and by contributing to public or targeted consultations and to thematic strategic dialogue meetings on policy or programme management related issues;
  • raising public awareness and disseminating information on EPSR and particularly on social protection and social inclusion policies and legislation at EU and national levels, including good practices in ensuring access to social protection and social inclusion for all, and mapping out existing gaps;
  • building capacity of national members, and their national, regional and local members to actively engage them in implementing the EPSR and the related initiatives locally and in reinforcing social services provision at local and regional levels;
  • assisting in the transfer and exchange of good practices (e.g. within ESF+/EaSI and other relevant EU funded programmes).

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
    • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
    • non-EU countries:
      • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the ESF+
      • be non-governmental, non-profit-making, and independent of industry, commercial and business or other conflicting interests;
  • have statutory aims falling under the objectives and scope of the priorities of this call for proposals;
  • have national member organisations in at least fourteen (14) Member States of the European Union.
• Specific cases
  • Natural persons — Natural persons are not eligible.
  • International organisations — International organisations are not eligible.
  • Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
  • EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) cannot be part of the consortium.

For more information, visit EC.