Funding programme

Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) is the EU's funding programme for citizens' engagement and the implementation of EU rights and values. It replaces both Europe for Citizens and the Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme.

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Call detail

This call aims to strengthen the role of civil society organisations in promoting, protecting, and monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities.

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Objectives

1. • Promoting, protecting and monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities 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 in particular contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (ESRPD) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD);
   • Supporting the Commission in putting the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 into practice;
   • Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights and related initiatives such as the ESRPD is a shared responsibility of the EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society. Civil society organisations are expected to:
2. support its implementation at EU, national and local level notably by collecting and exchanging data and good practices and cooperating with public authorities in the design and implementation of relevant policies; implementing different mutual learning activities on concrete policies (mutual learning event/peer learning and other similar activities);
3. organise communication and engagement activities to raise awareness of the ESRPD and promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Europe;
   • The ultimate goal is to build a stronger social Europe and ensure that people with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights.

Themes and priorities

Framework partners should be active in protecting, promoting and raisingawareness on rights of persons with disabilities.

Networks are expected to implement work programmes that:

• contribute concretely and directly to the implementation of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030(ESRPD), with a particular focus on national and local level;
• organise communication and engagement activities to raise awareness of the Strategy and promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Europe;
• strengthen the capacity of national member organisations to enable them to actively contribute to the Strategy implementation;
• provide concrete support to the European Semester process (at EU and national levels).

The annual operating grants that could be signed based on these framework partnership agreements will increase the capacities of these networks of civil society organisations active at EU level to contribute actively to the development and implementation of EU policies in these areas.

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Activities that can be funded

This call will support networks at EU level whose activities contribute to the implementation of the above-mentioned objectives, priorities and initiatives. Networks will implement, among others, activities in the areas of policy advice, support and analysis, training and capacity building, mutual learning and exchange of good practices, awareness raising, as well as information and dissemination with EU added value.

‍Read more in the call document.

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Eligibility

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: countries associated to the CERV Programme

+ 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;

+ have members that are mainly non-profit organisations;

+ be mandated by their members, through a Management Board or other administrative forum, to represent these members at the EU level and to be responsible for the activities of the network;

+ be a single applicant: only the network or the organisation appointed as the joint secretariat/officially appointed coordinator may submit an application; the member organisations are not eligible to apply.

+ provide a strategic work programme for a period of 3 years starting in 2026.

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Consortium composition

Only applications by single applicants are allowed (single beneficiaries). Affiliated entities and other participants are NOT allowed.

Must be network organisations that

• have national member organisations in at least fourteen (14) Member States of the European Union;
• be a single applicant: only the network or the organisation appointed as the joint secretariat/officially appointed coordinator may submit an application; the member organisations are not eligible to apply.

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Project duration

The foreseen duration of activities under Framework Partnership Agreements is 36 months.

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Budget

The total indicative budget earmarked for grants under these framework partnerships is EUR 23.100.000 for the 2026-2028 period.

Depending on the number and quality of proposals, between 7 and 12 framework partnerships are expected to be signed.

The annual budgets of grants are expected to range indicatively between EUR 100.000 and EUR 1.500.000 per work programme.

Applicants must provide a 3-year outline plan and budget for the period 2026-2028.To be noted that the value of the grants shall be stable across the 3 years.