Main funding opportunities
Economic, social and territorial support
Cohesion policy (or regional policy) supports economic, social and territorial cohesion in regions that qualify for funding.
European Structural and Investment Funds refers to 5 main funds that combine to support economic development across all EU countries:
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
- European Social Fund (ESF)
- Cohesion Fund (CF)
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)
- European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)
All EU regions can benefit from the ERDF and ESF. The CF is for the less developed regions.
Major infrastructure projects
JASPERS is a special technical assistance instrument that was developed jointly by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank group and other financial institutions.
It assists public administrations in the preparation of major projects which could be co-financed by EU funds and helps cities and regions absorb European funds through top-quality projects.
Advisory services on financial instruments
fi-compass is a special technical assistance instrument that was developed jointly by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank group and other financial institutions. It is a platform for advisory services on financial instruments under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and microfinance under the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI).
Other funding opportunities
- Public bodies might have access to funding through new programmes such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Health programme (EU4Health)
- The Youth Employment Initiative supports unemployed young people who are currently not enrolled in education or training in regions with a youth unemployment rate above 25%. For the period 2021-2027, the Youth Employment Initiative was integrated into the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), while preserving the focus on youth employment.
- If engaged in farming, a public body may be eligible for a direct payment under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF). EAGF funding may also be granted to public bodies involved in the School fruit, vegetables and milk scheme and the Promotion of EU farm products in the EU and in third countries.
- Depending on the priorities of the country or region in question, a public body in a rural area may be eligible for funding under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) if it is trying to improve living conditions in rural areas or the rural environment and economy.
- Horizon Europe is also open to public bodies seeking to encourage innovation and better public services.
- Local and regional authorities and certain administrative bodies may apply for projects financed under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)
- Public bodies can act as contracting authorities for funding opportunities in the field of development. Depending on the programme, such bodies can also participate in calls for proposals to receive a grant under the EU’s external action.
- Aid agencies can benefit from humanitarian aid funding under programmes managed by the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO). Also, public bodies may receive civil protection funding under the prevention/preparedness and response components of the programmes.
- Eurostat publishes calls for proposals open to national statistical institutes and other national authorities responsible for collecting/producing and publishing official statistics. These bodies may benefit from grants under the European Statistical Programme.
- Funding and technical assistance are available through the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) instrument, Sigma and Twinning.
- The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) provides public bodies with substantial support for data collection and control activities. The EMFAF also supports the design, development, monitoring, evaluation and management of their systems for allocating fishing opportunities.
- National customs and tax administrations can benefit from funding under the Customs and Fiscalis programmes.
- The LIFE programme for climate action provides a number of funding opportunities open to public bodies.
- Public bodies can also apply for projects under the Citizens, equality, rights and values programme.
- Public bodies can apply for projects funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).
- Specific funding opportunities are available for cities