Applications open for Enabling Capable Citizens

Deadline: 11-Jan-2027

The Enabling Capable Citizens (ECC) programme provides funding for long-term projects that empower at-risk youth in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary to become capable and active citizens in societies undergoing the green transition. The programme focuses on ensuring that children and young people from immigrant, refugee, and disadvantaged backgrounds have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from the transition toward more sustainable societies. ECC supports innovative and holistic initiatives that strengthen education, skills, participation, and employment prospects while helping young people understand and respond to societal challenges connected with the green transition. Projects are expected to be developmental, innovative, and long-term, generally lasting between three and five years. Typical project budgets are above EUR 500,000, while the total call budget is EUR 5.3 million.

About the Enabling Capable Citizens Programme

The Enabling Capable Citizens programme was established to address the challenges faced by vulnerable young people in European societies undergoing significant environmental and social changes. The green transition creates new demands for education, skills, employment, and civic participation. ECC aims to ensure that young people at risk of exclusion are not left behind. The programme particularly seeks to create opportunities for young people from: - Immigrant backgrounds. - Refugee backgrounds. - Disadvantaged communities. - Other at-risk groups. By strengthening education and participation, ECC aims to help young people develop the capacity to contribute to and benefit from the green transition. What Does the ECC Programme Support? ECC supports holistic and innovative projects that improve educational opportunities, skills, participation, and future employment prospects for at-risk youth.

Potential activities include:

- After-school activities focused on green topics. - Development of innovative teaching methods. - Approaches that strengthen transversal skills. - Digital literacy initiatives. - Creation of inspiring learning environments. - Professional development for teachers. - Activities that increase motivation for education. - Initiatives that strengthen young people’s ability to respond to societal challenges. Projects should demonstrate how their activities can help young people participate meaningfully in the green transition. Focus on At-Risk Youth A central priority of ECC is supporting young people who may face barriers to equal participation in education and society. The programme recognises that children and young people from immigrant, refugee, and disadvantaged backgrounds may be particularly vulnerable to being excluded from opportunities created by the green transition. Projects should therefore take a holistic approach to improving young people’s: - Educational prospects. - Employment prospects. - Skills. - Digital literacy. - Motivation to learn. - Ability to participate in society. - Capacity to respond to green-transition challenges. Innovation and Long-Term Development ECC is intended to support projects that go beyond short-term activities.

Funded initiatives are expected to be:

- Developmental. - Innovative. - Long-term. - Capable of generating systemic impact. - Designed to create lasting transformation. Projects should demonstrate how their approaches can produce sustainable improvements rather than temporary benefits for individual participants. Project Duration Projects supported through the programme are expected to have a duration of three to five years. The long implementation period reflects the programme’s focus on systemic change, institutional development, and lasting improvements in education and youth participation. Applicants should therefore develop realistic long-term plans showing how activities, learning, stakeholder engagement, and institutional changes can be sustained over time. Systemic Impact and Knowledge Sharing ECC prioritises projects that can generate impact beyond the immediate group of participants.

Projects are encouraged to:

- Share lessons and experiences. - Integrate successful approaches into institutional practices. - Involve relevant stakeholders. - Promote sustainable changes within educational and social systems. - Develop approaches that can contribute to broader transformation. This emphasis means that applicants should consider how project outcomes can continue after the funded project period. Funding Available Projects are typically funded with budgets above EUR 500,000. The total call budget is EUR 5.3 million. The programme allows a broad range of project costs where they are relevant to the proposed activities.

Eligible costs can include:

- Project implementation costs. - Educational and training costs. - Equipment and other relevant project expenses. - Renovation costs necessary for proposed activities. - Construction costs necessary for proposed activities. - Other relevant project costs. The information provided does not specify a fixed maximum grant amount per project. Co-Financing Requirement Co-financing is encouraged but not required. This provides eligible organisations with flexibility when developing project budgets. Applicants can consider additional sources of support where available, but co-financing is not presented as a mandatory condition. How Are Grants Disbursed? Grants are usually disbursed in yearly or half-yearly instalments in advance. This funding approach can help successful organisations plan and implement multi-year activities without having to finance the full project costs before receiving programme support. Who Can Apply? The programme is open to a range of organisations and public-sector applicants.

Eligible applicants include:

- Schools. - Educational institutions. - Civil society organisations. - Local innovators. - Public authorities. Applicants should ensure that their proposed projects meet the programme’s geographi