EU Programmes and Grants for Volunteer Organisations
and Volunteering Involving Organisations
 Europe for Citizens Programme |
This Programme supports a wide range of activities and organisations promoting “active European citizenship”, i.e. the involvement of citizens and civil society organisations in the process of European integration. Volunteering, as an expression of active citizenship is considered to be an horizontal feature of the Europe for Citizens Programme. Therefore, particular attention is paid within this Programme to the promotion of volunteering.
The Europe for Citizens is divided in four actions:
- Action 1 "Active citizens for Europe" involves citizens directly, either through activities linked to town-twinning or through other kinds of citizens’ projects;
- Action 2 "Active civil society for Europe" is targeted to Europe-wide civil society organisations, receiving either structural support on the basis of their work programme or support trans-national projects;
- Action 3 "Together for Europe" supports high visibility events, studies and information tools, addressing the widest possible audience across frontiers and making Europe more tangible for its citizens;
- Action 4 "Active European Remembrance" supports the preservation of the main sites and archives associated with the deportations and the commemoration of the victims of Nazism and Stalinism.
Programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/index_en.html
Next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/calls/grants_en.html
 Youth in Action Programme |
This Programme aims to provide young people with opportunities for non-formal and informal learning with a European dimension.
The Youth in Action Programme is divided into five actions:
- Action 1: Youth for Europe aims to increase mobility of young people by supporting Youth Exchanges; to develop their citizenship and mutual understanding by supporting Youth initiatives, as well as projects and activities concerning their participation in democratic life;
- Action 2: European Voluntary Service supports transnational voluntary service of young people, both within and outside the European Union;
- Action 3: Youth in the World promotes exchanges and cooperation in the field of youth and non-formal education with other regions of the world;
- Action 4: Youth Support Systems contributes to develop the quality of support structures, to support the role of those active in youth work and youth organisations;
- Action 5: Support for European cooperation in the youth field encourages the exchange of good practice, cooperation and structured dialogue between administrations, policymakers and young people at all levels.
Programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm
Next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/calls/grants_en.html
 Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)
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LLP fosters interchange, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community. It is aimed, among others, at non-profit organisations, voluntary bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The sectoral programmes of actions of particular interest for volunteer organisations are:
- Grundtvig, addresses the teaching and learning needs of those in all forms of adult education, as well as the institutions and organisations providing or facilitating such education (e.g. Multilateral Projects; Thematic Networks);
- Leonardo da Vinci, addresses the teaching and learning needs of all those in vocational education and training, other than at tertiary level, as well as the institutions and organisations providing or facilitating such education and training (e.g. Mobility for Trainees in Initial Vocational Training; Mobility for Professionals in Vocational Education and Training; Partnerships; Thematic Networks);
- Transversal programme focusing on policy cooperation, languages, information and communication technology and dissemination and exploitation of results.
- Jean Monnet programme supports associations of professors, other teachers in higher education, and researchers specialising in European integration (i.e. support for associations that have as their explicit purpose to contribute to the study of the European integration process)
Programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/index_en.html
Next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/calls/grants_en.html
Environment: Life +, Civil Protection Financial Instrument and Operating Grants to European Environmental NGOs |
The DG Environment has the following three funding opportunities:
- Life +: it aims at supporting environmental and nature conservation projects throughout the EU, as well as in some candidate, acceding and neighbouring countries;
- Civil Protection Financial Instrument: it aims at supporting and complementing the efforts of Member States for the protection, primarily of people, but also of the environment and property, including cultural heritage, in the event of natural and man-made disasters, acts of terrorism and technological, radiological or environmental accidents. Furthermore, it intends to facilitate reinforced co-operation between the Member States in the field of civil protection;
- Operating Grants to European environmental NGOs: it aims at funding of "operational activities of NGOs that are primarily active in protecting and enhancing the environment at European level and involved in the development and implementation of Community policy and legislation".
Website of Life + and The Civil Protection Financial Instrument: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/funding/intro_en.htm
Website of Operating grants to European environmental NGOs: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ngos/index_en.htm
 PROGRESS |
PROGRESS - Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity supports the effective implementation of the principle of gender equality, promotes gender mainstreaming in all Community policies, supports the implementation of the open method of coordination (OMC) in the field of social protection and inclusion, supports the effective implementation of the principle of non-discrimination and promotes its mainstreaming in all Community policies.
The Programme is divided into 5 sections:
- Employment
- Social protection and inclusion
- Working conditions
- Antidiscrimination and diversity
- Gender equality
An example of what PROGRESS can fund of particular interest for volunteer organisations is the funding of EU networks of NGOs fighting social exclusion and discrimination on grounds of racial origin, age and disability or promoting gender equality
Programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/progress/index_en.html
Next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/emplweb/tenders/index_en.cfm
 Investing in People |
“Investing in People (2007 – 2013)” is the main thematic instrument of the European Commission for support of programmes in the area of human and social development, on top of country programmes that form the corner stone for the implementation of the EC activities in this area. Driven by the ambition to help the EC's partner countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the programme supports activities under four main pillars:
- good health for all
- education, knowledge and skills
- gender equality
- other aspects of human and social development: employment and social cohesion, children, youth and culture
It provides a thematic framework for sharing know-how, good practice and experience, for monitoring, data collection and analysis, for innovative approaches and pilot projects in the areas which directly affect people’s livelihoods around the world.
Programme website: http://ec.europa.eu/development/policies/development_programmes/devprog_investing_en.cfm
 Fundamental Rights and Justice |
The framework programme on “Fundamental Rights and Justice”, aims to promote the development of a European society based on European Union citizenship and which is respectful of fundamental rights, fighting anti-semitism, racism and xenophobia and strengthening civil society. The programme will contribute to the setting-up of an area of freedom, security and justice by combating violence and by providing information on and preventing the use of drugs. Moreover, it will promote judicial cooperation with the aim of contributing to the creation of a genuine European area of justice in civil and commercial matters, as well as in criminal matters.
This framework programme consists of 5 actions: (1)prevent and combat violence against children, young people and women and to protect victims and groups at risk (Daphne III); (2) Drugs prevention and information; (3) Fundamental rights and citizenship; (4) Civil justice and Criminal justice.
Each specific action foresees Operating Grants, to co-finance the functioning of non-governmental organisations, and Actions Grants, to co-finance specific transnational projects.
Programme website and next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/funding/intro/funding_rights_en.htm
 Culture |
The Culture Programme has been established to enhance the cultural area shared by Europeans, which is based on a common cultural heritage, through the development of cooperation activities among cultural operators, with a view to encouraging the emergence of European citizenship.
The activities supported within the Programme belong to three main typologies, which correspond to the strands of the Programme:
- strand 1, support for cultural projects (cultural organisations are given support for projects to work together across borders and to create and implement cultural and artistic activities);
strand 2, support for organisations active at European Level in the field of culture (cultural organisations working, or wanting to work, at European level in the field of culture can receive support for their operating costs. This strand targets organisations that promote a sense of shared cultural experience with a truly European dimension);
strand 3, support for analyses and for the collection and dissemination of information and for maximising the impact of projects in the field of cultural cooperation (support is available for analysis and dissemination activities that help collect and research results in response to the need for strong quantitative evidence in the cultural sector and evaluate them in the light of the objectives of the programme)
Countries eligible under this programme are: EU Member States; EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway); countries candidate to EU membership (Croatia, Turkey and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) plus Serbia.
Programme website and next deadlines: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/calls-for-proposals/call98_en.htm
Grants of the European Union - Grants, Funds and Programmes by EU Policy: 
