Citizens’ engagement and participation (CERV-2025-CITIZENS-CIV)

The CERV programme provides funding for citizens engagement, equality for all and the implementation of rights and EU values. Its general objective is to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and in the applicable international human rights conventions. The programme does this in particular by supporting civil society organisations and other stakeholders active at local, regional, national and transnational level, and by encouraging civic and democratic participation, in order to sustain and further develop open, rights-based, democratic, equal and inclusive societies based on the rule of law. It pays particular attention to encouraging the participation of regional and local civil society organisations.
Each project application under the call must address only one of these priorities:
Priority 1. Promoting exchanges on future Union policy priorities and challenges
Priority 2. Countering disinformation, information manipulation and interference in the democratic debate
Priority 3. Promoting citizens’ active engagement and democratic participation

Lead applicants (i.e. “Coordinator”) must be non-profit private legal entities
or public universities
Be formally 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 or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature 

Co-applicants must be non-profit legal entities (public or private bodies) or an international organisation