4-year partnerships between network organisations and the European Commission to facilitate the rights of persons with disabilities across Europe.
Main purpose: The European Commission wishes to engage in 4-year partnerships with networks active in the area of disabilities for the period 2022-2025. The activities to be funded include, among others:
- Outreach activities at EU, national and local level with the aim of ensuring awareness for the issue at hand, the available EU support, and the needs and potential of the members of the network.
- Mutual learning among the network’s members and support in members’ capacity building.
- Research on rights of persons with disabilities and the ecosystem in which the network operates.
- Input to policy design.
- Support in the implementation of EU level policies and initiatives related to rights of persons with disabilities.
Moreover, activities should enable the network to integrate cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender and non-discrimination) into its day-to-day work.
The ultimate goal of the European Commission is to benefit from the network’s expertise, as regards the rights of persons with disabilities in the various Member States, and to address related challenges appropriately.
This operating grant is closely tied to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Semester, that aim to build a stronger social Europe and ensure that people with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights.
The concept of Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) and Specific Grant Agreements (SGAs), under which this operating grant is implemented, is briefly explained in a note below. Specific information can be retrieved here:
Programme: Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV)
Institution: European Commission (DG EMPL)
Deadline: 28 September 2021 (FPA) and 30 September 2021 (SGA)
Budget: 23.2 million EUR for the four-year period (2022-2025) and 5.8 million EUR for 2022.
Financing type: Operating grant
Who is eligible: Networks and organisations whose statutory aim is to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, and which have members in at least 14 member-states.
The two calls for proposals are found here:
- Framework Partnership Agreement under CERV-2021-DISA-OG-DISABILITY: Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
- Specific Grant Agreement under FPA CERV-2021-DISABILITY: Funding & tenders (europa.eu)
NOTE
Due to time constraints this year, the FPA and SGA are published simultaneously. Applicants should work on both applications at the same time. [First complete the FPA application and then use the FPA application-number in the SGA application.]
- The FPA is the organisation’s overall framework and budget for the 2022-2025 period that will be used to accommodate the four annual operating grants (the SGAs). The European Commission expects to sign between 7 to 12 FPAs and the value of SGAs shall be stable across the 4 years.
- The SGA are more detailed yearly plans and expected to range indicatively between 100.000 EUR and 1.000.000 EUR per FPA. Each year, the organisation holding the FPA must re-apply for the SGA.
In light of the difficulties, the social civil society organizations have been facing to generate matching funds since the beginning of the sanitary crisis, the maximum co-financing rate of 80% is temporarily and exceptionally increased to 90% for the first year of the FPA. This rate of 90% is valid for the work programme of 2022 and will be re-assessed on an annual basis.