Call for grant applications - Connecting the dots: Linking economic, gender and climate justice to tackle global challenges

12 February 2026

eurodad

This call for grant applications is linked to the overall aim of promoting climate, gender and economic justice in an integrated manner. We are looking for groups that would help us achieve the specific project objective of actively engaging more people in Europe, particularly young people, in mobilisation and advocacy for economic, gender and climate justice as interconnected solutions that contribute to sustainable development and tackle global challenges, at both local and global levels.

Deadline: 26 March 2026, 23:59 CEST

Background  

“Connecting the Dots” is a four-year project that started in June 2024 funded by the EU DEAR programme, focused on educating and empowering EU citizens, in particular young activists, to tackle global challenges through the interconnected lenses of economic, gender and climate justice. The project promotes knowledge-building and the creation of tools, and spaces for capacity building, networking, campaigning and advocacy. It engages media, educators, and decision-makers to amplify narratives and drive systemic change by connecting local and international efforts. A key element of the project is three major joint pan-European campaigns focused on economic justice and financing for development (implemented in 2025), climate justice (planned in 2026) and gender justice. 

This project is implemented by a consortium of nine diverse and experienced partner organisations from across the EU. The consortium includes both national member-based organisations and national organisations with strong connections to local and international networks. Collectively, these organisations bring extensive expertise in areas such as debt, tax, gender, environmental and climate justice, financing for development, and development cooperation. The partners are as follows:

Objectives of the call 

This call for grant applications is linked to the overall aim of promoting climate, gender and economic justice in an integrated manner. We are looking for groups that would help us achieve the specific project objective of actively engaging more people in Europe, particularly young people, in mobilisation and advocacy for economic, gender and climate justice as interconnected solutions that contribute to sustainable development and tackle global challenges, at both local and global levels.

Through the sub grants under this call, the action aims to support a wider set of local organisations, grassroots movements and youth groups to meet their capacity building needs, strengthen awareness raising, mobilisation and advocacy strategies, and foster coordination amongst civil society organisations and activist multipliers, aligned with the objectives and thematic priorities of the “Connecting the Dots” project.

The action is aimed at sub-granting to small and medium organisation, youth groups, student groups, local CSOs and grassroots movements, particularly with youth leadership and constituencies. High-capacity organisations capable of competing for institutional funding directly are not the target of the call.

Within the remaining period of the project, the consortium partners along with subgrantees will implement two joint pan-European campaigns. These joint campaigns will aim to bring together a diverse set of organisations (activist multipliers) and to add to their capacities and outreach potential to reach out to a wider audience, facilitating the active engagement of young and adult EU citizens in different mobilisation actions. During 2026, tax and climate will be the focus of the joint campaign. In 2027, partners will implement a joint campaign focused on gender justice. Therefore, we particularly encourage organisations and groups working on climate justice, gender justice, tax justice and other economic justice issues to apply for this call. 

Types of activities eligible for support: 

  • Production and dissemination of knowledge sharing and education materials, including toolkits, briefings, factsheets, articles, podcasts, infographics, audio-visual and other campaign materials. 
  • Capacity building activities, including webinars, seminars and workshops to disseminate knowledge, exchange best practices and improve campaigning and advocacy strategies and skills. 
  • Networking and coalition building with other European and global south civil society organisations, particularly youth groups and grassroots movements, prioritising those networks that break the silos between economic justice, climate justice and gender justice movements. 
  • Public awareness raising activities, including local campaigns and mobilisation.
  • Partnerships with media agents (incl. journalists, journalism students and social media influencers).
  • Facilitating EU young and adult citizens’ engagement in the broader project’s joint pan-European campaigns. 
  • Organising local advocacy actions and participating in joint European and international advocacy. 

Proposed activities must contribute to the overall project’s focus on economic, gender and climate justice as interconnected solutions that contribute to sustainable development and tackle global challenges – global, social, economic and gender inequalities, climate change and environmental destruction.

Grant details

  • We expect the size of proposed budgets to be appropriate and proportionate to the proposed activities, size and track record of the applicant. 
  • Applicants may submit proposals for one of the following-categories of sub-grants:
    • Macro grant: €40,000-€60,000, up to 18 months duration, including at least 3 types of activities from the eligible list above.
    • Meso grant: €20,000-€35,000, up to 18 months duration, including at least 2 types of activities from the eligible list. 
    • Micro grant: €5,000-€15,000, up to 12 months duration, and for specific actions or a series of activities within one type (ex. a series of workshops or awareness raising actions)
  • The total budget requested must include a minimum of 10% co-funding to be provided as a contribution by the applicant from other sources (excluding other EU institution sources).
  • Maximum proposed budget should not exceed €60,000 including co-financing. For instance, if your proposed project budget is €65,000 including a 10% co-financing, you should revise it to €60,000 including a 10% co-financing. 
  • As part of capacity building offered through the subgrant, subgrantees will have the opportunity to participate in one in-person project coordination meeting. 
  • Proposed projects should start no earlier than 1 June 2026 and finish no later than 31 December 2027. 

Eligibility criteria to receive support: 

  • Be a legally established CSO or be allied with a legally established organisation or platform.
  • Be non-profit making. 
  • Be established in a Member State of the EU, an EU candidate country or one of the countries listed in Annex M (attached). Given the focus of the project priority will be given to organisations with activities targeting the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. However, organisations from all eligible country locations are welcome to apply, particularly if their activities are a good thematic fit and will help achieve the wider project objectives.
  • Have experience of at least 1 year and be active in economic justice, climate justice, environmental justice, gender justice, social justice, migrant solidarity, human rights or related causes.
  • Have the capacity to successfully carry out the activities to be financed and commit to delivering project activities in a cost-effective way, and report on them in a timely fashion as per the deadlines and methods provided and according to EU rules. 
  • Commit to actively participating in, benefiting from and contributing to capacity building activities programmed under the broader project. 
  • Not be beneficiary of a grant (neither lead, nor co-applicant, or affiliated entity, nor associate or contractor) in the frame of the EC DEAR 2022 CfP EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi or any other previous EC DEAR programmes.
  • Declare that you have not received a subgrant from another DEAR project resulting from the EC DEAR 2022 CfP EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi. Please note that organisations cannot receive more than one subgrant from current DEAR projects. Successful applicants of this round will not be eligible to participate in any future rounds from Connecting the Dots project or any other DEAR project (awarded under CfP EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi).
  • You did not have the financial, administrative or operational capacity to compete directly for EU funding under the EC DEAR 2022 CfP EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi. This means that all applicants (in the capacity of lead or co-applicants) to the aforementioned EC call for proposals, regardless of the outcome of their application, cannot be considered. 

Note: if you are an unregistered group allied with a registered organisation, the eligibility criteria apply to the registered organisation as well.  

How to apply

To apply, please complete the following (attached) forms and submit them to grants@eurodad.org no later than 26 March 2026, 23:59 CEST:

Applications should be submitted in English. 

Questions about the application process or requirements of this call may be submitted to bdodin@eurodad.org, no later than 26 February 2026, 17:00 CET. Answers that are relevant for all applicants will be published here no later than 12 March 2026, 17:00 CEST.

Selection process

The project partners will establish a selection committee responsible for evaluating all applications. The committee will first scan applications to confirm compliance with the eligibility criteria outlined above, after that, eligible applications will be evaluated in detail based on the following selection criteria:

  • Will the proposed project help us achieve the broader project’s objective and expected outputs?      
  • Is there a good thematic fit? 
  • Does the project include activities from an appropriate selection of the eligible activity categories (in line with the size of the proposed budget)?
  • Does the project look realistic in terms of deliverables, budget and timescales? 
  • Does the expected reach (e.g., number of people targeted) seem realistic?
  • Does the applicant seem open to and interested in working with others/building partnerships/strengthening the CSO movement across Europe?
  • Is the applicant open to participating in or contributing to the capacity building programme? 
  • Other added value

Applicants will be notified of the committee's decision regarding their applications—both successful and unsuccessful—by no later than 15th of May 2026. Following this, successful applicants may be invited to refine their proposals and/or budgets based on the committee’s feedback before a grant contract is finalised and signed.