Prevention and Combating of Gender-Based Violence and Violence Against Children – CERV-2026-DAPHNE

The European Union CERV Programme Daphne call supports projects that prevent and combat gender-based violence against women and girls, domestic violence, violence against children, and violence against youth and other at-risk groups. Support is provided for the protection of direct and indirect victims of violence, development of victim-centered support services, prevention programmes, specialist training, inter-institutional cooperation, strengthening of integrated child protection systems, and funding of small civil society organisations through intermediary bodies. Projects may be implemented nationally or internationally.

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Agency	SA KÜSK
Region	EUother
Country	ATBEBGHRCYCZDKEEFIFRDEGRHUIEITLVLTLUMTNLPLPTROSKSIESSEALBAMDMEMKRSUAAWBQCWPFTFGLNCBLSXPMWF
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	7 Jul 2026
End date	3 Nov 2026
Max funding	Priority 1 – intermediary organisations: the requested grant per project must be EUR 1,000,000–2,500,000., Priorities 2–5: the requested grant per project must be EUR 200,000–600,000., Within Priority 1, up to EUR 60,000 may be given to a single civil society organisation or project funded through sub-granting.
Budget	The total budget of the call is EUR 21,000,000. Priority 1 – intermediary organisations: EUR 8,000,000. Priority 2 – protection and support of victims of gender-based violence: EUR 4,000,000. Priority 3 – prevention of gender-based violence: EUR 4,000,000. Priority 4 – implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the EU Anti-Violence Directive: EUR 2,000,000. Priority 5 – strengthening integrated child protection systems: EUR 3,000,000.
Coverage	The EU grant may cover up to 90% of the project's estimated eligible budget. Applicants and partners must cover at least 10% of the project budget through own funds or other eligible co-financing. The grant is awarded as a lump sum whose amount is based on the detailed estimated budget submitted with the application. No self-financing requirement shall be imposed on small civil society organisations supported under Priority 1.

Grant application conditions

Legal form of the applicant	Applicants and partners must be public or private legal entities. Non-profit organisations, public sector bodies, companies, and international organisations may participate. A profit-making organisation cannot be the lead applicant and may only participate as a partner alongside a public sector body, non-profit organisation, or international organisation. Ordinary private individuals are not eligible. The exception is self-employed individuals without separate legal entity status from their business.
Eligible countries	The applicant must be established in an EU Member State, an overseas country or territory linked to an EU Member State, or a country associated with the CERV programme. The countries associated with the CERV programme, according to the current list, are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. Kosovo is eligible but is not listed under country, as it does not have an official ISO 3166-1 country code. Project activities must take place in eligible countries.
Selection of priority	Each project proposal must address only one of the five priorities. The same application cannot be submitted under multiple priorities. An organisation may only act as a lead applicant in one application within this call. The same organisation may participate as a partner in several applications.
Priority 1 – intermediary grants	This priority supports intermediary organisations running calls for proposals for small and grassroots-level civil society organisations. The project must include both financial support to third parties and capacity building for supported organisations. Around 60–70% of the project's grant should be allocated as sub-grants to small civil society organisations. The project can focus on gender-based violence, violence against children, or both. The duration of the project must be 36 months.
Priority 1 applicant experience	The applicant or consortium must have at least three years of recent proven experience building capacity for civil society organisations working in the field of gender-based violence or violence against children. The applicant or consortium must have proven experience in awarding and managing grants in the field of gender-based or child violence. Requirements may be met by a single consortium member or split among several members.
Priority 1 sub-grants	The recipient must be a non-profit grassroots civil society organisation working to prevent or combat gender-based or child violence. Up to EUR 60,000 may be awarded per organisation and project. No self-financing may be required from the recipient. The recommended duration for a sub-granted project is around 6–12 months. The call must be open for at least two months or conducted as a continuously open rolling call. The selection process must be transparent, equal, non-discriminatory, and free of conflicts of interest. A sub-granted organisation cannot be a body affiliated with the intermediary organisation.
Priority 2 – protection and support of victims	The project must improve protection and access to support services for victims of gender-based violence. Support is given for one-stop-shop services, sexual violence crisis and support centers, risk assessment tools, and services adapted for vulnerable target groups. The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least two eligible organisations. Involving a public sector body as a consortium member, affiliated partner, or via a letter of support is recommended. The project must last 12–24 months.
Priority 3 – prevention of gender-based violence	The project may promote consent-based sexual relations, prevent rape, and involve men and boys in prevention. The project may prevent gender-based cyber violence, including online harassment, cyberstalking, and the unauthorized distribution of intimate or AI-manipulated materials. The project may develop perpetrator-oriented programmes, or reduce gender stereotypes and sexual harassment in the media and audiovisual sectors. The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least two eligible organisations. Involving a public sector body is recommended. Project duration must be 12–24 months.
Priority 4 – implementation of the convention and directive	The project must support the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the EU Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. The lead or sole applicant must be a public sector body at the national, regional, or local level. Partners may include public sector bodies, non-profit organisations, companies, and international organisations. The project may focus on training law enforcement, judiciary, health care, education, or social sector professionals and improving cooperation between authorities. The project may be implemented by a single applicant or as a consortium project. The project must last 12–24 months.
Priority 5 – integrated child protection systems	The project must strengthen prevention, early detection, reporting, referral, and integrated support services for violence against children. The project may address physical or psychological violence, sexual violence, domestic violence, neglect, bullying, and cyberbullying. The consortium must involve at least one public sector body at the national, regional, or local level as lead applicant or partner. The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least two eligible organisations. Children must be involved in planning, implementing, and assessing the project in a safe, meaningful, and child-rights-respecting way. The project must last 12–24 months.
Child safeguarding policy	All organisations whose project activities involve children under 18 must have a proper child safeguarding and safety policy. A private organisation must provide a copy of its child safeguarding policy. A public sector body must provide a declaration of child safeguarding policy on the prescribed form. The policy must address staff and volunteer vetting, codes of conduct, reporting violence, responding to incidents, and regular training.
Ethics and EU values	The project must comply with the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. The project must adhere to high ethical standards, GDPR, and applicable international, EU, and national legislation. The project must systematically address gender equality, non-discrimination, and an intersectional approach. Where possible, project data should be presented disaggregated by gender, age, and disability.
Financial capacity	The applicant must have sufficient and stable financial capacity to implement the project and cover co-financing. The European Commission may verify annual reports, balance sheets, income statements, business plans, and independent auditor’s reports. Public sector bodies and international organisations are exempt from standard financial capacity checks. Inadequate financial capacity may result in a requirement for a guarantee, reduced pre-financing, payment of pre-financing in tranches, a request to replace the applicant, or rejection of the application.
Operational capacity	Applicants and partners must have the knowledge, experience, personnel, and technical resources required to implement the project. Applicants must demonstrate experience implementing projects of a comparable size and content. The size of the consortium, competence of members, division of tasks, and allocation of budget must be proportional to the project objectives.
Project management costs	The costs of the work package for project management and coordination should generally not exceed 10% of the project’s total costs. For Priority 1, a larger share may be exceptionally justified, as management also includes administering sub-grants.
Project start date	The project should start after the grant agreement is signed, usually within six months. An earlier start date may be allowed in justified cases, but not earlier than the application submission date. Starting activities before the grant agreement is signed is at the applicant's own risk.
Documentation	https://kysk.ee/taotlejale/toetused-vabauhendustele/taotlusvoorud/soopohise-vagivalla-ning-lastevastase-vagivalla-ennetamine-ja-tokestamine-cerv-2026-daphne/

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Application submitted by a profit-making organisation seeking to act as lead applicant.

Application submitted by a private individual, except a compliant self-employed person.

Participation of an EU institution or agency in a consortium, except when the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is allowed.

A project that does not fully or at least partially correspond to the substance of the selected priority.

Application addressing several priorities at once.

Several applications submitted by the same organisation as lead applicant. In such cases, all applications by this organisation as lead applicant will be rejected.

Priority 2, 3, or 5 applications with consortia comprised of fewer than two eligible applicants.

Consortium consisting solely of the lead applicant and its affiliated entities or affiliated partners.

Priority 4 project for which the lead applicant is not an appropriate public sector body.

Priority 5 project with a consortium not involving a public sector body.

Sub-granting to third parties in priorities 2–5.

General overheads of organisations supported through Priority 1 that are not related to a specific sub-funded project.

The cost of creating a dedicated project website. Costs for presenting the project on the applicant’s or partner’s existing website or social media are allowed.

Activities not in line with EU values, fundamental rights, non-discrimination, or child rights.

Activities justifying, promoting, or supporting physical or psychological violence against women, children, or other at-risk groups.

Double funding of the same activity or cost from another EU or public funding source.

Unjustified costs, costs not necessary for project implementation, or costs not in line with market conditions.

Participation of an organisation or individual subject to EU sanctions or restrictive measures in any role.

Applicant in bankruptcy, liquidation, insolvency proceedings, or who has suspended operations.

Applicant who has failed to meet tax or social security obligations.

Applicant found guilty of fraud, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, organised crime, human trafficking, child labour, or grave professional misconduct.

Submission of false data, concealment of required information, or unlawful influencing of the evaluation process.

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements