Blocks

CARE ACTIONS: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Co-funded by the European Union (Ref: NDICI CHALLENGE/2023/448-254)

Deadline for submission June 30th, 2025

THE FRAMEWORK
DESCRIPTION OF THE CALL
THE DIFFERENT SELECTION PHASES
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE GRANTING PROCESS
ANNEXES

1. THE FRAMEWORK:
YOU(th) CARE: Collective Action for Justice and Change ✊🌍

The world is facing deep social and ecological crises. Inequality, climate change, and systemic injustices are shaping our present and future. But across Europe and the Mediterranean, young people are organizing, resisting, and building alternatives. YOU(th) CARE is here to strengthen these struggles, amplify voices, and create real impact.

Funded by the DEAR Programme, this project connects grassroots youth movements, collectives, and community initiatives working for social justice, environmental sustainability, and gender equity. We believe in a world where care, solidarity, and collective power drive transformation.

What are we building together?

➡️ Agendas for Change: Youth-led groups will define priorities and strategies to confront local and global crises.
➡️ Mapping Resistance and Alternatives: We will identify and connect existing movements fighting for dignity, inclusion, and ecological justice, with a strong focus on feminist and intersectional struggles.
➡️ Autonomous Learning & Collective Growth: Through the YOU(th) CARE online Campus, we are creating free, accessible training spaces—sharing tools, strategies, and knowledge to strengthen our movements.
➡️ Direct Action & Movement Building: We will fund at least 24 youth-led initiatives through funding, mentoring, and collective organizing in three key areas:

LEARN 🎓: Transformative education and grassroots training
ACT 🌱: Community-led solutions for social and ecological transformation
ENGAGE 📢: Radical storytelling, advocacy, and mobilization campaigns

Why get involved?

✅ Connect with grassroots activists and movements across Europe and the Mediterranean
✅ Gain access to resources, training, and funding to support your struggle
✅ Build alliances and push for structural change at local and international levels
✅ Take part in gatherings, strategy spaces, and collective mobilization

This is a call to action. We need to reclaim our future and push for deep systemic change. Whether you are organizing in your neighborhood, leading community projects, or part of a youth collective fighting for justice—YOU(th) CARE is a space to strengthen our movements and build a better world together.

Who’s behind the project?

Countries involved. The YOU(th) CARE Project will involve young people, organizations, groups and movements from 8 EU Countries (Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece) and 4 non-EU and South Med Countries (Albania, Serbia, Tunisia, Morocco*).

List of Project partners

Main Applicant: COSPE - Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti
Co-applicants (in alphabetical order): HREYN Human Rights Education Youth Network; GIOSEF Italy Giovani Senza Frontiere Aps; GRDR Groupe de Recherche et de Realisations pour le Developpement Rural; MDIG Media Diversity Institute Global; MDI WB Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans; MIO-ECSDE Mediterranean Information Office for Environment Culture and Sustainable Development; OJA Organisation des Jeunes Africains; RIPESS Europe Solidarity Economy Europe, Fekete-Sereg hungarian youth association, Ekumenicka Akademie check NGO and REAS Red de Redes spanish network on SSE.
Associated partners: Fridays for Future Italia.

Starting date and duration. The Project started in December 2023 and will last until April 2027.

* A maximum of 15% of the total budget will be allocated to the non-EU and South Med Countries.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE CALL:

This call will support youth-led, care-driven initiatives that challenge the status quo and build a better future together. Initiatives should also be linked to the YOU (th) CARE Agendas’ priorities and recommended territories in the 12 involved Countries.

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is €280.000 to fund your projects that drive social and ecological transformation. Likewise, this amount could be increased should more funds become available. Here’s the breakdown:

💡 Lot 1: LEARN (Innovative Education for Global Citizenship)
From €6,000 to €10,000 per grant

This lot is all about transforming education! Fund your care-based, youth-led initiatives to teach and learn about sustainability, democracy, gender equality, and more in formal and non-formal Education Communities.

Examples of actions referring to this Lot1 (not exhaustive list):

Training of teachers and students on Global Challenges; Innovative capacity-building workshops linked to the Care approach; online or in-person events inside schools or other Education communities; awareness campaigns in schools, communities, education networks; exchanges among Schools and/or education communities on new Global Citizenship Education Activities.

🌿 Lot 2: ACT (Innovative Social & Ecological Initiatives)
From €8,000 to €15,000 per grant

Time to take action! Fund your care-driven, youth-led initiatives in the Social and Solidarity Economy and Space regeneration. With new ideas on how to re-think and re-shape spaces and economic initiatives, you’ll be part of regenerating urban and rural communities.

Example of actions referring to Lot 2 are as follows (not exhaustive list):

Revitalization of green areas; organization of community-based sustainable markets; activation of new Youth-led mutualistic economic activities; creation and/or re-generation of youth spaces; creation of community safe spaces for vulnerable Youth groups.

🗣️Lot 3: ENGAGE (Innovative Advocacy & Awareness Campaigns)
From €6,000 to €10,000 per grant

Let’s raise our voices! Fund your care-based, youth-led advocacy campaigns to create awareness and push for change. Engage local institutions, political actors, media, and networks in campaigns for sustainability, equality, and justice.

Example of actions referring to Lot 3 are as follows (not exhaustive list):

Awareness Youth Led campaigns on Global Challenges; Advocacy actions to strengthen Youth presence and Youth led proposals on Institutional arenas and agendas at the local and national level; Activate innovative sensitisation initiatives on interdependence and connections among existing Youth led awareness and advocacy campaigns (at the local and national level)

These are just examples—if you’ve got a radical idea, bring it to life! Together, we can build a future that cares! 🌍✨

🏆 Funding & Budget

How many projects will be selected? At least 24 youth-led initiatives will be chosen and supported. We seek high-quality proposals, so make yours transformative!

The overall indicative amount made available is EUR 280.000.

Indicative allocation of funds by lot is:

- lot 1: EUR 80.000

- lot 2: EUR 120.000

- lot 3: EUR 80.000

A minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4 eligible projects per country will be financed.

Geographical balance may be taken into account by the evaluation commission at any stage of the evaluation.

🚨 No funds will go wasted!

The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds, to cancel the Call for Proposals and reject all applications at any time prior to the awarding of contributions, without thereby incurring any liability.

How many projects can I submit? You can only submit ONE proposal, as lead or co-applicant, by applying for only ONE lot (choose between lot 1.LEARN, lot 2.ACT, or lot 3.ENGAGE).

🌍 Eligibility Criteria

Who can apply? Who can be considered admissible?

Youth-led initiatives and youth-focused initiatives¹ from the 12 countries involved in the YOU(th) CARE Project: Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania, Serbia, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Each project must be submitted by a partnership (one lead applicant + at least one co-applicant from the same Country. ²

The lead applicant must:

✅be a legal person AND

✅be non-profit-making AND

✅be a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) or an association of CSOs, or be a formal youth group/network AND

✅be established, registered and have a bank account³ in one of the following countries: Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania, Serbia, Morocco and Tunisia AND

✅be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary AND

✅be neither a beneficiary of a grant (neither lead, nor co-applicant, or affiliated entity) nor associates or contractors in the frame of EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi call for proposal AND

✅not have the financial, administrative or operational capacity to compete directly for EU funding under the EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi call for proposal.

Co-applicants must:

✅be established in one of the following countries: Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania, Serbia, Morocco and Tunisia AND

✅be a non-profit making such as CSOs/NGOs, association, formal and non formal Educational Institutions, formal and informal youth groups, movements, collectives, Educational communities, cultural institutions, Youth Networks, with or without legal form (must provide proof of activity/stability, e.g., website or social media).

Who cannot apply?

❌Individuals, governments, governmental institutions, and their representatives.

❌Beneficiaries of another grant funded in the framework of EuropeAid/173998/DH/ACT/Multi call for proposal.

⏳ Project Duration

How long can my project last? Projects must run between 6 to 12 months, with activities starting from September 2025.

🌱 Actions Requirements

What kind of projects can be funded? Projects must align widiv the YOU(th) CARE Agendas’ priorities for each country.

Must follow the CARE Approach⁴ and an intersectional gender perspective⁵.

Projects should be economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable, ensuring medium-to-long-term positive impacts on their communities.

💰 Eligible Costs

How much can you get? Make sure your project stays within the minimum and maximum budget allocated to each lot.

Which costs are covered? Funding will cover the necessary expenses for project implementation, including human resources, materials, and execution. All costs should be incurred within the time framework of the project.

Please, check the Instructions included in the Budget form for more information about eligible and non eligible costs.

📜 Responsibilities & Accountability

What are my responsibilities if selected? Each selected entity will sign a Declaration on exclusion and selection criteria and a contract with the contracting authority to ensure proper project implementation and responsible budget management and reporting.

3. THE DIFFERENT SELECTION PHASES

Our call for proposals follows three key phases to ensure transparency, collaboration, and impact.

🌟 PHASE ONE: SHARE YOUR VISION AND APPLY

Within the 30/06/2025

🔹 What you need to do:

Complete the Application Form + Budget (Annex A & B) with your transformative idea.
Preferably in English, but if that’s a barrier, feel free to use your native language—just add an English abstract (Chapter 3 in the Application Form). (The Budget Form must be in English).

💡Boost your application

Want to stand out? Send a short video presenting your project 🎥 tell us more about your idea, and the change you want to create! (The video should be in English or mother tongue with subtitles. It should not have a duration of more than 2-3 minutes. If you don’t feel comfortable doing the video, no worries, it’s not mandatory).

💪 Need support?
Get in touch with your local YOU(th) CARE representatives for training and technical assistance to refine your project.

🔍 First selection round: Local Evaluation Committees

Within the 15/07/2025

Every Country will have a Local EvaluationCommittee reviewing applications to choose the most innovative, care-driven proposals.

🌍PHASE TWO: INTERNATIONAL EVALUATION COMMITTEE & FINAL SELECTION

Within 31/07/2025

An International Evaluation Committee will make the final review of the chosen projects in each Country. Geographical balance may be taken into account.

The International Evaluation Committee will be formed by:

YOU(th) CARE Project Managers
Country representatives
Gender Lens Experts
Other movement leaders and specialists

The committee will use the Evaluation Grid (Annex C) to assess your project ideas.

🔥 PHASE THREE: SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES & NEXT STEPS

If your project is selected, you’ll receive:

Funding based on your project needs
Ongoing coaching & training to help you manage your grant
Support for community-led, gender-sensitive impact assessment

4. HOW TO APPLY FOR THE GRANTING PROCESS?

📢 Join the movement!

Apply Now for the YOU(th) CARE Grant
Click the button above to start your application process

🗓 Deadline: June the 30th, 2025 (before 11:59 PM CET) – no exceptions!

📩 Questions? Need help? Check the FAQ or Contact us for more details!

Subject: YC_Call for Proposals_Questions

Spain: raquel.magana@reas.red

France: jonathan.stebig@grdr.org

Morocco: ally.ojafricains@gmail.com

Hungary: karita@fekete-sereg.hu

Luxembourg: nicolas.herlin@ripess.eu

Czech Republic: jolana.radinova@ekumakad.cz

Italy: margherita.accornero@cospe.org

Greece:malotdi@mio-ecsde.org

Tunis: valerio.baldissara@cospe.org

Albania: francesca.signoria@cospe.org

Belgium: contact@hreyn.net

Serbia: jovanovic@media-diversity.org

You CAN/CARE make the difference. Let’s create, resist and transform. Join us! 🔥✊

Youth-led initiatives are generally understood to be organizations having the majority of the board formed by youth (below 30) and/or having the majority of the staff formed by youth (below 30). Youth-focus initiatives are generally understood to be initiatives having the support of youth engagement as mission and/or promoting activities focused mainly on youth engagement.↩︎

We recommend creating partnerships with a manageable number of partners: 1 lead + 3 co-applicants maximum).↩︎

The documentary evidence (legal registration and financial statements) should not be submitted within the deadline for submitting proposals. In case your proposal will be selected, the evaluation committee will request to provide it.↩︎

CARE: It’s about how we connect to each other and the world, aiming to create a culture where we put the wellbeing of People and the Planet, before profit, through the revolutionary choice of building communities where interdependence is a strength and not a weakness. As a consequence, care-based action is radical, feminist, intersectional, intergenerational, anti capitalist, anti fascist, and profoundly transformative. CARE means not just noticing the world around us but acting to make it better. You can refer to: The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence (the Care Collective).↩︎

INTERSECTIONALITY: It’s a way to understand that people’s lives are shaped by multiple factors at once, and addressing only one issue rarely brings full justice or equality. From an intersectional perspective, the cultural identity dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, age, class, religion, sexual orientation, language, and mental or physical ability are linked and an understanding of the multidimensionality of cultural identity offers a fuller understanding of personality.↩︎

5. ANNEXES

Annex A - Application Form AL - CZ - EL - EN - ES - FR - HU - IT - SR

Annex B - Budget

Annex C - Evaluation Grid

YOU(th) CARE Glossary