Small-scale Partnerships

Overview

Objectives

The main objectives of small-scale partnerships are to: 

• Reach out to grassroots organisations, less experienced organisations and newcomers to Erasmus+, to support organisations with smaller organisational capacity to access the Programme and engage in EU-level cooperation.
• Promote the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities
• Support active European citizenship and bring the European dimension to the local level

Furthermore, broader objectives include increasing the quality in the work and practices of the organisations involved in the partnerships; building their capacity to work transnationally and across sectors; addressing needs in the fields of education, training, youth and sport; and enabling transformation and change (at individual, organisational or sectoral level).

Activities/actions supported

The call will fund small-scale partnerships that address:

• at least one horizontal priority among the following: inclusion and diversity; environmental sustainability; digital dimension; participation and civic engagement
• at least one specific priority relevant to the field of education, training, youth and sport

Projects supported should last between 6 and 24 months, with the duration being chosen at application stage.

Anticipated outcomes

Projects funded through this call are expected help less experienced organisations and newcomers to participate in the Erasmus+  Programme by tackling entry barriers and supporting the creation and development of transnational networks and to fostering synergies with, and between, local, regional, national and international policies.

Institution providing the funding

European Commission

Size of funding

Pre-defined lump sum grants of EUR 30 000 and EUR 60 000, with applicants having to choose between these two amonts based on their needs and objectives.

Conditions

Overview of eligibility criteria

To be eligible to receive grants under this call, applicants must be any public or private organisation active in any field of education, training, youth, sport or other socio-economic sectors as well as to organisations carrying out activities that are transversal to different fields (e.g., local, regional and national authorities, recognition and validation centres, chambers of commerce, trade organisations, guidance centres, cultural and sport organisations). These organisations must be established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Erasmus+ Programme.

Small-scale partnerships should involve the most appropriate and diverse range of partners in order to benefit from their different experiences, profiles and specific expertise. In particular, consortia should be transnational and involve a minimum of two organisations from two EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme.

Overview of award criteria

Award criteria include the following:

• Relevance (maximum score 30 points): this includes the relevance of the proposal to the objectives of small scale partnerships; the promotion of EU values; the profile and experience of the participating organisations
• Quality of the project design (maximum score 30 points): this includes the clarity of the objectives of the project, and the extent to which these address the needs and goals of participating organisations and target groups; the accessibility and inclusiveness of the activities; and the quality of the methodology
• Quality of the partnerships (maximum score 20 points): this includes the inclusion of a variety of organisations, as well as newcomers
• Impact (maximum score 20 points): this includes the potential positive impact on participants and participating organisations

Projects proposals have to score a minimum of 60 points in total to be considered for funding.

Procedures

Application procedures

Please note that for Small-scale Partnerships in the fields of vocational education and training, school education, adult education and youth, applications should be submitted to the Erasmus+ National Agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established.

Please note that the deadline indicated above applies only to projects starting between 1 September and 31 December 2026. For projects starting between 1 January and 31 August of the following year, the deadline is 1 October 2026 at 12:00 pm Brussels time. See the text of the call for further details.

More information on the application procedure is available in the text of the call below.

Application support available

For help related to this call, please contact EACEA-SPORTec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EACEA-SPORT[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

More information can be found in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for 2026.

Useful links

Link to funding opportunity

Link to the programme for more info