SENIR

General Information

1. What is the SENIR Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) Call?

The SENIR FSTP Call provides financial support to eligible Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) to strengthen their organisational capacities, improve cooperation with stakeholders, and support advocacy and policy-related activities.

The Call aims to reinforce social economy networks at national and macroregional levels, particularly in territories where social economy ecosystems are still developing or are underrepresented.

The SENIR project activities are based on the Macroregions framework. We have identified five microregions:

• Northern and Baltic Europe: Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland and Ireland
• North-West Europe: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands
• Central Europe: Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
• Mediterranean Europe: Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal
• South-East Europe (and Western Balkans): Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania (countries eligible under EaSI Strand).

2. How much funding is available under the Call?

A total budget of €140,000 is available to support up to 10 organisations through two grant streams:

• 5 macroregional grants: up to €18,000 each, for a total of €90,000.
• 5 national grants: up to €10,000 each, for a total of €50,000.

Applicants must clearly indicate whether their proposed action aims to achieve national or macroregional impact and ensure that the planned activities, expected results, and proposed budget are aligned with the selected grant stream and its intended level of impact.

Funding will be awarded following the eligibility and evaluation procedures described in the SENIR FSTP Call for Proposals (The call).

3. What is the difference between the national and macroregional grants?

The Call provides two funding streams to support activities at different territorial levels.

National grants are intended to support activities contributing to the development and strengthening of social economy networks at national level.

Macroregional grants are intended to support activities with a broader territorial dimension, contributing to cooperation and network development across a macroregion.

Applicants should demonstrate how their proposed activities, stakeholders, and expected results correspond to the territorial scope of the grant requested.

4. When does the Call open and what is the application deadline?

The Call will open on 1 December 2026 at 12:00 CET.

Applications must be submitted by 15 January 2027 15:00 CET  through the SENIR online submission platform.

Eligibility and Participation

5. Who can apply for financial support?

The Call is open to Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) that fulfil all the following eligibility requirements:

• Are legally established entities.
• Are established in an eligible country, as defined in the Call.
• Have been registered for at least six months at the time of application.
• Are affiliated with at least one of the following SENIR partner networks: Diesis Network, Social Economy Europe (SEE) or REVES.
• Submit a complete application in English, including a signed Declaration of Honour.
• Commit to participating (in person) at least two SENIR project events.

All eligibility requirements must be fulfilled for an application to proceed to evaluation.

6. Can an organisation that is not affiliated with Diesis Network, Social Economy Europe or REVES apply?

No. Affiliation with at least one of these three networks is a mandatory eligibility requirement.

Applications from organisations that do not fulfil this condition will not be considered for funding, regardless of the quality of their proposed activities.

7. Can newly established organisations apply?

Yes, provided they have been legally registered for at least six months by the application submission date and fulfil all the other eligibility requirements.

Organisations that are still in the process of being legally established or have not yet completed the minimum registration period are not eligible.

8. Which countries are eligible for?

Applicants must be legal entity established in an EU Member State or another country eligible to participate in the ESF+ , in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 and the eligibility conditions specified in this Call for Applications.

Applicants should consult the applicable country’s eligibility requirements before submitting their application.

9. Can an organisation submit more than one application?

No. Only one project application per applicant is allowed under the SENIR FSTP Call.

Applicants should therefore identify the grant stream that best corresponds to the scope and objectives of their proposed activities.

10. Is participation in SENIR project events mandatory?

Yes. Applications must foresee in-person participation in at least two SENIR project events.

Applicants should take this requirement into account when planning their activities, resources, and project budget.

Eligible Activities and Project Implementation

11. What types of activities can be funded?

The Call supports the following activities:

• Local training activities.
• Peer-learning activities.
• Networking events.
• Policy dialogues.
• Coordination meetings.
• Ecosystem mapping.

These activities should contribute to the objectives of SENIR, particularly the strengthening of social economy networks, institutional capacities, stakeholder cooperation, and the visibility of the social economy.

Only the activity categories explicitly identified in the Call are eligible for support.

12. Can a proposal combine different types of activities?

Yes. Applicants may propose a combination of the eligible activity types, provided they contribute to coherent objectives and expected results.

For example, a proposal could combine ecosystem mapping with networking events and policy dialogues to strengthen connections among social economy stakeholders.

13. Can activities involve organisations and stakeholders other than the applicant?

Yes. Engagement with other organisations, social economy stakeholders, public authorities, and relevant networks can contribute to the objectives of the Call.

Applicants should identify the target stakeholders, explain how they will be involved, and describe the expected results of this cooperation.

14. When can supported activities start?

Project implementation can begin only within the eligible period established in the Sub-Grant Agreement signed with the Diesis Network.

Costs incurred before the signature of the agreement or after the project’s eligible implementation period are not eligible.

The indicative implementation period provided in the Call is from 1 May 2027 to 1 October 2028 (17 months)

15. How long can a funded project last?

According to the draft Call, selected beneficiaries must complete their project activities within a maximum of 17 months.

The precise duration, starting date and end date of each supported project will be established in the Sub-Grant Agreement.

Application and Evaluation

16. How can I submit an application?

Applications must be submitted through the SENIR online Submission Service before the deadline indicated in the Call.

Applicants must complete the required administrative and technical sections and upload the mandatory supporting documents.

A confirmation email indicating the registered date and time of submission will be sent after the application has been submitted.

17. What documents and information are required?

The application includes an administrative section and a technical section covering:

• Project information.
• Project relevance.
• Project implementation.
• Project impact.
• Declaration of Honour (DoH)

The Declaration of Honour (DoH) must be properly completed, signed, and uploaded in PDF format using the template made available on the submission platform.

Applicants should provide sufficient information to demonstrate the relevance, feasibility, expected results, and cost-effectiveness of their proposed activities.

18. Can I submit my application in a language other than English?

No. All applications must be written entirely in English.

Applications submitted partially or entirely in another language will be considered ineligible.

19. How will applications be evaluated?

Applications will be assessed through a two-stage procedure:

1. Eligibility check: Verification that all mandatory eligibility requirements have been fulfilled (refer to the Chapter 2: Objectives and Priorities of the Call).
2. Technical evaluation: Assessment of eligible applications against five award criteria.

The evaluation criteria and their respective weights are:

Award criterion	Weight
Relevance and Alignment	30%
Capacity and Experience	20%
Expected Impact	20%
Innovation and Sustainability	15%
Feasibility and Cost effectiveness	15%
TOTAL	100%

 

Criterion 1: Relevance and alignment — 30%

How will Criterion 1 — Relevance and Alignment — be assessed?

Criterion 1 accounts for 30% of the overall evaluation score. It comprises three sub criteria:

• Alignment with SENIR objectives and the needs of social economy ecosystems — 50%: how clearly the proposal responds to identified needs and contributes to SENIR’s objectives.
• Alignment with priority sectors — 30%: how clearly the proposed activities and expected results contribute to one or more of the following sectors: housing, energy communities, care and digital economy, as described in the Call.
• National or macroregional added value and stakeholder engagement — 20%: how the proposal strengthens cooperation, network development and the social economy ecosystem at the territorial level corresponding to the grant requested.

How should applicants demonstrate sectoral alignment?

Applicants should identify the priority sector or sectors addressed and explain the connection between the sector’s needs, the proposed activities, the stakeholders involved and the expected results. Merely mentioning a priority sector, or stating that the applicant operates in that sector, is insufficient to demonstrate the proposed action’s contribution.

Cross-sectoral proposals and proposals focused on general network strengthening can receive sectoral alignment points where they demonstrate a clear and credible contribution to at least one priority sector. For example, a network-strengthening action could explain how its training, peer learning or policy dialogue will address identified needs of social economy organisations working in care.

Addressing several priority sectors does not automatically attract a higher score. Assessment will focus on the relevance, clarity and credibility of the contribution demonstrated. A proposal addressing one sector convincingly may score as highly as a proposal addressing several sectors.

How is the score calculated?

Each sub criterion is scored out of 100. These scores are combined as follows:

Criterion 1 score = (objectives and needs score × 0.50) + (sectoral alignment score × 0.30) + (added value and stakeholder engagement score × 0.20).

For example, scores of 80, 60 and 90 respectively produce a Criterion 1 score of 76/100. This contributes 22.8 points to the overall evaluation score, because Criterion 1 carries a 30% weight.

Does each sub criterion need to score at least 70/100?

No. The minimum threshold of 70/100 applies to the combined Criterion 1 score. There is no separate minimum threshold for its three sub criteria.

Sectoral alignment is assessed through scoring and is not a separate eligibility requirement. A weak or absent sectoral contribution will reduce the Criterion 1 score but will not, by itself, make an application ineligible. All other eligibility requirements and minimum quality thresholds remain applicable.

Criterion 2: Capacity and experience — 20%

The assessment will consider the applicant’s capacity to deliver the proposed activities, including:

• Relevant organisational experience and expertise.
• Adequacy of the proposed team, roles and responsibilities.
• Access to the necessary resources, partnerships and stakeholder networks.
• Ability to manage the work plan, budget, reporting and implementation risks.

Applicants should demonstrate that they have the expertise, organisational arrangements and resources necessary to implement the proposal successfully.

Criterion 3: Expected impact — 20%

The assessment will consider:

• The expected benefits for the identified target groups.
• The clarity of the expected results.
• The extent to which the proposal responds to the needs identified.
• The suitability of the proposed indicators or other means of demonstrating results.
• The potential for the activities to generate meaningful benefits beyond the immediate implementation period, where relevant.

Applicants should identify the intended changes, who will benefit, and how they will assess whether the proposed activities have achieved their objectives.

Criterion 4: Innovation and sustainability — 15%

The assessment will consider:

• The extent to which the proposal introduces a new or improved approach, method, partnership or solution in its context.
• The added value of the proposed approach compared with existing practices.
• The potential for results, methods or partnerships to continue after the grant period.
• The feasibility of maintaining or replicating results, where relevant.

Innovation does not necessarily mean developing something entirely new. A proposal may demonstrate innovation by adapting an existing approach effectively to a new context or group.

Applicants should explain what is innovative in their proposal, what added value it provides, and how relevant results or practices could be sustained.

Criterion 5: Feasibility and cost-effectiveness — 15%

The assessment will consider:

• The coherence and feasibility of the work plan and timetable.
• The adequacy of the proposed resources for the planned activities.
• The clarity and justification of the budget.
• The relationship between the proposed costs, activities and expected results.
• Whether the budget represents a reasonable and cost-effective use of the grant.

Applicants should provide a realistic work plan and a clear, justified budget that demonstrates how the requested funding will support the proposed activities and results.

Scoring Methodology

Each criterion will receive a raw score from 0 to 100.

Assigned evaluators will assess each application independently using the published criteria and scoring methodology. For Criterion 1, each evaluator will score the three sub criteria and combine them using their respective weights of 50%, 30% and 20%.

For each of the five award criteria, the consolidated raw score will be the arithmetic mean of the individual evaluators’ scores. These consolidated scores will be multiplied by the respective criterion weights and added together to calculate the overall evaluation score out of 100.

The calculated consolidated scores will determine whether the application meets the minimum quality thresholds and its position in the relevant grant-category ranking. The Selection Committee will verify that the published method has been applied correctly; scores will not be replaced by negotiated or consensus scores.

The following scoring bands will guide the assessment:

Raw score	Interpretation
0–19	Very poor
20–39	Poor
40–59	Satisfactory, with significant weaknesses
60–69	Below the minimum threshold
70–84	Good
85–100	Excellent

 

For each application, the consolidated raw score for a criterion will be multiplied by its weight.

Example

If the consolidated raw scores are 80, 75, 85, 70 and 90, respectively, the overall weighted score is:

(80 × 0.30) + (75 × 0.20) + (85 × 0.20) + (70 × 0.15) + (90 × 0.15) = 80/100.

To qualify for funding consideration, an application must obtain at least 70/100 for each individual criterion and an overall weighted score of at least 70/100. Applications that fail to meet either threshold will not be considered for funding, regardless of their overall ranking.

Applications meeting all minimum quality thresholds will be ranked separately within the national and macroregional grant categories, in descending order of their overall weighted scores. Funding will be awarded within each category’s budget and grant-number limits: up to five national grants, with a maximum allocation of €50,000, and up to five macroregional grants, with a maximum allocation of €90,000. Meeting the thresholds does not guarantee funding.

Portfolio and Strategic Considerations

In addition to ranking by score, the Selection Committee may consider the overall balance of the funded portfolio to ensure:

• Territorial diversity (including representation of structurally weak or underrepresented regions);
• Thematic diversity across SENIR innovation domains;
• Inclusion of underrepresented groups;

20. When will applicants receive the evaluation results?

The evaluation is expected to take place between January and February 2027.

Applicants are expected to be informed of the results in March 2027.

All applicants will receive an email communicating the outcome of their application, together with a summary of the evaluation results.

21. What happens if my application is selected?

Successful applicants will be invited to sign a Sub-Grant Agreement with Diesis Network, the SENIR project coordinator.

The agreement will establish the approved activities, expected results, implementation period, grant amount, payment arrangements, and reporting obligations.

Beneficiaries will be responsible for implementing their approved projects in accordance with the agreement.

Financial Support and Eligible Costs

22. What is a lump-sum grant?

A lump sum grant is a fixed financial contribution awarded to support the implementation of an approved project.

Under this funding approach, payment is linked to the satisfactory completion of agreed activities and achievement of expected results, rather than the reimbursement of each individual expenditure item.

Beneficiaries must nevertheless ensure that project expenditure complies with the applicable eligibility rules and maintain appropriate supporting documentation for the purpose of audit. The coordinator will provide the simplified financial report template in due time ( if applicable).

23. What types of costs can be covered?

The following cost categories are eligible, provided they are necessary for the implementation of the approved project and comply with the conditions of the Call:

• Personnel costs: Employees, natural persons under direct contract and seconded personnel.
• Travel and subsistence costs: Eligible expenditure associated with the implementation of approved activities.
• Other goods, works and services: Purchases necessary for the implementation of the project.

Costs must be reasonable, justified, included in the approved budget, and incurred within the eligible project period.

24. Can activities already funded by another EU project receive SENIR financial support?

The same activities, outputs or costs cannot be funded twice where this would constitute prohibited double funding.

Applicants and beneficiaries must ensure that the financial support requested under SENIR does not duplicate funding already received from another EU or public funding source.

Any potential risk of double funding must be communicated to the SENIR Consortium.

25. Will beneficiaries need to submit financial reports and invoices?

The SENIR FSTP uses a lump-sum funding model, under which the payment of the grant is primarily linked to implementation and results.

Beneficiaries are required to submit a Final Technical Report demonstrating the activities carried out and the results achieved.

They must also maintain appropriate financial and supporting documentation, which may be requested during monitoring, verification, or audit procedures.

Reporting, Monitoring and Support

26. What are the reporting obligations for selected beneficiaries?

Beneficiaries must submit a Final Technical Report within 30 days of the end of their project.

The report must describe:

• Activities implemented and work performed.
• Outputs and results are achieved.
• Progress against the approved objectives and indicators.
• Any substantial deviations from the original work plan.
• Supporting evidence demonstrating project implementation.

Supporting evidence may include attendance lists, agendas, training materials, reports, photographs, publications, communication materials, and evaluation results.

27. What happens if a beneficiary cannot implement all the approved activities?

Beneficiaries are required to implement the activities agreed in the Sub-Grant Agreement.

Any substantial deviation from the approved work plan must be explained and, where required, approved in advance by the SENIR Consortium.

Failure to fulfil contractual obligations may result in a reduction of the grant, recovery of funds or termination of the agreement, depending on the nature and severity of the non-compliance.

28. How long must beneficiaries keep project documentation?

Beneficiaries must retain supporting documentation for five years after payment of the grant balance.

Documents must be made available if requested for monitoring, checks, reviews, audits or investigations.

29. Can applicants request clarification or support during the application process?

Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the SENIR FSTP Call for Proposals, and these FAQs before submitting their application.

For questions that are not addressed in the published documentation, applicants may contact the SENIR project team at:

SENIRproject@diesis-network.coop

30. Can an applicant submit a complaint regarding the evaluation results?

Yes. Applicants may submit a complaint within three days of the announcement of the Call results by contacting SENIRproject@diesis-network.coop.

The complaint must include the application identification details, applicant contact information, the subject of the complaint and supporting evidence.

The SENIR Selection Committee will assess the complaint and communicate its final decision in writing within 20 working days of submission.