CERV+
CERV+ aims to protect and promote EU rights and values by supporting civil society initiatives on equality, participation, democracy, anti-discrimination and prevention of violence. CERV is not a cultural programme, but culture can be the tool through which rights-related objectives are achieved.
What gets funded
- Training
- Workshops
- Conferences
- Awareness-raising
- Campaigns
- Dissemination
- Exchange of good practices
- Studies
- Monitoring
- Tools
- Prevention
- Cooperation activities
What your project needs to address
One of the CERV strands:
- Equality, Rights and Gender Equality
- Citizens’ Engagement and Participation
- Daphne
- Union Values
Geographic scope
National or transnational, depending on the call. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States or countries associated to CERV.
Type of partnerships
Depends on the call. Many calls require at least 2 applicants. Some are restricted to public authorities or non-profit organisations.
Type of partners
Civil society organisations, public authorities, NGOs, cultural organisations, equality bodies, victim support organisations, research actors, networks. Profit-making organisations may be eligible in some calls, often only in partnership with public or non-profit bodies.
Budget
Varies depending on the call.
The 2025 Equality call had an estimated total budget of €20 million. Some topics indicated grants from around €100 000 to €750 000, depending on the priority. The co-funding rate is of 90%.
The 2025 Daphne call was a lump-sum grant, with 90% co-funding. Depending on the priority, the budget varies from €100 000 to €1 million.
Project duration
Depends on the topic. In 2025, the Equality priorities project duration ranged from 12 to 36 months.
Administrative complexity
Medium to high:
- Detailed EU application (objectives, methodology, impact, indicators)
- Work packages and deliverables
- Monitoring and reporting requirements
- Legal entity registration (PIC number / EU Funding & Tenders Portal)
- Operational and financial capacity checks
- Partnership requirements vary by call (national or transnational)
- Some calls restrict eligibility to non-profit organisations, public authorities or specific stakeholders
No fixed “minimum years of existence” exists across CERV overall, but some calls introduce specific eligibility requirements. Always check the call docum
Regularity of calls
No single fixed rhythm. Calls are published through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, according to annual or multiannual CERV work programmes.
Success rate
Competitive programme: the success rate was around 5% in 2025, but that can vary considerably depending on the topic and year. Equality and Daphne strands are often highly oversubscribed. Strong policy alignment and clearly demonstrated societal impact are critical success factors.
Get help for your application
Contact the CERV National Contact Point in your country, or EACEA if no national contact point exists.
Live DMA tip
Choose this if…
- Your project is mainly about rights, equality, anti-discrimination, safer spaces, civic participation or prevention of violence, and live music is the context or tool.
Avoid if…
- Your project is mainly about concerts, programming, touring, artistic creation, venue renovation or professional training without a clear rights/equality/civic objective.