THEPS Newsletter #5: Chaotic EU Funding? We Brought the Numbers
Your weekly guide to writing better EU projects!
Hello,
It’s us, the THEPS team. It feels like we are the only source of actual data about the EU funding. Why is everything so chaotic in the EU and so hard to find? It feels like this whole thing has been made so no one can be held accountable.
Worry not, this issue of the THEPS Newsletter is full of statistical data from different countries, which should help you realise your chances of applying. While we’re primarily focusing on the Erasmus+ programme, we will also share information about other open calls, a practice we’ve followed in the past. So, if you’re freshly subscribed and this is your first time with us, enjoy it and then browse in the older issues here.
This is what we have for you in these gloomy winter days:
- Funding for Roma & Pro‑Roma Organisations
- Quick News
- Statistical Data from Germany and Croatia
- Tips & Tricks
- What the Future Holds
Funding for Roma &
Pro‑Roma Organisations
Is your organisation ready for more inclusion? The European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network and five national partners have launched the 2026 Calls for Proposals to support Roma and pro‑Roma civil society organisations across EU Member States. The goal is to strengthen Roma communities and promote the fundamental values of the EU. The programme focuses on building the capacity of Roma organisations and advancing EU values, including human dignity, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. Your project should contribute to:
- Promoting access to fundamental rights
- Advancing equality and social inclusion
- Strengthening a human‑rights‑based approach to Roma issues
- Combating antigypsyism
- Monitoring national Roma strategies
- Improving cooperation between Roma communities and public institutions
- Fostering collaboration between Roma and non‑Roma civil society
The total available budget is €200,000, and the maximum grant is €25,000 for organisations in the “Big Six” (Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia), while organisations from the other EU Member States get €20,000. Your project should be 13 months (1 September 2026 - 30 September 2027). And no co‑financing is required.
Your organisation must be a Roma or pro‑Roma civil society organisation legally registered in an EU Member State. It must:
- Operate independently from government and political parties
- Work in the public interest
- Demonstrate transparency and accountability
- Promote EU fundamental rights and values
- Not have received a grant under the 2025 ROVA call
Preference will be given to Roma‑led organisations.
Your projects may include:
- Capacity‑building (training, mentoring, workshops)
- Awareness‑raising and communication campaigns
- Advocacy, legal advice, and policy monitoring
- Community initiatives and grassroots mobilisation
The deadlines are as follows:
- Concept note deadline: 16 March 2026, 17:00 CET
- Shortlisting results: by 23 April 2026
- Full proposal deadline (for shortlisted applicants): 26 May 2026
- Final funding decisions: by 3 July 2026
- Contracts signed: by 14 August 2026
All documents and application forms are available here.
Quick News
One: Spain is having a golden Erasmus+ moment. The country hit a historic record: 154,000 people benefited from Erasmus+ in 2025, backed by an impressive €377 million in funding. Spain also leads Europe in Erasmus+ applications with nearly 8,000 proposals submitted, and continues to be one of the most attractive destinations for mobility. The University of Granada once again secured the highest Erasmus+ mobility funding in the country, reinforcing Spain’s role as a powerhouse of international education.
If you’re looking for strong, reliable partners in 2026, Spain is shining brighter than ever, which is strange because it has a problem with tourists...
Оur research shows the following funding rates for March 2025:
- KA210-VET - submitted: 70 / approved: 24 - 34%
- KA210-ADU - submitted: 190 / approved: 24 - 17%
- KA210-YOU - submitted: 217 / approved: 24 - 16%
If you’re applying in ADU or YOU, you need a very sharp concept, a clean needs analysis (done before the project!), and flawless clarity. These strands are overcrowded. The demand massively exceeded the available budget, and the evaluators had to reject many good proposals simply because there wasn’t enough money. Be careful!
Two: A major development from December 2025 is that 117 organisations from across Europe’s sport and physical activity sector issued a joint statement urging the EU to significantly strengthen the role of sport in the next Erasmus+ programme (2028-2034). The coalition highlights that sport contributes €627.5 billion to EU GDP and supports 6.05 million jobs, yet receives only a tiny fraction of Erasmus+ funding.
Their key demands include:
- A dedicated sport budget line in Erasmus+ (to avoid being diluted under broader priorities)
- At least 5% of the entire Erasmus+ budget is earmarked for sport and physical activity
- Simpler applications and more transparent evaluation
- A mandatory minimum share for sport in every National Agency
- More mobility opportunities for athletes, coaches, and grassroots organisations
- Stronger links between sport, health, education, and inclusion
- Expanded eligibility to Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries
We hear you, team, especially about the clearer evaluation. Let's face it - the evaluators and the NAs do whatever they want. It's not equal, it's not fair and it's corrupt. This is one of the strongest, most unified calls the sport sector has ever made, and it directly targets the structure of the next Erasmus+ regulation.
Statistical Data from
Germany and Croatia
In the previous issue, we promised you shocking information about certain funding rates.
Croatia makes us cry internally. For KA210-SCH, the NA approved only 7 projects, which is the embarrassing 9% of all submitted projects in that strand… We’d add the crying emoji, but AI overuses emojis, and we’ve given up on them completely.
Germany, on the other hand, funded the staggering 20 KA220-SCH, 14 of which received 400k… which is 70%! Just imagine a happy emoji here.
Yes, we know. “Bigger” countries get more because they contribute more. However, something is still very wrong with this entire system. We’ll discuss this again.
Tips & Tricks
Say no to the number 10. Seriously, you don’t need to apply with 10 projects.
We’re joking. Do it. This restriction is absolutely stupid.
What the Future Holds
Time is ticking. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Excellent organisations have already done their drafts, and some of us have even submitted the project proposals. Are you such an organisation? What’s preventing you from submitting earlier? Let us guess… some partners are very… let’s use the word “illogical”. We have something in mind, and we will share it with you in the near future.
In the meantime, please follow us on LinkedIn: LinkedIn.