Foreign Ministry preparing open call for proposals for Finnish CSOs for programme-based support 2026–2029

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is preparing a call for proposals for programme-based support, which will be open to Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) in January 2025. In this application round, Finnish CSOs can apply for discretionary government grants for development cooperation programmes and, where applicable, for humanitarian assistance included in the programmes for the period 2026–2029. The grant is awarded from the development cooperation appropriations for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

The application round opens for about six weeks in January. The application consists of one stage, and the Ministry will assesses the applicants and their programme proposals on the basis of minimum requirements and qualitative criteria. The upcoming call for proposals is open to all Finnish CSOs, but it includes minimum criteria for organisations concerning their capacity and level of government grants previously administered.

Programme-based support for Finnish CSOs contributes to the achievement of Finland’s foreign and security policy objectives

Finland’s development cooperation promotes the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the pledge to leave no one behind (LNOB), a guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda.

As part of Finland’s development cooperation, programme-based support strengthens the prerequisites for sustainable societal development: a well-functioning democracy, the rule of law, human rights and a vibrant civil society. Finnish CSOs use programme-based support to strengthen active and multivoiced civil societies and civic space in the developing countries in the long term. Programme-based support places emphasis on promoting the rights of women and girls and people in a particularly vulnerable position in a systematic and multifaceted way.

For programmes to be eligible for support, they must be in line with Finland’s foreign and security policy and the Report on International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation. They must also meet the criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA) as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). The Ministry will later provide detailed information on other restrictions and conditions set out in the call for proposals.

Support for humanitarian assistance in emergencies

From 2026 onwards, programme-based support may also be granted for emergency humanitarian assistance to Finnish organisations that have partnership status with the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (DG ECHO) at the end of the application period. Finnish humanitarian action is grounded on international humanitarian law, human rights treaties and refugee law, and on the UN-endorsed humanitarian principles, which are humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

The same application form is used to apply for both programme-based support for development cooperation and for humanitarian assistance in the same application round. However, the material that applicants will be required to append to the application will, in some respects, differ for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

CSOs’ programme packages may also support various nexus activities, which interlink prevention of crises, development cooperation, peace process and humanitarian assistance to ensure effectiveness. Organisations without the ECHO status and thus ineligible for funding for humanitarian assistance may also include nexus activities in their programmes.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will publish advance information on the call for proposals for programme-based support, its exact dates and assessment criteria, and on key changes to the terms and conditions of programme-based support on its website in October 2024. At the same time, the Ministry will publish an updated description of programme-based support as a form of development cooperation. The updated terms and conditions of programme-based support and humanitarian assistance will be published when the call for proposal opens in January 2025.

Separate call for proposals for humanitarian projects in 2025

In January 2025, before the call for proposals for programme-based support opens, the Foreign Ministry will organise a separate call for government grant applications for humanitarian projects of CSOs in 2025. During this application round, the Foreign Ministry will make government grant decisions for one year only, as from 2026 onwards, government grants for humanitarian action will be applied for as part of the application round for programme-based support. 
 

The Foreign Ministry’s Unit for Civil Society  (keo [email protected]) is responsible for programme-based support and the application round.