Call
ESF-SI-2026-ROMA NEETs-01
Published: May 6, 2026
Closing: 30 September 2026 17:00:00 CEST
Strand II ‘Supporting access to the labour market of Roma NEETs’
The European Commission and the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation launched a new transnational Call: ‘Strengthening the European Child Guarantee national governance systems and supporting access to the labour market for Roma NEETs’ under the European Social Fund+ Social Innovation+ initiative.
Under the Strand II “Supporting access to the labour market of Roma NEETs”, the Call will aim to support transnational social experimentation projects which test innovative approaches to improve Roma NEETs’ access to employment through tailored activation strategies.
Applicants are encouraged to propose activities best suited to their specific context, however the following key activities shall be covered in each proposal:
- Mapping of the specific problems and challenges faced by Roma NEETs. Activities include the identification of the target groups as well as the problems and challenges that those groups face, and which prevent them from being in employment.
- Designing a tailored job pathway support and activation model for Roma NEETs through strengthened stakeholder collaboration. For example, activities may include engaging and bringing together key stakeholders relevant to Roma NEETs, such as organisations representing Roma, NGOs, and Public Employment Services. Involving young Roma in designing solutions would be a key element.
- Reaching out and matching. Activities should include matching Roma NEETs with concrete job opportunities or raising awareness about areas in which Roma NEETs could be self-employed.
- Activities supporting employment or self-employment of the target group. Such activities could include, for instance, organisational incentives to hire Roma NEETs and retain them in employment for at least six months (i.e., financial support in the form of wage subsidies, or non-financial support in the form of coaching, mentoring, mediation with employers). Self-employment support could involve mentoring and counselling to encourage self-employment, including advice on access to finance.
- Activities related to skilling. Such activities can include delivering training relevant to the job, or on-the-job training, work experience, etc., or skills for managing a microenterprise with the aim of supporting sustainable employment.
- Selecting an effective method for scaling-up the social experimentation tested through the project and defining a scaling-up strategy. This includes preparing an actionable strategy on the replication, expansion, or integration of the selected method into the activities of PES, and on how to involve relevant public authorities.
- Monitoring and evaluation systems. Activities should include surveys of beneficiaries of matching and employment programmes, or of those who benefit from support for self-employment, for the monitoring and evaluation of outcomes, and identifying efficient ways for data collection and data sharing.
- Raising awareness. Activities should include organising events and dissemination actions to promote approaches to the labour activation of Roma NEETs (employment or self-employment).
- Participation in mutual learning events organised by the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation.
Expected Outcomes. Applicants should demonstrate in their projects a focus on achieving the desired outcomes, specifically by targeting the following areas:
- Improved access to employment and self-employment for Roma NEETs.
- Job retention of Roma NEETs for a minimum period of six months.
- Evidence-based policy recommendations for more Roma-inclusive active labour market policies (covering also improved outreach models for the target group, including through the use of IT tools for a holistic approach).
Who can apply:
Only consortia are eligible.
The consortium must include an applicant (the coordinator) and at least two co-applicants. Associated partners do not count towards this minimum requirement for the consortium.
The members of the consortium shall represent at least two different eligible countries.
The consortium must include (minimum requirement):
1. An applicant (the coordinator) who shall be an EU-level network, in the form of a separate legal entity, or national-level Roma organisation, established as a non-profit legal entity in an EU Member State, whose primary mission, clearly specified in the entity’s statutes, is Roma rights advocacy, policy engagement, and community empowerment.
To substantiate the specified mission (engagement in Roma policies), the applicant must submit, along with the application, the founding documents of its entity clearly stating the required objectives. The entity’s status as an EU-level network or national-level Roma organisation must be substantiated. These documents must have been registered or have entered into force no later than March 2026.
An entity may only participate as the coordinator in one consortium.
2. At least one entity listed below as a co-applicant, registered in an EU Member State in which the EU-level network is operating or the national-level Roma organisation is established:
- PES, job centres, and private employment agencies OR
- National, local, and regional public authorities which have a mandate to implement labour, social inclusion, and education policies for Roma NEETs.
To substantiate the specified mandate, the national, local, and regional public authorities must submit, along with the application, the founding documents of their entity clearly stating the required objectives.
3. At least one entity listed below as a co-applicant, established in an EU Member State or a listed third country:
- Private companies (especially SMEs) social enterprises;
- National, local, and regional authorities (labour, social inclusion, and education);
- Social partners, representative bodies linked to the labour market, including chambers of commerce and other trade associations;
- Vocational education and training (VET) providers;
- Local community centres and hubs; NGOs/third sector/voluntary non-profit entities providing employment activation;
- PES, job centres, and private employment agencies, or national, local, and regional public authorities which have a mandate to implement labour, social inclusion, and education policies for Roma NEETs, located in an EU Member State other than the one in which the co-applicant referred to in point 2 above is established, or located in a listed third country.
Other entities specified above might participate as co-applicants or associated partners.
Duration: The expected duration of a project is 18 – 24 months.
Grant amount: The estimated size of a grant is between EUR 800 000 and EUR 2 000 000 per project (but this does not preclude the submission/selection of applications requesting other amounts), constituting no more than 80% of the total project budget. A co-funding of at least 20% must thus come from sources other than the EU budget.
Form of grant: a lump sum grant.
Timeline of the Call
6 May 2026
Call opening
May-June 2026
Info session for applicants
30 September 2026, 17:00 CEST
Deadline for submission of applications
October 2026 – January 2027
Assessment of applications
April 2027
Grant Agreement signature
More details about the Call:
Eligibility requirements
Application Guidance
Call documents:
- Call Conditions
- Annex 1 Detailed Budget Table
- How to enable macros (tutorial)
- How to fill in Detailed Budget Table
- Annex 2 Grant Agreement, template
- Annex 3 Application Form, template
- Annex 4 List of Required Documents
- Annex 5 List of Previous Projects, template (pdf, word)
- Annex 6 Declaration of Honour for Beneficiaries, template (pdf, word)
- Annex 7 Final Report ‘Lessons Learned and Future Plans’, template (pdf, word)
- Annex 8 Declaration of Professional Competencies, template (pdf, word)
- Annex 9 Public Legal Entity Form (if coordinator is public entity, Annex 9 should be submitted instead of Annex 5 (List or Previous Projects) and Annex 8 Declaration of Professional Competencies)).
- Annex 10 Report on Mapping, Outreach, and Matching, template (pdf, word)
How to apply
All applications must be submitted online via the Portal eSInnis (Electronic Social Innovation Information System).
Paper applications are not accepted.
The applications must be submitted before the Call deadline: 30 September 2026, 17:00 CEST.
Please note that the system will not allow you to submit an application after the deadline.
Step 1
Guides for applicants
To inquire
For IT-related questions, please get in touch with us at IThelp@socialinnovationplus.eu
For the Call related inquiries, please get in touch with us at ROMANEETS@socialinnovationplus.eu
Official Call websites
https://ec.europa.eu/european-social-fund-plus/en/esf-social-innovation