Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowship 2026: Fellowships Without Borders with Approximately EUR 5,000

Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowship 2026: Fellowships Without Borders

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility has opened the second call for the 2026 cohort of Civil Society Fellows. This call is named Fellowships Without Borders and is designed for civic activists whose communities, partnerships, learning, or advocacy work extend beyond one country. It is open to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The official closing deadline is 11 September 2026.

This is a live application opportunity, not a historical listing. The first 2026 call closed at the end of 2025, but the programme subsequently opened this second call with a different emphasis. The current call asks applicants to show how an international connection will strengthen civic work that benefits an Eastern Partnership community. That connection can be a learning activity in another country, support for fellow citizens active in civil society abroad, or both.

Successful applicants can receive approximately EUR 5,000 for their Fellowship project, along with coaching, training and learning opportunities, networking and international events, and access to the programme’s alumni network. The funding is for a defined project and its eligible costs; it is not a salary, unrestricted personal award, or grant to an organisation.

Current call at a glance

What makes this call different

The programme has supported civil society activists and civic-minded people from the six Eastern Partnership countries for years. Its general purpose is to help people work more constructively with communities and public authorities, contribute to reform and accountability, and build practical civic capacity. The current call keeps that purpose but adds a clear international dimension.

Every proposal needs to satisfy the general requirement of commitment to positive social change. In addition, it must explain a Without Borders component. Applicants can choose one of two routes:

• Learning in another country: Explain how a study visit, job shadowing placement, internship, research activity, or comparable learning experience will improve your constructive engagement with your community or authorities.
• Supporting fellow citizens in another country: Explain how you will support citizens from your country who are active in civil society elsewhere, helping them contribute to policy dialogue or advocacy for their community.

An application can use either route or both. The cross-border activity should have a practical purpose, not be travel added to an otherwise unrelated project. The result should return value to an Eastern Partnership community, whether that community is a geographic place, a professional or civic sector, or a group of citizens spread across countries.

The official call allows activities in an Eastern Partnership country, an EU Member State, or an EU Candidate Country. The fellow or the project’s beneficiaries must still be connected to the Eastern Partnership region. This makes the call relevant to people living at home, temporarily abroad, in exile, or in communities divided across borders.

Fellowship types and suitable project ideas

Applicants choose between the Community Engagement and Civic Digital streams. The benefits are the same, so the choice should follow the actual work in the proposal.

Community Engagement is suitable for evidence gathering, public-service monitoring, policy research, drafting recommendations, advocacy campaigns, mentoring, job shadowing, organisational development, community mobilisation, and cooperation among civil society groups. A project might connect a local accountability group with a peer organisation in another country, arrange a focused learning placement, gather evidence about access to public services, or train activists to use that evidence in policy dialogue.

Civic Digital is intended for people whose professional or voluntary work develops, improves, promotes, or expands digital tools for community needs. Examples in the official guidance include open-data work, data quality improvements, e-services, budget transparency, e-participation, digital solutions for public accountability, and civic technology that helps communities engage with authorities. A strong proposal should explain the users, the public problem, the data or technology involved, and how the cross-border experience will make the solution more useful.

Both streams should be tied to at least one programme priority: resilient and integrated economies; accountability, rule of law and security; environmental and climate resilience; resilient and inclusive digitalisation; or participatory decision-making and social justice. The priority is a connection to the project’s real purpose, not a list of broad policy words. For example, a cross-border research exchange can support accountability if it produces evidence and recommendations for decision-makers. A civic technology project can support digitalisation if it improves access to reusable public data or a participation tool.

Who is eligible

The call is for individuals. An organisation cannot apply as the Fellow, although a host or partner organisation may help with activities, safety, administration, mentoring, or access to a community. The applicant must be a national of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine and must be above 18 years old. A previous beneficiary of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Fellowship Programme is not eligible for this call.

Applicants also need a proven record relevant to the selected stream. For Community Engagement, that can include work or volunteering in a civil society organisation, trade union, cooperative, professional association, civic group, or community initiative, as well as a leading role in advancing public-service, accountability, or local-capacity issues. For Civic Digital, the record should show professional or voluntary contribution to IT solutions or innovative digital products.

The required language standard is a good working level of English, defined in the guidelines as at least B1, together with appropriate language skills for the chosen activity location. The organisers may accept an English-language test certificate, evidence of degree-level study in English, or a recommendation from an employer, university, or international organisation that addresses the applicant’s language ability. The application itself must be completed in English.

The proposal must also be realistic. The guidelines say the project should normally be completed within a maximum six-month period, and it should include outputs that can continue or be useful after the Fellowship ends. The applicant must be able to take responsibility for the action and show genuine commitment to implementing it.

Funding and costs

The programme provides an average of approximately EUR 5,000 in financial support. The budget should normally not exceed EUR 5,000, although the Selection Committee may approve a higher amount in an exceptional, justified case. It can also award less than the amount requested after reviewing the budget. This is why each cost should be connected to a specific activity and output.

Eligible costs can include the activities described in the application, travel and accommodation to or within a host country, communication and visibility, mentor services, bank-transfer charges, relevant consular fees, insurance, and limited overheads. Overhead expenses such as accounting, shared workspace, or legal services cannot exceed 10% of the project budget and cannot include a fee or salary for the Fellow. For a mobility project, a host organisation can help with visa support, but the applicant is expected to cover relevant consular fees from Fellowship funds.

The guidelines exclude fees, salaries, or other payments to the Fellow; payments to the Fellow’s workplace superior; and equipment purchases. Equipment rental may be allowed when it is justified by the action. A proposal should therefore budget for a defined activity, service, trip, communication product, or mentoring arrangement rather than presenting the EUR 5,000 as personal income.

What to prepare before applying

The online form asks for more than a short idea. Prepare the core documents and answers before opening the submission:

1. Proof of citizenship and age. A passport copy can provide this proof according to the guidelines.
2. An up-to-date CV. The form asks about professional experience, civic activism, achievements, and motivation.
3. A recommendation letter. Community Engagement applicants should seek a letter from a relevant civil society, trade union, cooperative, professional association, or community organisation. Civic Digital applicants may use a recommendation from a recognised civic-tech or IT professional, such as an employer, academic, tutor, or project colleague.
4. Proof of English. Use an accepted test certificate, evidence of degree-level study in English, or a suitable recommendation that includes reference details.
5. A project proposal. State the problem, the evidence that it exists, the change the Fellowship can make, the objective, activities, outputs, beneficiaries, stakeholders, and cross-border component.
6. A budget and activity plan. The official templates include the budget and a plan of activities or Gantt chart. Show when each activity will happen, how long it will take, and what it will produce.
7. A communication plan and risk assessment. Explain how results will be shared and what could interfere with delivery. A partner, mentor, or host reference letter is optional but may strengthen the application when the project depends on outside cooperation.

The form also asks where activities will take place, who will assist with implementation, who will participate or benefit, and which other stakeholders matter. If the proposal involves an organisation in another country, describe its role clearly and confirm whether it is hosting the Fellow, providing learning access, helping with implementation, or supporting a community.

How to apply

Start with the official Application Guidelines and choose the stream that matches the work. Then prepare the English responses, attachments, budget, and activity plan. The application is submitted through the Fellowship Without Borders online form. Only one application is allowed per applicant for this call.

The call closes on 11 September 2026. Applications can be submitted at any time before that closing date, and applicants are encouraged to apply early. If using the online form would create a cybersecurity risk, the guidelines provide an alternative submission route through the programme’s published contact address. Questions about an application should be sent to the Fellowship team no later than five days before the deadline.

The programme’s information webinar took place on 15 July 2026, and the organisers provide a recording for applicants who could not attend. After submission, an independent Selection Committee checks eligibility and evaluates experience and motivation, the purpose of the project, its design, outputs, stakeholders, communications plan, and budget. The guidelines say that awards from this second 2026 call are expected by December 2026. Awarded Fellows can begin implementation within 30 days of signing their Fellowship contract.

A practical way to shape a strong proposal

Begin with a specific community problem and evidence, then explain why a cross-border activity is necessary to address it. A proposal about “regional cooperation” is too vague unless it names the people involved, the knowledge or support they need, and the change that should follow. Describe the activity in terms of outputs: a policy brief, a tested data method, a training series, a prototype improvement, a set of interviews, a monitoring report, or a working partnership with a clear next step.

Keep the project small enough for the budget and the maximum six-month period. Make the international part proportionate to the result. If travel is necessary, say what the applicant will learn or build through that travel and how the learning will be transferred. If the project supports citizens active abroad, explain the advocacy or policy process they will join and how the work benefits their community.

Finally, make the budget tell the same story as the activity plan. A reviewer should be able to see why each cost is needed, which output it supports, and what will remain after the funded period. The current call rewards a credible plan for cross-border civic action, not a generic personal-development statement.

For the verified live opportunity, use the official call announcement, the application form, and the official guidelines rather than the closed first-call form.