CERV European Remembrance 2026: EU grants on remembering democratic transitions and resistance to totalitarianism
Verified by the editorial team 28 October 2026
Added to the catalogue Added to the catalogue from the GetGrant database (26 October export, a sibling topic of the CERV call), terms verified on the Funding & Tenders Portal
Summary
EUR 50,000 to 500,000 per project for partnerships of at least two organisations that explore transitions from totalitarian and authoritarian regimes to democracy, resistance to dictatorships and historical justice. The topic budget is EUR 4 million, the coordinator must be a non-profit organisation, and Ukraine participates in CERV. Deadline - 24 February 2027.
About the call
The CERV-2026-CITIZENS-REM-TRANSITION topic of the European Remembrance call under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme focuses on how European countries emerged from communist and fascist dictatorships and built democratic institutions and the rule of law. The call document stresses that the experience of the 1920s-1930s and of later transitions helps defend democracy today, at a time of falling trust in institutions and falsification of history through foreign interference.
Projects can tell the story of the path from totalitarianism to democracy, compare shared patterns and national specificities of these transitions, give visibility to resistance and organised opposition to the regimes, recall how freedom of expression, assembly, religion and electoral rights were suppressed, and explore the tools of historical justice - trials, restitution, amnesty and restorative justice. Training, exhibitions, public debates, non-formal education, digitisation of testimonies, publications and online tools with direct participation of target groups are supported.
The grant is a lump sum, and projects last 12-24 months and can be national or transnational (transnational projects are encouraged). Ukraine participates in CERV in all strands except Union Values, so Ukrainian NGOs, museums, archives, universities and hromadas can apply. The topic is close to Ukraine's own history: Soviet totalitarianism, the dissident movement, the path to independence in 1991 and today's fight against Russian manipulation of history. The topic budget is small, so competition will be strong, and a coordinator may submit only one application across the whole call.
Who can apply
- Coordinator: a non-profit legal entity (public or private) or an international organisation from the EU or a CERV-associated country, including Ukraine
- Co-applicants: non-profit or for-profit legal entities (for-profit only in partnership with public or non-profit entities)
- At least two applicants: a coordinator and at least one co-applicant
- NGOs, museums, archives, memorial centres, universities, educational institutions, local authorities
Who cannot apply
- For-profit organisations as coordinators
- Entities subject to EU restrictive measures
What the funds are for
- Research and outreach on transitions from totalitarian and authoritarian regimes to democracy
- Projects on resistance and organised opposition to communist and fascist dictatorships
- Education on the suppression of freedom of expression, assembly, religion and electoral rights
- Research on historical justice: trials, restitution, amnesty, restorative justice
- Countering falsification of history and foreign interference, media literacy
- Training, exhibitions, debates, digitisation of testimonies, online tools
What is not funded
- Financial support to third parties (sub-grants)
- Activities without direct participation of target groups
- Projects covering several topics of the call at once (an application must address only one topic)
Documents required
Forms and templates are on the call page
- Administrative form Part A with the lump sum budget (filled in online)
- Technical description Part B using the Submission System template - up to 70 pages
- Part C (KPI) with project indicators (online, all sections)
- List of previous projects from the last 4 years (not needed for organisations younger than 12 months)
- Child protection policy (private entities) or declaration (public entities) - if the project involves children
How to apply
- 1Create an EU Login and register the organisations in the Participant Register (get a PIC)
- 2Find at least one co-applicant and choose a non-profit coordinator
- 3Build the lump sum budget in Part A, fill in Part C and upload Part B and annexes
- 4Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 24 February 2027, 17:00 Brussels time
Timeline
Questions and answers
- Does a project on Ukraine's Soviet past and dissidents fit the TRANSITION topic?
- Yes, the topic explicitly covers transitions from communist and fascist dictatorships to democracy, resistance to these regimes and the suppression of rights and freedoms. The project should show how this experience helps defend democracy today.
- How much funding is available in the CERV democratic transitions topic?
- The topic budget is EUR 4 million out of EUR 28 million for the whole call. A single project can receive EUR 50,000 to 500,000 as a lump sum.
Change history
- Added: Added to the catalogue from the GetGrant database (26 October export, a sibling topic of the CERV call), terms verified on the Funding & Tenders Portal
Donor contacts
Email: EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu
Website: www.eacea.ec.europa.eu
