CALL FOR PROPOSALS – Round 2: Small Grants for Grassroots Coding Projects as part of EU Code Week
22/07/25
International Call for Digital Europe Programme Countries
The Code4Europe Consortium is launching the second round of the International Grants for Grassroots scheme in order to foster grassroots activities and widen the support offered by EU Code Week in local ecosystems. JA Europe is currently inviting applications for grants to fund impactful, large-scale activities in digital education, coding, computational thinking, and STEM education.
Given the short implementation period, this call aims to support organisations with the experience, capacity, and networks required to implement high-impact activities and achieve significant results within a limited timeframe.
Purpose and Scope
The purpose of this call is to identify and support projects that can foster EU Code Week’s mission to promote coding, computational thinking, and digital skills across Europe.
The aim is to identify projects that can achieve large-scale impact and deliver on key EU Code Week performance indicators within the project implementation period.
Key objectives include:
- Supporting the organisation of a large number of impactful coding, computational thinking, digital skills, and STEM activities;
- Increasing the number of activities registered on the EU Code Week platform;
- Reaching a large number of participants through local, regional, national, or cross-border activities;
- Increasing the participation of girls and young women in coding, digital skills, and STEM education;
- Supporting career-focused events that introduce students to educational and professional opportunities in STEM and digital fields;
- Supporting university visits and other activities that strengthen connections between schools, students, and higher-education institutions;
- Supporting activities and approaches that can be replicated or scaled beyond the project implementation period.
Priority will be given to projects that can deliver a large number of activities to the EU Code Week platform and participants while maintaining educational quality and demonstrating clear and measurable impact.
Specific attention will be given to proposals that ensure the meaningful participation of girls and young women. Activities that include career days or other career-focused events in STEM and digital fields, as well as university visits or other activities connecting schools with higher-education institutions, will also be prioritised.
Grant Details
A financial envelope of €19,836 in total will be awarded to successful applicants, based on the quality and impact of their proposals. Proposals can be submitted for activities with budgets of up to €9,918. Proposals will be assessed based on criteria such as clarity, feasibility, educational impact, and alignment with EU Code Week’s and the grant initiative’s objectives.
Organisations that have previously been awarded funding through Code Week Grants under Round 1 or Round 2, including both local and international calls, cannot receive more than €10,000 in total across all such grants. Applicants that have previously received a Code Week Grant must declare the amount previously awarded in their application. The amount requested under this call must not cause the organisation to exceed the cumulative limit of €10,000.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
- Schools and educational institutions;
- Libraries and similar institutional entities;
- Non-governmental organisations;
- Private organisations and coding clubs;
- Associations specialised in coding and computational thinking.
Applicants must be legally established in one of the eligible countries listed below.
Eligible Countries
The call is open to EU Member States and countries participating in the Digital Europe Programme with effect before 2024.
The eligible countries are:
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
Minimum Requirements
Each proposal must include a commitment to deliver at least the following minimum requirements during the implementation period:
- A detailed project plan outlining all proposed activities, their objectives, target groups, expected results, locations, implementation dates, responsible organisations or partners, and the professional, organisational, and technological resources available;
- Clear and measurable targets for the number of activities to be delivered, the number of participants to be reached, the expected number and percentage of female participants, and the number of schools, educators, universities, or other stakeholders to be involved;
- Registration of all activities supported through the grant on the EU Code Week platform;
- A dedicated outreach and communication plan to increase participation in the proposed activities and awareness of EU Code Week.
- Collection of the information and evidence required to document the activities and results, including activity registration links, participant numbers, gender-disaggregated participation data, and other relevant outputs;
- A final report documenting activities, outcomes, results achieved against the proposed targets, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling.
Applicants are expected to propose ambitious but realistic targets which are proportionate to the requested budget, the implementation period, and the applicant’s demonstrated organisational capacity.
The proposed number of activities, activities registered on the EU Code Week platform, participants, and female participants will be taken into consideration during the evaluation process. These targets may become part of the grant agreement and the final reporting requirements.
Proposals that do not commit to fulfilling these minimum requirements will be considered ineligible.
Reporting and Payment Terms
Successful applicants will be required to submit a budget-based financial report, including supporting documents such as invoices, receipts, and proof of payment for all costs incurred.
Staff costs are not eligible under this call.
Grant payments will be structured as follows:
- 50% advance payment upon signature of the grant agreement; and
- 50% upon submission and final approval of the report.
Eligible Costs
All costs must be reasonable, justified, and comply with the principles of sound financial management, particularly regarding economy and efficiency. Costs must be identifiable and verifiable and recorded in the beneficiary’s accounts in accordance with the applicable accounting standards and usual cost-accounting practices in their country.
To ensure transparency, non-discrimination, and sound financial management, it is essential to avoid any conflict of interest.
Human resources and personnel costs are not eligible, and applicants cannot receive compensation for their time on the project. This ensures the proper allocation of funds, prevents duplication of payments, and avoids conflicts with local law. These measures guarantee fairness, integrity, and impartiality in the allocation and use of resources.
However, external expertise and service fees such as honoraria and fees for external experts, consultants, and facilitators are eligible but limited to 20% of the total budget.
Application Process
Interested organisations are invited to submit a project proposal by 06 October 2026. Applications must be submitted through the form below by 23:59 CET on 05 October 2026.
Each applicant needs to present:
- Information about the applicant organisation, including relevant experience;
- A description of the proposed project, its objectives, and expected impact;
- Details on the implementation plan, timeline, alignment with current EU Code Week initiatives and campaigns, and the resources required;
- Clear and measurable targets for the number of activities, activities registered on the EU Code Week platform, participants, female participants, and stakeholders involved;
- A clear description of how the applicant will fulfil the minimum requirements outlined above;
- A list of previous relevant projects or initiatives implemented by the applicant, demonstrating experience in similar activities;
- Information about any previous funding received through Code Week Grants under Round 1 or Round 2, including local and international calls.
- Each applicant also needs to upload a proposed budget for the project with their submission. The budget template can be downloaded here.
Supporting documents, including the budget, the signed declaration from the legal representative, the project plan, and any other required materials, must be uploaded to the designated folder before submitting the application.
Organisations that do not provide all necessary documents will be deemed ineligible for the evaluation process.
Evaluation and Selection
A selection committee comprising community stakeholders and representatives from the Code4Europe Consortium will evaluate proposals.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be assessed based on:
- Presentation, which assesses the project through the categories of clarity and completeness.
- Design congruity, which assesses the significance of the objectives in relation to Code Week’s priorities and whether the activities design is consistent with these objectives and appropriate for their achievement. Additionally, the feasibility of activities is assessed by taking into consideration: the activities timeline as well as the professional, organisational and technological resources available.
- Quality of the proposal, which is assessed by considering didactic elements, such as methodological choices; the proposal connection with core disciplines (literacy, numeracy, data and digital literacy – OECD Learning Compass; CoE Keis competencies for LLL 2018). Secondly, those elements are also taken into consideration: the use of assessment tools; the development of synergies in territorial contexts and collaborative networks to improve the efficacy of the initiative and involve the various stakeholders. Finally, the following features are appreciated: a broader timeframe extending before and beyond the temporal dimension of the single ‘week’; the sharing of resources and materials to foster the replicability of activities.
- Impact, is assessed by considering: the involvement of multiple stakeholders, different participants categories and the local context. Specific attention to the involvement of girls and fostering STEM education are also assessed.
Timeline
- Call for Proposals Release: 06 August 2026
- Application Deadline: 06 October 2026
- Notification of Awardees: 19 October 2026
- Project Implementation Period: 20 October 2026–23 November 2026
- Final Reporting Deadline: 07 December 2026
All narrative and financial reporting must be completed by grantees and submitted for approval by 07 December 2026.
This grant initiative is a cascading funding scheme funded by the European Union as part of the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme. It aims to boost the digital skills of young people, particularly girls.
A template agreement will be provided to formalise the grant arrangement with the selected winners. The selection process will be transparent and objective, with measures in place to avoid any conflicts of interest.
Contact Information
For inquiries, please contact gunalp@jaeurope.org.
