This Commission department is responsible for EU policy on regions and cities.

The overall objective of this call is to build a sense of community and intergenerational trust through creative projects that promote media literacy, with a focus on people living in rural areas and small to medium towns. This is a pilot programme, with the aim of generating insights and ideas that can be employed in other Member States beyond the pilot period.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Build a sense of community and intergenerational trust – Foster dialogue, solidarity, and collaboration across age groups to reduce isolation, challenge stereotypes, and increase participation in community life. Approaches that encourage active participation are encouraged.
2. Increase media literacy and critical thinking – Equip the target groups with skills to critically navigate digital and traditional media, to be aware of responsible media use, and to recognise online scams and disinformation.
3. Encourage the use of trusted local spaces – Project must take place in a setting within a community where community members feel safe and respected and are comfortable meeting, engaging with each other, and discussing different topics. This may be publicly accessible (e.g. library or community centre), or semi-public (e.g. care home, school) provided that the trusted local space can facilitate the building of trust and social connection among its participants.

The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, based on financing not linked to costs.  The amount is prefixed by the granting authority at maximum €50.000

• Audiovisual sector and Media
• Culture
• Education and training
• Other Thematic Category
• Regional Development
• Social Affairs & Human Rights
• Youth

• Associations
• Disabled Persons
• Educational Institutions
• Employees
• Legal Entities
• Natual person / Citizen / Individual
• NGOs
• Non Profit Organisations
• Other Beneficiaries
• Private Bodies
• Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
• Services Providers
• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
• State-owned Enterprises
• Training Centres
• Youth

Eligible countries are Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece. The choice of the countries is based on the Media Literacy Index 2023.

Applicants must be involved in media literacy activities and provide evidence of their prior activities in this field in a declaration of honour. Additional supporting documents may be requested of the successful applicant.

The following organisations are eligible to apply:  

• Non-profit organisations working with the primary target groups.
• Care providers for the primary target groups (early childhood care and education, schools, community centres).
• Municipal authorities

Only applications submitted by one entity alone or by several entities as a ’sole applicants’ are allowed. No consortia are allowed, because this is a mono-beneficiary grant. Affiliated entities and subcontracting may be included in the application, if needed. Subcontracting should normally constitute a limited part (no more than 30%) and must be performed by third parties (not by the partner or its affiliated entities). More information is available in Section 3 of Guidelines to the Call (Annex 6).

The activities that can be funded under this call should be designed to test creative approaches to building a sense of community and intergenerational trust. The series of activities should actively engage members of each of the different age groups involved, with the aim of building a sense of community and trust across all participants as well as raising their level of media literacy.

• Each project must engage at least two distinct demographic groups (children, adults, older people), with the aim of fostering strong intergenerational links.
• Each project must include participants in rural areas and/or small to medium towns (population of under 50 000) in the design and delivery of the series of activities.
• Each project must take place in a ‘trusted local space’, i.e. a public or semi-public setting within a community where community members feel safe and respected.

Creativity is encouraged, meaning that projects should explore approaches to media literacy that go beyond a simple discussion to include novel approaches to engaging participants. This could mean, for example, teaching media literacy principles in the context of participation in a shared activity, such as theatre, sport or even gardening; combining more traditional approaches (e.g. group discussion, presentations from experts) with a creative endeavour like painting a mural or recording a podcast or local radio show; or the use of formats that are less commonly used in media literacy activities (e.g. storytelling circles, mentorship schemes).

Organisers should ensure that discussions are constructive, inclusive, and respectful.

Financial support to third parties is not allowed.

The duration of the implementation is 8 months.

Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus
Address: EU House – 30 Lordou Vyronos Avenue, 1096 Nicosia

Telephone: +357 22 817770
Fax: +357 22 768926
Email: comm-rep-cy@ec.europa.eu

COMM-ML-GRANTS@ec.europa.eu

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