New €327 million fund launched by EEA and Norway Grants to support civil society

Eurochild pushes for stronger investment in children’s rights and transnational work. An update on funding for child rights civil society in Europe by Ciaran O’Donnell, Partnerships and Programmes Coordinator at Eurochild.

Eurochild welcomes the launch of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants new “Civil Society Fund” with a total of €327 million for European civil society in its new Blue Book 2021-2028 programme. The Grants aim to reduce social and economic inequality, and promote democratic participation in the 15 ‘Beneficiary States’. These are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. For children’s rights civil society, this means that there is dedicated funding for civil society organisations of approximately €327 million.

Eurochild contributed to the programme consultation in October 2024, recommending greater attention & funding for children’s participation, addressing child poverty, and strengthening the transnational dimension.

In January 2025, Eurochild leadership met with the EEA and Norway Grants Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) to discuss the realities for children in need across Europe, drawing from our flagship report with our members, Children’s Realities in Europe: Progress and Gaps. Together, Secretary General Sabine Saliba and President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca shared the need for greater support for children in need with Managing Director Ragna Fidjestøl and the FMO team, the decision-making body of the EEA Grants.  

The EEA and Norway Grants have also held participative stakeholder consultations with civil society across the programme’s countries in early 2025, and we invited Eurochild members at country level to participate.

Finally, at the recent 2025 EESC Civil Society Week, Eurochild spoke alongside the EEA and Norway Grants Civil Society team at a panel on funding for civil society. We emphasised that children’s rights remain an underfunded area, particularly for advocacy, strengthening civic space, and systemic change.

Funding these areas is a core ask in Eurochild’s new campaign to strengthen European democracies and fight anti-child rights movements.

Further information:

• Listen to our Podcast episode on Anti-Rights Movements
• Contact Ciaran O’Donnell, Partnerships and Programmes Coordinator