launching event of the eea civil society fund
More than 400 people attended the launch event of the EEA Civil Society Fund in Athens in September.

14,3M Euros available through the EEA Civil Society Fund

Greek civil society is entering a new and ambitious phase.

Applications are now open under the EEA Civil Society Fund in Greece, a €14.3 million funding programme dedicated to empowering civil society organisations, strengthening democratic participation, promoting human rights, and supporting resilient local communities across the country. The Fund is part of the EEA and Norway Grants 2021 - 2028 funding mechanism and represents the largest-ever commitment by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to civil society in Europe.
 
Norway provides 97% of this funding.
 
Managed by the Bodossaki Foundation and SolidarityNow, the Fund was officially launched in Athens on 16 September 2026, marking the first programme to be launched under the new EEA Grants period for Greece. Four of a total of twelve calls are already open, offering organisations an immediate opportunity to transform ideas into action and create meaningful change for communities across the country.
 
Here is a link to all available open calls: 

 

A joint commitment to civil society in Greece

The EEA Civil Society Fund is not simply a grant scheme. It is an investment in democracy itself.

For more than fifteen years, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have worked alongside Greek civil society through the EEA Grants. Together, they have supported hundreds of initiatives addressing social inclusion, human rights, vulnerable groups, active citizenship and democratic participation. According to figures highlighted during the launch, previous EEA Grants support to civil society in Greece has helped fund more than 200 projects, reaching over 357,000 people across the country. 

The new EEA Civil Society Fund Fund seeks to build on this legacy while responding to some of the most pressing challenges facing Europe today: shrinking civic space, declining trust, disinformation, social exclusion, discrimination, and threats to democratic participation.

As Ambassador Harriet Elisabeth Berg noted during the launch event: “Civil society is a cornerstone of democracy. Democracy depends on active citizens who participate and speak out. It relies on independent organisations that defend human rights, scrutinise power and give a voice to people who may otherwise not be heard.”

Twelve Calls, Countless Possibilities

The first four calls now open cover areas of growing importance for Greek society:

  • Human rights and democratic participation
  • Information integrity and media literacy
  • Community engagement and civic participation
  • Organisational development and capacity building

Additional calls will be launched until spring 2028, creating further opportunities for organisations of different sizes and backgrounds to access support, strengthen partnerships and expand their impact.

One particularly innovative area is support for information integrity and media literacy. As democratic societies become increasingly vulnerable to misinformation, disinformation and foreign information manipulation, the Fund aims to equip civil society organisations with the tools needed to strengthen public trust and resilience. The programme allocates dedicated funding for media pluralism and information integrity initiatives, reflecting a growing European focus on safeguarding democratic debate and informed citizen participation.