Volunteering activities will get a major boost in 2024 thanks to a new funding opportunity that the Commission launched today. A new call for proposals under the European Solidarity Corps, covering 2024, will support young people across the EU and beyond who wish to engage in solidarity activities. Areas covered range from social inclusion actions to helping people with fewer opportunities, contributing to the green and digital transitions, democratic participation and addressing health related challenges.
For 2024, the Commission adjusted the funding model of European Solidarity Corps and raised grant amounts to ease the impact of inflation and to ensure that the budget for projects remained sufficient. In addition, the new call provides incentives for green travel.
The new call also aims to support Ukraine, which continues to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Dedicated European Solidarity Corps projects will support people fleeing the war.
The indicative budget for 2024 is €145 million. It will fund volunteering, youth-led solidarity projects, volunteering teams in high priority areas, and the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, which contributes to humanitarian aid efforts across the world.
The programme is open to people between 18 and 30 for solidarity activities addressing societal challenges, and between 18 and 35 for volunteering in support of humanitarian aid activities outside of the EU. Young people wishing to engage in European Solidarity Corps activities need to register on the European Solidarity Corps portal, where they can browse and find participating organisations. Groups of young people registered in the Portal may also apply for funding for solidarity projects they lead.
Any public or private body may apply for funding to carry out activities under the European Solidarity Corps based on a quality label, which certifies that they are able to carry out high quality solidarity activities in line with programme principles, objectives, and requirements. They can apply via European Solidarity Corps National Agencies based in all EU Member States and associated countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of North Macedonia, and Türkiye) or - for centrally-managed actions such as volunteering teams in high priority areas or the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps – via the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.
Background
The EU launched the European Solidarity Corps in October 2018. It builds upon previous EU solidarity initiatives, aiming to offer a one-stop-shop for organisations active in the sector and for young people wishing to contribute to the society in areas that matter most to them. Following immediate success, the European Solidarity Corps expands its activities in 2021-2027 and also extends them to contribute to the delivery of humanitarian aid around the globe. The total budget of the European Solidarity Corps programme for 2021-2027 is €1.033 billion. Over seven years, the programme is on track to enable at least 185,000 young people to take part in solidarity actions.
The European Solidarity Corps engages with organisations and young people by:
- Promoting inclusion and diversity and aiming to provide all young people with equal access to European Solidarity Corps opportunities;
- Supporting projects and activities aiming to protect, conserve and enhance natural habitats and the environment, to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and to enable behavioural changes;
- Contributing to the digital transition by supporting projects and activities that aim to boost digital skills, foster digital literacy and develop an understanding of the risks and opportunities of digital technology; and
- Engaging and empowering young people to be active in society and become true change-makers.
