Can NGOs Apply for Erasmus+? Complete Eligibility Guide

One of the most common questions organisations ask before their first Erasmus+ application is whether they qualify at all. For NGOs specifically — non-governmental organisations, associations, foundations and civil society bodies of all sizes — the answer is clearly yes. NGOs are among the most active and most successful applicant types in the Erasmus+ programme, and the programme was explicitly designed to be accessible to them.

But eligibility is not unconditional. There are specific requirements that every NGO must meet before it can apply — requirements around legal status, registration, sector alignment and partnership structure that vary depending on the Key Action. Getting these right before you invest weeks in a proposal is the most important step an NGO can take toward a successful application.

This guide covers every eligibility requirement an NGO needs to understand — clearly, completely and with no jargon.

1. Can NGOs Apply for Erasmus+? The Direct Answer

Yes — NGOs can apply for Erasmus+. Non-governmental organisations are explicitly named as eligible applicants across multiple Key Actions in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. In the Youth sector in particular, NGOs are the primary applicant type. In the Education and Training sectors, NGOs apply alongside schools, universities and VET providers. There is no category of Erasmus+ Key Action that is categorically closed to NGOs.

However, “NGO” is not itself an official Erasmus+ eligibility category. The programme uses broader terminology — “public or private organisation,” “non-profit organisation,” “civil society organisation,” “organisation active in the field of education, training or youth” — that encompasses NGOs but also includes many other organisation types. What matters is not the label your organisation uses but whether it meets the specific eligibility criteria defined for each Key Action in the Programme Guide.

The key eligibility test for any NGO is threefold: the organisation must have a formal legal identity (be registered as a legal entity in its country), it must be based in an Erasmus+ programme country, and its activities must be relevant to the field of education, training or youth. NGOs that meet these three conditions are eligible to apply for the Key Actions described in this guide.

2. Eligible Organisation Types: Where NGOs Fit

The table below shows the full range of organisation types eligible for Erasmus+ KA1 and KA2 actions, and where different types of NGOs fit within that range. Use it to confirm your organisation type before beginning any application.

Organisation Type	Erasmus+ Category	Eligible for KA1?	Eligible for KA210?	Eligible for KA220?
Registered NGO / association / foundation active in youth, education or training	Non-profit organisation	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Youth organisation or youth centre (formally registered)	Youth organisation	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Informal group of young people (unregistered, 4+ members, 1 adult aged 18+)	Informal group	✓ KA1 Youth only	✓ KA210-YOU only	✗ No
School or educational institution	Education provider	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
VET provider or training centre	VET organisation	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
University or higher education institution	Higher education institution	✓ Yes (ECHE required for KA131)	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Local or regional public authority	Public body	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Social enterprise or private company active in education or youth	Private body	Sector-dependent	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
For-profit company with no connection to education, training or youth	Commercial entity	✗ No	✗ No	✗ No

3. Which Key Actions Are Open to NGOs

NGOs can access the majority of Erasmus+ Key Actions — but the most suitable action depends on the NGO’s sector, size, experience and project ambition. Below are the most relevant Key Actions for NGOs with practical guidance on which suits which type of organisation.

KA210 — Small-Scale Partnerships. The most accessible cooperation action for NGOs. Requires a minimum of 2 partner organisations from 2 different programme countries, uses a lump sum budget model up to €60,000, and has a simplified application form. Suited to: smaller NGOs, first-time applicants, organisations with limited administrative capacity and projects with a focused, concrete output. Available in all sectors — School Education, VET, Adult Education and Youth. This is the recommended starting point for most NGOs new to Erasmus+. For a full breakdown see our KA210 guide.

KA220 — Cooperation Partnerships. The main cooperation action for larger, more experienced NGOs. Requires a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different countries, uses a hybrid unit cost and real cost budget model up to €400,000, and expects substantial intellectual outputs with systemic impact. Suited to: experienced NGOs with a track record of managing EU grants, well-established transnational networks and projects that require multiple outputs and a multi-year implementation timeline. For full details see our KA220 guide.

KA1 Youth — Youth Exchanges (KA152). Funds short-term exchanges between groups of young people from at least 2 countries. Particularly accessible for youth NGOs — informal groups of young people can also apply under this action. Suited to: youth organisations and NGOs working with young people aged 13–30 who want to organise international non-formal learning activities. For full details see our youth exchanges guide.

KA1 Youth — Youth Worker Mobility (KA153). Funds training, seminars, job shadowing and study visits for youth workers and youth organisation staff. Suited to: NGOs that want to develop the capacity of their youth workers and staff through international learning experiences without coordinating a full exchange programme.

KA1 School, VET, Adult Education — Short-term Mobility (KA122). Funds staff and learner mobility for organisations in school education, VET and adult education. NGOs active in non-formal adult education or community training can apply under the Adult Education sector. Requires an organisational profile aligned with the sector.

Erasmus Accreditation. A one-time application that grants an organisation simplified annual access to KA1 mobility funding without submitting a full application each year. Available to NGOs active in school education, VET, adult education and youth. Suited to: established NGOs planning a sustained, multi-year European mobility programme. The 2026 deadline is 29 September. For full details see our 2026 deadlines guide.

4. Requirements and Conditions NGOs Must Meet

Eligibility for Erasmus+ is checked at the admissibility stage — before any evaluation of the application’s quality. An NGO that does not meet the following requirements will have its application rejected at admissibility regardless of how strong the project idea is.

Formal legal status. The NGO must be registered as a legal entity in its country of establishment. An unregistered association, an informal network or a group operating without formal legal status is not eligible to apply — except under the specific informal group provision for KA1 Youth and KA210-YOU. Legal status means a formal registration certificate, a national registration number and the ability to enter into legal contracts and open a bank account in the organisation’s name.

Programme country base. The NGO must be established and active in one of the 33 Erasmus+ programme countries — the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. NGOs based in partner countries (Western Balkans outside the programme, Eastern Partnership countries, South Mediterranean) may participate as partners — not coordinators — in some specific actions under certain conditions, but cannot lead an application.

Sector relevance. The NGO’s activities must be relevant to the sector in which it applies. An NGO that works in environmental advocacy with no connection to education, training or youth work is not eligible. An NGO that runs non-formal education programmes, youth exchanges, digital literacy training, adult learning courses or community development projects with young people has a clear sector connection and should apply in the sector that most closely matches its primary mission.

Organisation ID (OID). Every NGO applying for or participating in an Erasmus+ project must have a valid Organisation ID registered in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Registration is free and takes 1–5 working days. It must be completed before the application is submitted — not on the day of the deadline. For a full walkthrough of the registration process see our Beneficiary Module guide.

Partnership requirements. For KA210, the NGO must have at least one confirmed partner organisation from a different programme country. For KA220, at least two confirmed partners from two different countries are required. Partners must also have valid OIDs. The coordinator is responsible for confirming all partner OIDs before submitting the application.

Financial capacity (KA220). For KA220 applications with a total budget above €60,000, the coordinator’s financial and operational capacity is assessed. This includes the organisation’s ability to manage a grant of the requested size, maintain financial records, coordinate multi-partner activity and deliver the project within the approved timeline. First-time NGO applicants with no documented grant management experience are less likely to score well on this dimension for KA220 — another reason to start with KA210.

5. First-Time NGO Applicants: Where to Start

If your NGO has never applied for Erasmus+ before, the sequence below is the most reliable path to a first funded project — and to building the track record that opens larger opportunities in subsequent calls.

Start with KA210 in your primary sector. KA210 is the most accessible entry point for NGOs — a two-partner, lump sum application with a maximum grant of €60,000 and a simplified form. A successful KA210 project gives your organisation a funded Erasmus+ track record, a completed project to reference in future applications, an established partnership with at least one European organisation, and direct experience of the Beneficiary Module, reporting requirements and grant management.

Build a genuine partnership before applying. The most common reason first-time NGO applications score poorly on the Team criterion is a partnership assembled at the last minute specifically for the application — two organisations that have never worked together, with generic partner descriptions and no documented history of cooperation. Identify potential partners through EPALE, SALTO partner search tools or your National Agency’s network events. Build a relationship first — even a brief email exchange and a shared concept note — before committing to an application.

Contact your National Agency before applying. Every programme country’s NA runs information sessions, webinars and individual advisory sessions for first-time applicants. Attending one of these before writing your first application gives you direct access to the people who will manage your grant, clarity on national priorities and common rejection reasons in your country, and confirmation that your project concept is eligible before you invest weeks in the application.

Consider professional support for the first application. First-time applicants who work with an experienced Erasmus+ proposal writer on their first application consistently produce stronger proposals and have higher success rates than those who apply alone. More importantly, the process teaches them how a funded proposal is structured — making the second application significantly easier to write independently. See our proposal development services for how we support first-time NGO applicants.

6. Most Common NGO Eligibility Mistakes

Assuming eligibility without verifying it. Many NGOs assume they are eligible because they are a registered non-profit and their work relates broadly to education or youth. Eligibility has specific technical requirements — legal status, OID registration, sector match, partner country requirements — that must be verified against the Programme Guide for the specific Key Action and call year. Do not assume — verify.

Applying in the wrong sector. As described above — always apply in the sector that matches your organisation’s primary mission and the project’s primary target group. If you are unsure which sector applies to your organisation, contact your National Agency before submitting.

Not registering the OID in time. OID registration takes 1–5 working days and must be completed before the application is submitted. NGOs that leave OID registration to the day of the deadline — or discover on deadline day that a partner’s OID has not been validated — cannot submit. Register OIDs at least two weeks before the deadline for all organisations in the consortium.

Applying as coordinator without the capacity to coordinate. The coordinator receives the grant, distributes it to partners, oversees implementation and submits all reports to the NA. For a first-time NGO with no grant management experience, no finance officer and limited staff capacity, coordinating a KA220 project with four partners and a €300,000 budget is a significant operational risk. Consider whether your organisation has the capacity to coordinate before applying — or whether applying as a partner in another organisation’s project is a stronger first step.

Selecting KA220 as the first application without a KA210 track record. KA220 evaluators assess coordinator capacity as part of the Team criterion. An NGO applying to coordinate a KA220 project for the first time — with no documented Erasmus+ or comparable EU project management experience — will score below its potential on this criterion. Build the track record with KA210 first, then apply for KA220 from a position of demonstrated experience.

7. NGO Eligibility Checklist

• ✅ Organisation has formal legal status — registered as a legal entity in its country
• ✅ Organisation is based in one of the 33 Erasmus+ programme countries
• ✅ Organisation’s activities are relevant to education, training or youth
• ✅ Sector confirmed — apply in the sector matching the organisation’s primary mission
• ✅ Key Action selected — KA210 recommended for first-time applicants
• ✅ OID registered in the EU Funding and Tenders Portal — at least 2 weeks before deadline
• ✅ Partner organisation(s) confirmed from a different programme country
• ✅ All partner OIDs confirmed and validated before application submission
• ✅ For KA220: coordinator capacity assessed — documented grant management experience available
• ✅ For KA1 Youth: participants confirmed as aged 13–30 at time of activity
• ✅ National Agency contacted for guidance on national priorities and eligibility confirmation
• ✅ Programme Guide for the current call year downloaded and reviewed — not last year’s version
• ✅ Project concept developed before starting the application form
• ✅ Partnership genuine — partners have communicated and confirmed participation in writing