From Erasmus+ opportunities to #BeActive awards: European funding for sports and our tips for sports organizations
Sports and the European Union
The European Union recognizes the fundamental role of sport in promoting health, civic participation, European values, education, and social inclusion. This approach is at the heart of key documents such as the 2007 White Paper on Sport, which identifies strategic objectives for the sector, and the fifth EU Work Plan for Sport (2024–2027), which outlines priorities and activities for the reference period, complementing and supporting national policies.
“Rivincite” and “Crescere in Europa” are two “docuseries” dedicated to the theme of sports, which have told the stories of people, initiatives, and organizations that—through sports and European funding—have fostered social cohesion and inclusion. The collaboration between these projects and our Guide has resulted in a series of “short videos” on European project planning.
On the European Commission’s website dedicated to sports, you can find information on funding opportunities, European policy for the sector, and the various initiatives promoted by the EU in this area. Let’s explore them together.
The Erasmus+ Program
Sports: The Erasmus+ program is the cornerstone of EU funding for sports. The program supports the mobility of sports professionals and cooperation among sports organizations.
Under Key Action 1, the sub-action“Staff Mobility in the Field of Sport”provides funding for the mobility of staff from sports organizations to strengthen their skills. The sub-action is primarily aimed at organizations active in the grassroots and non-professional sports sectors.
Key Action 2 includes the following:
- Cooperation partnerships, which help improve the quality and relevance of sports organizations’ activities, promote transnational cooperation, and share best practices;
- Small-scale partnerships, designed for smaller organizations, local sports clubs, or new entities joining the program for the first time. They have more streamlined eligibility requirements and aim to promote social inclusion and access to sports;
- Capacity building in the field of sports, which funds projects aimed at international cooperation with third countries (not associated with the program), with the goal of improving the skills and management capacity of sports organizations in those areas;
- Nonprofit European sports organizations that fund the organization of sports events (whether local or large-scale) that promote participation, volunteerism, and social inclusion.
A distinctive feature of Erasmus+ calls for proposals in the field of sports is that they are centralized: applications should not be submitted to the relevant National Agency, but directly to the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). This means that different application forms must be used, and applications must be submitted via the European platform.
Opportunities vary from year to year. We recommend consulting the Erasmus+ Program Guide to check the identified priorities and available opportunities for the current year.
European Week of Sport and the #BeActive Awards
In addition to calls for proposals, the EU promotes awareness-raising initiatives. The main one is the European Week of Sport (EWOS), an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2015, which takes place every year during the last week of September in all member countries to encourage citizens to be active. On the website, you can view the events scheduled for each edition via a map that links to the event websites for each country.
Here you can find a comprehensive calendar of events of European significance across various sectors.
Under the #BeActive banner, starting in 2022, the European Commission will also present the #BeActive Awards and #BeInclusive Awards, designed to highlight projects and organizations that have excelled in promoting sports as a tool for inclusion and social participation.
The awards are presented in five categories: physical activity, inclusion, volunteerism, intergenerational activities, and peace. Of the 15 finalists, the five winners (one per category) are announced during the awards ceremony in Brussels, which is streamed live.
We recently announced the release of the new #BeActive calls for proposals, which are due in September.
The Structural Funds
Sports projects and activities are also funded at the national and regional levels through structural funds:
- The European Social Fund (ESF+) can fund activities and projects in the sports sector, serving as catalysts for the development of human capital, social inclusion, and employment. Depending on the available calls for proposals, the ESF+ funds, for example, projects to address youth distress or early school leaving through sports, or projects to promote active aging and vocational training in the sports sector;
- The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is primarily intended for public entities, can finance “structural” projects involving the construction, renovation, and energy efficiency improvements of sports facilities, with the aim of promoting regional development and inclusion.
Opportunities can be tracked through the Guida’s Call for Proposals Portal, the websites of the regions, and the Department of Sports’ website.
Practical Tips for Sports Organizations
If you are a sports organization or an entity active in the sports sector, here are some tips for identifying and preparing for European calls for proposals:
- Keep track of funding opportunities: check out our Calls for Proposals Portal, the Funding & Tenders portal, where all open calls for direct funding (such as the Erasmus+ program) are published, the European Commission’s dedicated page, and other official sources of information on sports funding, such as the website of Sport e Salute—a state-owned company responsible for the development of sports in Italy—or the website of the Department of Sports;
- Attend information events: The best-known event is the Erasmus+ Sport Info Day, organized annually in Brussels by the European Commission and the EACEA in a hybrid format (here is the recording of the most recent event from December 2025), an opportunity to receive advice and practical information on how to submit a project, while also fostering connections with other organizations. There are also information sessions organized at the national level. For example, events organized by the Italian Youth Agency, which is responsible for managing the “Staff Mobility in the Field of Sport” action, are announced in the Agency’s news section. We have also dedicated an article to a comprehensive overview of the main events of European significance across various sectors—important opportunities for in-depth learning and networking;
- Focus on networking: European projects require the formation of a consortium with organizations from different countries (member states and, in some cases, third countries). The consortium is not merely a formality, but the foundation upon which the project’s entire credibility depends. Start identifying potential organizations with which to build relationships and form a partnership. Using our ProjectsFinder tool, you can identify organizations across Europe that are involved in European sports projects. We have also dedicated an article on umbrella organizations working in the fields of advocacy, European policy, and network building in various sectors, including sports, such as ENGSO (European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation), ENOS (outdoor sports), ENOSS (sports and social development), ENAS (sports and higher education), EPSI (sports and innovation), ENSE (sports education) or Edupact (sports and intercultural exchange). In addition to being potential project partners, visiting their websites allows you to learn about many other organizations active within their network and to better understand the current state of policies and the needs of the sports world at the European level;
- Get an idea of the projects that have already been funded and best practices: to start getting a clearer picture of what European sports projects are like, you can consult the dedicated Erasmus+ database or review the projects identified by the European Commission as best practices. You can also use the ProjectsFinder tool to view a map of sports-related projects being carried out across Europe. We recommend selecting the Erasmus+ program in the filters and entering “sport” as a keyword to find projects more easily.
These tips are specifically aimed at the sports sector, but their general principles can also be applied to other sectors. Please refer to the Guide Manual for a more systematic and comprehensive discussion of European project development. All that’s left is to wish you… happy training with European projects.
