Description
The 7th call of the European City Facility (EUCF), funded by the LIFE Programme, provides financial support to 71 local authorities and their groupings across the European Union, Ukraine, and Iceland. This call offers a fixed grant of €60,000 to help local authorities develop a robust Investment Concept, enabling them to structure and scale impactful local energy projects that align with EU climate goals. The EUCF empowers local communities to accelerate their energy transition by overcoming financial planning barriers and preparing projects for further investment.
level of support
EU-wide
financial support
In form of a EUR 60,000 grant, the EUCF Call 7 finances services and activities to support the development of investment concepts, such as (technical) feasibility studies, market analyses, stakeholder analyses, legal, economic and financial analyses, risk analyses and further supporting tasks. The grant is not meant to directly finance investments. It is used to access services and develop an investment concept, which might become a door-opener for many follow-up investments (such as from ELENA, to PDAs to private investments).
Eligibility criteria
Open to all municipalities/local authorities, their groupings, and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities from the 27 EU Member States, Iceland and Ukraine. Applicants are required to have a climate and/or energy plan. This includes SECAPs (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans), developed within the Covenant of Mayors initiative, or other climate and/or energy plans with mitigation targets.
Application Process and Timeline
The overall application process consists of (1) an eligibility check and (2) an application form. Once successfully passing this eligibility check, performed by the applicants themselves directly on the EUCF website, the applicant will be directed to the online portal that includes the application form to be filled in and submitted. The seventh EUCF call opens on the 15th of October 2024, 00:00 (Brussels time). The deadline for submitting your application is on the 18th of December 2024, 17:00 (Brussels time).
Evidence Of Success
Mor than 400 local al authorities are receiving financing to kick off their sustainable energy actions. Each EUCF beneficiary receives a lump sum of 60.000Eur for the development of an investment concept on sustainable energy.
Expert Opinion
The European City Facility empowers local authorities with €60,000 grants to create investment-ready plans for sustainable energy projects, bridging the gap from vision to implementation. While energy communities aren't direct applicants, they can partner with local authorities to shape these projects, ensuring community-driven renewable energy initiatives benefit local residents.
