Green Deal Funding Alert – September 2026

1. European City Facility (ECF) opening new calls for supporting the green transition

Looking for support on developing investment concepts for sustainable energy actions? In October 2026 the ECF is launching a new series of calls for up to 185 local beneficiaries:

• Already 400 local authorities across Europe have received support (60 000€) from the previous calls in developing investment concepts.
• The first call of the new series will open in October 2026, followed by calls planned for spring and autumn of 2027. After opening, each call will be open for two months.
• The upcoming October call will include an opportunity to apply also with actions supporting local heating and cooling plans, as well as authorities from Montenegro, Moldova and North Macedonia receiving eligibility.

Read more about the upcoming October 2026 on the ICLEI webpage, that is supporting the ECF with communication and call promotion.

2. Horizon Europe Climate Cluster - upcoming calls for renewable energy ad CO2 storage projects

Is your region developing solar power capabilities, or might CO2 transport and storage development be more relevant? Or are you working with the realisation of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan on renewable fuel value chains?

The EU's key funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, will open several Green Deal-related funding calls on 3 December 2026:

• Support to the implementation of an EU policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure
• Production technologies for solar photovoltaics beyond the state-of-the-art
• Concentrated solar thermal systems for decarbonising industrial processes
• Co-funding Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan renewable fuel value chains at EU, national, regional, and local level

Funding available 6 million € to 30 million € per project, with 1-3 successful applicants per call. 

Deadline: 31 March 2027.

Visit the webpage for more information and other grants.

3. EU Nature Restoration Law - Capacity Building opportunities by EUI

Struggling to meet the new EU Nature Restoration Law requirements? The European Urban Initiative (EUI) offers two key programmes to help cities build capacity and learn from peers:

Several programs are developed for you:

• City-to-City Exchanges Call: learn from cities or regions with similar challenges (budget, size, political context). This will allow you to connect you with peers who share your reality: similar size, similar budget constraints, similar political context. Receive full support: matchmaking, methodological guidance, and reimbursement for travel/accommodation.

Deadline: Always open. You can apply whenever you are ready. Next Assistance Package sprint deadline: 25th November 2026.

More information about the programme can be find on the webpage online.

• Peer Reviews for Sustainable Urban Development (SUD): Improve your SUD strategies through benchmarking, peer learning and experts' feedback.

Deadline: The next call will open early October, and an ongoing call for the role of peer reviewer is permanently open.

Explore all the initiatives under the supervision of the EUI and find support for sustainable urban development on the website!

Any questions? 

Please contact our Green Deal team at greendeal@cor.europa.eu. They will be happy to help.

If you missed the last edition of the Funding Alert, you can catch up on the webpage of summer edition.

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