The CERV programme will channel close to €300 million into civil society, democratic participation and the fight against gender-based violence in 2027, according to the Commission work programme adopted on 1 December 2025. The 2026 budget stands at €279.7 million, so the envelope rises by roughly €20 million in a single year.

The money is split across four budget lines. Protecting and promoting Union values receives the largest share, climbing from €120.8 million in 2026 to €151.4 million in 2027. That is a rise of about a quarter, and it makes Union values the clear priority of the CERV programme for the final stretch of the 2021-2027 framework.

Within the CERV programme, equality and rights, which covers anti-discrimination work and the rights of the child, gets €50.0 million in 2026 and €52.2 million in 2027. Citizens’ engagement and participation moves the other way, falling from €73.8 million to €58.6 million, while the Daphne strand against gender-based violence and violence against children grows from €35.1 million to €37.7 million. Brussels is, in effect, shifting weight from town-twinning and remembrance projects towards rule-of-law and civic-space work.

Grants dominate CERV programme spending. They total €235.2 million in 2026 and €251.4 million in 2027, which is roughly 84% of the programme in both years. Procurement, prizes and other costs make up the remainder. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency manages the citizens’ engagement and Union values strands, so applicants will mostly deal with that agency through the Funding and Tenders Portal, where the first 2026 calls opened on 17 December 2025.

One detail will matter for organisations outside the EU. The work programme explicitly excludes non-EU countries from the Union values strand, which narrows the field for candidate-country groups that previously relied on CERV money. Applicants in those countries should check each call text carefully before investing time in a proposal.

The thematic priorities show where the Commission expects political pressure. A dedicated call of €6.8 million for 2027 targets antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, and a further €1 million is earmarked for children’s rights and participation. The text also anticipates a new Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030, a new Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 and a new Strategy on Victims’ Rights, and it ties calls to the European Democracy Shield and the EU Strategy for Civil Society.

For civil society organisations applying to the CERV programme, the practical message is that competition will intensify. A larger Union values pot sounds generous, but the number of eligible networks, think-tanks and watchdogs has grown, and many depend on EU grants for core operations. Smaller groups face the additional burden of co-financing and reporting rules that favour established Brussels-based networks.

The wider budget debate adds uncertainty. The 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework is still being negotiated, and the future shape of rights and values funding will be decided there rather than in this work programme. Until then, the CERV programme remains the main dedicated source of EU money for rights, equality and civic participation, and the 2027 allocations set the baseline against which any successor will be judged.