The overall objective of the European Energy Communities Facility is to reduce the financial risk associated with the pre-development phase of energy community projects by distributing lump-sum grants to at least 140 energy communities. These grants will enable beneficiaries to develop sound business plans that strengthen their financial and operational sustainability. 

In addition, the Facility will create a capacity building programme to accompany beneficiaries in their journey to setting up a viable business plan. Part of the Facility’s capacity building activities include mapping, assessing and showcasing successful and replicable community energy initiatives and best practices across the EU, and mapping national legal frameworks, financial opportunities, and one-stop shops in target countries.

The ENERCOM Facility has organised two calls for proposals, one in 2025 and one in 2026.

The first call for proposals opened on 2 June 2025 and closed on 30 September 2025. The second call opened on 5 May 2026 and will stay open until 5 July 2026. 

Each energy community can only submit one single application per call for proposals. Eligible applicants whose proposals were not selected for a grant under the ENERCOM Facility’s first call for proposals may resubmit their proposal (making sure to adapt it to the new application form) or submit a different one in the second call. 

Applicants who have already been awarded a grant in the first call are not eligible to submit new proposals in the second call. 

The application period for the first call for proposals was longer because it was the Facility’s first open call and it happened over the summer. The call documents from the first call were available up until one month before the launch of the second call, leaving potential applicants time to familiarize themselves with the Facility and the overall application process. Minimal changes were introduced for the second call to make the process clearer and easier for applicants.

Each selected community receives a lump-sum grant of EUR 45,000. The first payment of EUR 22,500 is made within 60 days of signing the grant agreement. The second payment of EUR 22,500 is made after the business plan has been submitted and validated, and the monitoring questionnaires have been completed.

For a list of activities that can be funded, please refer to sections 2.1.3 and 2.1.4 in the Call for Proposals.

No. The grant is intended exclusively for the development of a business plan. It cannot be used for infrastructure investments (e.g. solar panels, batteries), equipment purchases (e.g. laptops, vehicles), or fossil-fuel-based technologies. Eligible costs include feasibility studies, technical and financial assessments, legal procedures, community engagement, and staff or consultant costs related to the business plan.

The ENERCOM Facility has established clear eligibility criteria with which applicants must comply in order to be considered for the evaluation process. In addition, the following elements will result in a disqualification from the selection process:

• Infrastructure/equipment investments are not eligible under the LIFE CET grant. Any applications that mention that they will use part of the Facility’s grant to invest in infrastructure will be removed from the evaluation process.

• If the application contains an answer in a language other than English, the application will be disqualified. 

• If the application does not focus on the development of a business plan, the application will be disqualified. We understand that some activities – while not explicitly linked to the development of the business plan – will support the development of the plan, and this is acceptable. It needs to be clear however from your application that you do intend to use the grant for the development of a business plan, and that a significant share of the grant is used to achieve this goal.

• If the project for which you apply includes fossil-fuel based technologies.

Yes. The ENERCOM Facility supports the development of business plans both for energy communities that are setting up their first activity, as well as for communities that already have an activity and would like to develop a business plan for a new activity.

No. The ENERCOM Facility only accepts fully established legal entities. If your community is still in the process of obtaining legal status, we recommend exploring other support programmes such as the Citizen Energy Advisory Hub (CEAH).

Yes. For informal groups, communities or local authorities in the process of setting up their legal entity, we recommend that you explore other support programmes such as the Citizen Energy Advisory Hub (CEAH; the next call for receiving technical assistance will open in September 2026), the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub’s technical assistance programme, the European Investment Bank, or the Outermost Regions’ advisory tool.

No. National recognition does not automatically mean compliance with the EU definitions of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) or Citizen Energy Communities (CECs). Evaluators will assess your compliance based solely on the information you provide in your application form.

No. The Facility aims to support communities in developing new business plans for projects. If you already have a business plan, we suggest you look for alternative support such as the technical assistance provided by the Citizens Energy Advisory Hub. 

Your eligibility will be checked in two stages:

• Application phase: Communities are asked to complete a self-assessment questionnaire to establish whether they comply with the eligibility criteria (see section 3.2 in the Call for Proposals for further information on the eligibility criteria). If the responses provided by the community meet the eligibility criteria, the community will be able to move to the application form.
• Evaluation phase: During the application process, applicants will be required to submit supporting documents or explanations to allow the Facility’s independent evaluators to verify the information provided in the eligibility self-check. If the information you provide in the application form confirms your eligibility, your application will be fully assessed. Should the evaluators find that, based on the information provided in the application form, a community does not meet the eligibility criteria, the application may be rejected at the evaluation stage.  

The questions that will be asked in the eligibility self-check are available in the Facility’s guidelines for applicants and on the eligibility self-check page.

During the application phase, the results of the eligibility self-check will be automatically and immediately displayed on the ENERCOM Facility’s application platform based on the responses provided by the applicant in the self-assessment tool. If you pass the eligibility self-check, you will be able to proceed to the application form. If you do not pass the eligibility self-check, the platform will inform you immediately, and you will not be able to proceed to the application form. This way, we aim to save communities time in case they are not (yet) eligible.

As explained in question 3.6 of this document: Should an applicant pass the eligibility self-check, but the ENERCOM Facility’s team of independent evaluators realises during the evaluation phase that the self-assessment was not entirely correct, the application will be rejected.

No supporting documents are required for the eligibility self-check; the self-check contains a series of questions with answer options “yes” and “no”. In the application form, applicants will be required to submit supporting documents, so that the ENERCOM Facility’s evaluators can verify the eligibility of each applicant during the evaluation phase. 

For the purpose of the ENERCOM Facility, a legal entity means that the energy community is formally registered under national law and recognized as an organization with legal rights and obligations. This legal status ensures that the energy community can operate in compliance with regulatory frameworks, engage in energy-related activities, and access relevant markets and funding opportunities.

It is crucial to note that the legal entity applying for the Facility grant must be the actual energy community. You cannot apply on behalf of an energy community and later become a member of said community, nor is it possible for a legal entity to apply on behalf of an energy community they are in the process of setting up.

Part of the ENERCOM Facility’s eligibility criteria is for the legal entity that applies for the grant to comply with the EU definitions for energy communities. This can mean either the definition of Renewable Energy Community or the definition of Citizen Energy Community.

To help communities assess whether their legal entity complies with either of the EU energy community definition, the Facility lists the requirements for each sub-criterion clearly in the eligibility self-check (see guidelines for applicants for further information).

Below you can find the questions and information relating to the EU energy community definitions in the eligibility self-check:

3. The legal entity complies with one of the EU energy community definitions

Note: Any legal entity that complies with the EU energy community definitions can apply, even if it was not originally set up to be an energy community.

Activities

Are the activities you are currently undertaking or planning to undertake aligned with the types of activities that, according to European definitions, qualify an initiative as an Energy Community?

For your reference, the EU definitions include:

• RECs: Operate in renewable energy across electricity and heating, enabling production, consumption, storage, and sales.
• CECs: Operate within the electricity sector, covering renewable energy, with activities including generation, distribution, supply, aggregation, storage, energy efficiency, and EV charging.

Membership structure

Are your membership criteria aligned with the membership rules that, according to European definitions, qualify an initiative as an Energy Community?

For your reference, the EU definitions consider as eligible

• For RECs: natural persons, micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), and local authorities in proximity to the community, provided energy is not their primary economic activity.
• For CECs: all types of entities, including public companies and large enterprises, as long as energy is not their main economic activity.

Open and voluntary participation

Is your participation structure aligned with the participation rules that, according to European definitions, qualify an initiative as an energy community?

For your reference, the EU definitions include:

• REC: Participation is open based on open and voluntary participation.
• CEC: Follow voluntary and open participation principles but restrict decision-making power to members not engaged in large-scale commercial energy activities.

Governance and effective control

Is your governance structure aligned with the governance rules that, according to European definitions, qualify an initiative as an Energy Community?

For your reference, the EU definitions include:

• REC: Controlled by participants located near renewable energy projects owned by the community, ensuring the energy sector is not their primary economic activity.
• CEC: Controlled by natural persons, local authorities, or small enterprises.

Primary purpose

Is your primary purpose aligned with the purpose rules that, according to European definitions, qualify an initiative as an Energy Community?

For your reference, the EU definitions state that the main purpose of energy communities should be to provide environmental, economic, or social community benefits to its shareholders, members, and/or the local areas where the community operates rather than financial profits.

The principle of ‘open and voluntary participation’ means that the actors that can be members of your energy community can choose to join or leave the community freely, and that membership is not limited by income, social status, or geographic origin (within the relevant scope), provided members align with the community's goals. 

The rules for joining, participating, and leaving the community must be clear, publicly available, and applied equally to all. For example, many communities only allow members to leave once per year, or with a certain amount of lead-time to be able to ensure economic stability and find resources to replace the leaving member and the shares they will need to reimburse. Another example may be that a community requires members to be located within an electric substation. 

Only energy communities (or legal entities that comply with the EU energy community definitions) are eligible for the ENERCOM Facility’s grants and capacity building programme. If a municipality is a member of an existing energy community, this community is welcome to apply. The Facility does however not accept applications submitted or led by a municipality.

No. The ENERCOM Facility does not have a requirement for the age of an energy community. Communities will receive additional points if they apply with their first energy-related project (this is done to help level the playing field with more experienced communities who may score higher on other parts of the application form), but there is no requirement regarding the community’s age.

Applicants are requested to upload the following supporting documents to their proposals: 

1. A legal document proving that the energy community is an established legal entity. Acceptable documents include official association or business registry extracts, statutes bearing an official stamp or seal, an extract from the national energy community register, or proof of registration with an energy regulator. Statutes without an official stamp or seal will not be accepted. If in doubt, contact your national expert before submitting.
2. A duly signed letter of commitment, following the provided template (see here), confirming participation and agreement to complete all monitoring and impact questionnaires, as well as participate in the Facility’s mandatory capacity building programme. The letter must be signed by the community’s legal representative.

In addition, applicants will have the possibility to upload an organisational chart. While we strongly encourage communities to include such a chart in their application to help evaluators get a clear picture of their internal organization, this document is optional. Not uploading such a chart will not result in a lower score; the important part is that you are able to explain very clearly how your internal governance works.

No. The application form and required documents cover all the information the ENERCOM Facility needs to be able to evaluate your application.

The legal document proving that the energy community established as a legal entity can be submitted in the applicant's national language. The letter of commitment must be completed using the template provided by the ENERCOM Facility in the guidelines for applicants, which will be in English. 

Evaluators will check the legal document only as proof that your organisation is a formally established legal entity. They will not review the content of the document (e.g. your statutes) for details about governance or membership. All relevant information must be provided in your application answers.

No. The entire application form must be completed in English. The only exception is the proof of legal entity, which may be submitted in your national language. Applications containing answers in any language other than English will be disqualified.

Proposals submitted without the required supporting documents will be rejected as without these documents, evaluators will not be able to verify two of the eligibility criteria.

No. All required and optional documents need to be submitted with the application. Please note that applications that do not include the required documents will be disqualified from further evaluation. Applications that do not include the optional document (organisational chart) but that do provide the required documents will move to the evaluation stage - however, please note that all documents must be submitted together with the application. The Facility will not consider any documents submitted after the application has been received.

The guidelines for applicants published on the ENERCOM Facility’s website contain an annotated application form to help you understand what information the Facility is looking for in your application.

No, there is no minimum number of members required for energy communities to apply to the ENERCOM Facility.

No. Each community may submit only one application per call. Once submitted, the application cannot be modified.

The ENERCOM Facility supports a wide range of energy-related activities, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, heating and cooling, electric mobility, citizen-led renovation,  among others. However, non-renewable energy sources are not eligible for support under this Facility. The focus is on sustainable and community-driven energy solutions that contribute to the clean energy transition. 

The expected investment refers to the estimated total amount of financial resources required to implement the energy-related project being presented. This includes all costs necessary to put the project into operation, such as infrastructure, equipment, permits, and other relevant expenses. We do not expect applicants to already have a detailed picture of their investment needs; this question is to get an idea of whether you have undertaken any research beyond having the original project idea.

It is important to note that the expected investment is separate from the EUR 45,000 grant provided by the ENERCOM Facility. The grant is specifically intended to support the development of a business plan, not the direct implementation of the energy project itself. Therefore, applicants should carefully estimate and report the full investment needed to realize their proposed energy initiative.

Energy and climate impacts should be measured using quantifiable indicators that assess the reduction of energy savings, the shift towards renewable energy sources, and storage capacity (to the extent applicable). Common measurement methods include:

• Energy savings: Calculating improvements in energy efficiency through reduced consumption (e.g., kWh saved per year).
• Renewable energy generation: Assessing the share of renewable energy in the total energy mix of the project.
• Storage capacity: Estimating the capacity of your planned infrastructure to store energy, and with what purpose (maximise self-consumption, absorb peak production (flexibility), store when the market offers negative prices)

The application form provides answer fields for each of these elements. Applicants may fill in any and all of these fields, depending on which apply to their specific proposal. Make sure to avoid double-counting in your estimated impacts.

Each proposal is reviewed by two independent evaluators who assess its contents based on pre-defined evaluation criteria. Each evaluator assigns a score to the proposal, and the final score is determined as the average of the two individual scores. More information on the evaluation process can be found in the guidelines for applicants.

The feasibility check ensures that selected proposals can be effectively implemented within their local context. National experts only assess whether any local conditions could pose challenges to the implementation of the project. If concerns arise, these are flagged for evaluators, who may review and adjust scores as necessary. 

In order to be among the final beneficiaries, applicants need to

• Pass the eligibility check: The ENERCOM Facility’s independent evaluators will check the applications for the eligibility criteria. If the information provided by the community matches their self-assessment of eligibility, the application moves forward. If the information provided in the application shows that a community is not eligible, the application will be rejected. 

• Reach the minimum pass threshold (overall and per criterion): In order for the Facility to consider a community ready for the grant, the application must receive the overall minimum score of 15 points, as well as the minimum score per category (see visual below). 

  
  

• Pass the feasibility check: After a preliminary scoring by the ENERCOM Facility’s independent experts, the Facility’s national experts will confirm whether the ambition and proposal outlined by the community is feasible, taking into consideration the national context. National experts will provide their feedback to the ENERCOM Facility’s evaluators, who may reconsider their ranking based on the feedback provided by the national expert.
• Rank among the top 71 proposals (for the second call): Even if the Facility would like to support as many communities as possible, it operates within a limited budget. For this reason, during the first call, 71 communities will be selected for the grant. If your community ranks among the 71 applications with the highest score in the first call for proposals, your application will be successful.

The Facility will communicate the final results of the evaluation in October 2026.

Yes. You must submit an appeal using the official appeal form (available on the application portal) within five working days of receiving the evaluation results notification. You will be asked to specify (1) which point/points in the evaluation you disagree with and (2) point evaluators to the exact text in your application that provides the information you believe was not sufficiently considered. 

Appeals submitted by e-mail will not be considered. 

Unsuccessful applicants will receive a feedback report outlining areas for improvement. 
Feedback will be sent to applicants in the following format:

Once your application has been approved, your main point of contact will receive an invitation to fill in a Beneficiary Identification Form (see question 6.1 in this document). You will have 2 weeks from receiving the confirmation that your proposal has been accepted to complete this form. Once you have completed and submitted this form, the grant agreement will be generated by the platform and you will receive an invitation to sign it via DocuSign via email  from the European Energy Communities Facility’s Coordinator (REScoop.eu). This will be done within 2-4 weeks of receiving your  completed Beneficiary Identification Form. The Facility’s Coordinator will upload your final grant agreement countersigned on the platform, where you will be able to download it.

The first payment (50% of the total amount, EUR 22,500) will be made within a maximum of 60 days of signing the grant agreement. The second payment (50% of the total amount, EUR 22,500) will be made only if the quality of the business plan is considered sufficient and all the other requirements met (capacity building and monitoring). The Facility aims to make the second payment by summer 2028 for the second call for proposals.

The grant agreement will be generated automatically by the platform: If your project is selected you will be asked to fill in the Beneficiary Identification Form via the platform. Its data will be automatically filled out in the grant agreement template. You won’t have to do anything. REScoop.eu will send you a request to sign the document via DocuSign. Once the grant agreement is countersigned by REscoop.eu, it will be uploaded on the platform, you will receive a notification and you will be able to download it. This moment will mark the beginning of your collaboration with the Facility.

The final business plan will follow a standardized template, requiring beneficiaries to elaborate on a predefined set of criteria, including technical, financial, social, and legal aspects of their project. The technical and financial sections will incorporate key project due diligence components to validate the technical and economic viability of both the project and the energy community. Beneficiaries will be expected to detail their funding strategy, including potential funding sources and financing mechanisms.

• A key component of the financial analysis will be the assessment of the project's investment needs, revenue streams, and operational costs to ensure long-term sustainability. This will include a breakdown of capital expenditures, expected returns, and cash flow projections, allowing for a clear understanding of the financial feasibility of the initiative. Beneficiaries will also be required to outline risk mitigation strategies to address financial uncertainties and demonstrate how the energy community can remain financially resilient over time.

• The technical analysis will assess the feasibility, design, and implementation strategy of the energy project. This will include details on the selected technology, system design, expected energy output, and performance indicators. Beneficiaries must demonstrate the technical soundness of their approach by considering factors such as site conditions, grid connection requirements, energy storage solutions, and operational efficiency. The analysis will also need to cover maintenance strategies and long-term operational requirements to ensure the project’s reliability and sustainability.

• The market section will assess and reflect on the current market conditions for energy communities in the applicant's country, providing insight into opportunities and challenges. 

• The social and community section will focus on aspects such as open participation, citizen engagement, social inclusion, and the expected social benefits for the broader community.

• The legal section will outline how the initiative complies with EU and national definitions for energy communities and will include an analysis of the legal provisions and enabling frameworks established by national programs. Beneficiaries will also be required to explain and justify their governance model, ensuring transparency and accountability. 

Any additional studies or supporting materials necessary to complete these sections may be provided as annexes.

The business plan may be prepared by the beneficiaries or their service providers in the local language to ensure its relevance to the community and stakeholders. However, to facilitate validation and review, beneficiaries will be required to submit an English summary of the final business plan.

The ENERCOM Facility’s business plan template is available on the Facility’s website here.

Beneficiaries have six months from the date of signing the grant agreement to complete and submit the business plan and the capacity-building programme.

Yes, external consultants can be hired to develop the business plan or to support energy communities in preparing specific sections. However, the energy community remains responsible for overseeing the process, ensuring alignment with its objectives, and maintaining ownership of the final business plan.

No. National experts may provide guidance and practical advice, but they cannot be subcontracted to develop the business plan or to write the application.

Beneficiaries will receive support through a structured capacity building programme designed to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop their business plans. This programme is mandatory for beneficiaries and will include a series of online learning modules and live online training sessions (webinars) aimed at accelerating the development and implementation of the business plans. If you already completed the capacity-building programme before being selected as a beneficiary, you do not need to do it again.

National Experts may be consulted for advice on the development of the business plan, they can however not be contracted to develop it for  a beneficiary, nor can they write applications.

Participation in the capacity-building programme is mandatory. Beneficiaries must attend at least one webinar from each of the three series (at least 3 webinars in total) and complete the online learning programme. Failure to comply will affect the second payment of the grant.

Your business plan should refer to the same project included in your initial application, as your initiative was selected based on the evaluators' assessment of that specific project. However, minor modifications may be introduced if they are justified by the findings of analysis and studies conducted during the development of the business plan. Any deviations or changes must be clearly explained, and their necessity must be justified. These modifications will be reviewed and verified during the validation process once the business plan is submitted.

The purpose of a business plan is to create a roadmap for your energy community’s economic sustainability in the medium-to-long term (see question 7.1 for more detail on the purposes of a business plan). Your community may decide to ensure this sustainability with one single project, or with several, smaller projects. This is entirely up to you to decide depending on what you feel will work best for your community and within the local context.