The first call for proposals of the European Energy Communities Facility has received 690 applications from 31 different countries, exceeding the consortium's expectations. This massive response highlights the importance of funding for energy communities in their early stages and the value of initiatives like the Facility. In this sense, Sofia Corsi, the Facility coordinator, said: “At a time when the LIFE programme could disappear from the next budget, the success of this call for proposals shows the crucial role this programme plays in supporting the creation of new energy communities.”

Selected applicants will receive a €45,000 grant to develop a business plan for their community energy project. In total, the Facility will distribute around €3 million in this first call for proposals. Applications came from all eligible countries: the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Ukraine. The country with the most applications is Austria with 116, followed by Italy with 95, and the Netherlands with 87. 

The Facility consortium would like to congratulate all applicants for their efforts in submitting a proposal. Sitting together with your energy community to reflect on your project—its innovative elements, financing, impact, and the many other questions asked in the application form—is already an achievement and an important milestone to turn your project into reality.

Next steps

Now, two independent evaluators will review each proposal, ensuring a fair and balanced assessment. These experts will assess the energy community’s operations and readiness, its project ambition, the coherence and plausibility of the proposal, and the impact on the local community.

Once all the applications have been reviewed, eligible initiatives that meet the minimum score and pass a feasibility check will be ranked. The applications with the highest scores will then be selected.

The final list of beneficiaries will be announced by 22 December, and all applicants will be informed about their result by email. The journey for selected applicants will continue as follows:

• Signing of the grant agreement within two months of receiving the notification.
• Development of the business plan and completion of the capacity building programme within six months of signing the grant agreement.
• Validation of the business plan by the Facility within two months of receiving it.
• Completion of the monitoring surveys six months after validation of the business plan.

Unsuccessful applicants will receive a feedback report outlining areas for improvement and are invited to resubmit a proposal in the second call. National experts will also provide support to unsuccessful applicants wishing would resubmit a proposal. 

The second call for proposals will open between May and June 2026, offering a new opportunity for energy communities to receive support in their early stage. 

The initiatives funded by the Facility are expected to trigger millions of euros in citizen investment. This illustrates how early development grants for energy communities are an efficient way to spend EU funds, and pool private capital.