After the evaluation of an Erasmus+ project, all applicants will be informed about the evaluation result through an evaluation result letter, which will contain further instructions about the next steps towards the signature of the grant agreement. Successful applications will be invited for grant preparation, but the invitation is not a formal commitment for funding. The National Agency will still need to make various legal checks before grant award, such as legal entity validation, financial capacity and exclusion check. In the case of Key Action 1 projects managed by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, the notification of the award decision and the signature of the grant agreement will take place, indicatively, 4 months after the submission deadline. In the case of Key Action 2 projects managed by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, the notification of the award decision and the signature of the grant agreement will take place, indicatively, 5 months after the submission deadline. National Agencies usually announce the results of project applications within 3 to 6 months on average; this applies across countries, not only one. Our guide on National Agencies explains who manages the grant.
Last updated: November 2026.
Who signs the grant agreement, and when can you start?
A grant agreement is signed between the National Agency or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and the applicant, and the agency is the last party to sign. When the grant agreement is signed by both parties, the applicant becomes beneficiary of an EU grant and can start the project. Grant agreements may take the form of mono-beneficiary agreements, with the applicant being the single beneficiary, or multi-beneficiary agreements, where all partner organisations of the consortium become beneficiaries of the agreement. The multi-beneficiary agreement is signed by the coordinator (lead applicant), which is the only contact point for the National or Executive Agency. All other organisations in a project take part as co-beneficiaries and sign an accession form, which gives the coordinator the responsibility of acting as coordinator.
Accession forms are not required for partner organisations in countries other than the country of the applicant organisation in Mobility projects for Higher education students and staff, learners and staff in vocational education and training, pupils and staff in school education, and staff in adult education. Member organisations of national consortia in the fields of higher education, vocational education and training, school and adult education are required to provide an accession form to the applicant organisation. No EU grant may be awarded for projects already completed. An EU grant may be awarded for a project which has already begun only where the applicant can demonstrate, in the project proposal, the need to start the project before the grant agreement has been signed. If the applicant starts implementing the project before the grant agreement is signed, the start is at the risk of the applicant. Our guide on the Organisation ID explains the OID, and our guide on Erasmus+ accreditation covers accredited organisations.
How is the grant paid?
The grant is paid in these steps:
🟢 Pre-financing payment: a pre-financing payment will be transferred to the beneficiary within 30 days of the date when the last of the two parties signs the grant agreement, and where relevant, when any appropriate financial guarantees are received. National Agencies may decide to split the first pre-financing payment into more instalments. National Agencies may also decide to reduce the pre-financing or not pay any pre-financing at all, if the financial capacity of the beneficiary is considered weak.
🔵 Further pre-financing: under some Actions, further pre-financing payments will be transferred to the beneficiary within 60 calendar days of the receipt of the further pre-financing payment requests, only if the request is accompanied by a pre-financing report. Further pre-financing payments may be requested when at least 70% of the previous pre-financing payment has been used up.
✅ Final payment: the amount of the final payment to the beneficiary will be established on the basis of a final report, submitted by the deadline indicated in the grant agreement. The final payment will be issued within 60 calendar days of the receipt of the final report.
The grant amount in the agreement is a maximum which cannot be increased, even if the beneficiary requests a higher amount. If the National Agency is the granting authority and the action uses a unit cost-based model (an amount per unit), the National Agency could approve an amendment to increase the grant amount, using a contingency reserve to cover exceptional costs, inclusion support and/or additional units following a redistribution exercise. The funding may be reduced proportionally or, where applicable, the beneficiary will be required to repay any excess amounts already received as pre-financing payment, if the events generating the grant are not implemented or are implemented in a different way than planned. The same may happen if the eligible costs actually incurred by the beneficiary are lower than those planned at application stage, or if the quality of the realised activities or outputs is insufficient. Our guide on how lump sum funding works explains the payment condition for partnership projects.
What reports do you submit?
Beneficiaries may be asked to submit a periodic report accompanying the request for an interim payment. Beneficiaries can also be requested to submit a progress report informing on the state of implementation of the project, and progress reports do not trigger a further payment. The periodic and the progress reports must be submitted by the deadline indicated in the grant agreement. The final report is submitted by the deadline indicated in the grant agreement. In Cooperation Partnerships and Small-scale Partnerships, the final report assessment is based on the detailed descriptions of each activity carried out, information showing the level of achievement of the project objectives stated in the application and the quality of project results uploaded in the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform. In a Youth Exchange, any contributions collected from the participants must be declared by the beneficiary in the final report. Our guide on Cooperation Partnerships and our guide on Small-scale Partnerships cover those two formats.
What are the stages of a project?
A Youth Exchange project consists of four stages: planning, preparation, implementation and follow-up.
📝 Planning: defining the needs, objectives, learning outcomes, activity formats, development of work programme, schedule of activities and so on, before submitting the application.
🧳 Preparation: practical arrangements, setting up agreements with partners, linguistic, intercultural, learning and task-related preparation of participants before departure.
🎬 Implementation: implementation of activities.
🔁 Follow-up: evaluation of the activities, identification and documentation of the learning outcomes of participants, as well as dissemination and use of the project's outcomes.
A project is a set of planned activities that bring together financial, physical and human resources, within a set time and a set budget, to reach a specific aim and produce results. Every project starts from a need and is designed to meet that need. Each Cooperation Partnerships project must include a dedicated work package for project management, which covers monitoring, coordination, communication, evaluation, risk management and other activities necessary for the implementation of the project. A maximum of 20% of the total project budget can be allocated to the project management work package. Our guide on how to plan a Youth Exchange walks through the stages, and our guide on the Erasmus+ and ESC project journey follows a project from start to finish.
What checks and audits can follow?
The National or Executive Agency and/or the European Commission may carry out technical and financial checks and audits in relation to the use of the grant. The beneficiary will undertake, with the signature of its legal representative, to provide proof that the grant has been used correctly. The European Commission, the Executive Agency, National Agencies and/or the European Court of Auditors, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) or a body mandated by them may check the use made of the grant at any time up to five years, or for up to three years for grants not exceeding EUR 60 000, after final payment. Beneficiaries must keep records, original supporting documents, statistical records and other documents connected with the grant during that period. Risk assessment is a fundamental part of managing EU grants, as risk assessment helps to safeguard public funds, enhance project success, and promote accountability and transparency. Some actions also require the applicants to present a risk management plan, and where the plan is required, the plan itself is part of the project's evaluation. If the provisions on acknowledging the European Union's support are not fully complied with, the beneficiary's grant may be reduced. Our guide on dissemination and impact covers visibility, and our guide on how lump sum funding works covers checks in partnership projects.
Frequently asked questions
Can we start before the agreement is signed?
Yes: if the applicant starts implementing the project before the grant agreement is signed, the start is at the risk of the applicant. In a project which has already begun, the costs eligible for financing must not have been incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application. Our guide on National Agencies explains who manages the grant.
Can the grant be increased?
No: the grant amount in the agreement is a maximum which cannot be increased, even if the beneficiary requests a higher amount. If the National Agency is the granting authority and the action uses a unit cost-based model (an amount per unit), the National Agency could approve an amendment to increase the grant amount, using a contingency reserve to cover exceptional costs, inclusion support and/or additional units following a redistribution exercise. Our guide on how lump sum funding works explains the payment condition for partnership projects.
How long must we keep documents?
Beneficiaries must keep records and original supporting documents for up to five years, or for up to three years for grants not exceeding EUR 60 000, after final payment. Our guide on how lump sum funding works covers checks in partnership projects.
Who talks to the National Agency in a partnership?
The coordinator (lead applicant) is the only contact point for the National or Executive Agency. Our guide on National Agencies explains who manages the grant.
What if an activity is not completed?
If the events generating the grant are not implemented or are implemented in a different way than planned, the funding may be reduced proportionally or, where applicable, the beneficiary will be required to repay any excess amounts already received as pre-financing payment. Our guide on how to write a strong Erasmus+ application covers the commitments made in the proposal.
What should you do first?
When the grant agreement is signed by both parties, the applicant becomes beneficiary of an EU grant and can start the project. Organisations can open a page on Youth Works Hub to publish opportunities and posts. Youth Works Hub checks what organisations publish from their own pages, but the content organisations share from their own profiles is entirely the responsibility of those organisations. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
Related pages: how to plan a Youth Exchange · National Agencies explained · how lump sum funding works · dissemination and impact · how to write a strong Erasmus+ application
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
