A supporting organisation is an organisation with a Quality Label for the support role, which entails supporting, preparing and/or training participants before departure, a mediation between them and their host organisations and/or providing support to participants upon return from their activity. There are three types of Quality Label, depending on the role(s) that the organisation wishes to play in the process: host role, support role and lead role. The lead role is for organisations who apply for grants, manage and coordinate Volunteering Projects, and the lead role cannot be awarded independently: organisations must hold a Quality Label for host or support in order to be able to act in a lead capacity. Obtaining a Quality Label is a prerequisite for an organisation to participate in any activities supported by the Corps. Our guide on what the European Solidarity Corps is introduces the programme, and what the ESC Quality Label isexplains the label itself. Our guide on Humanitarian Aid Volunteering explains the separate Quality Label for Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, and the support role on this page is the support role in the Quality Label for volunteering.
Last updated: October 2026.
What does a supporting organisation do before the volunteer leaves?
The tasks and responsibilities of an organisation holding a Quality Label for the support role before the activity are the following.
🔎 Matching: Select and match registered candidates in the European Solidarity Corps Portal or support the registered candidates to find suitable opportunities, and this task may also be undertaken by the host organisation.
✍️ Volunteering agreement: Ensure that the volunteer signs a volunteering agreement which includes a learning and training component.
💻 General Online Training: Encourage the volunteer to enrol and take part in the General Online Training offered on the EU Academy platform and accessed through the European Solidarity Corps portal.
🗣️ Language preparation: Ensure that the volunteer receives support in carrying out language preparation, and where applicable support to carry out the Online Language Support and assessment provided by the Commission.
🎒 Preparation before departure: Provide adequate preparation for the volunteer before departure, according to the individual needs and in line with the Training and Evaluation Cycle, and in specific cases this task may also be undertaken by the host organisation.
📅 Pre-departure training: Ensure the participation of the volunteer in the pre-departure training session, if organised by the National Agency or SALTO (Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities).
🏥 Insurance: Ensure that the volunteer is covered by the obligatory insurance plan foreseen by the European Solidarity Corps (if applicable). If applicable, it is strongly recommended that participants in transnational activities taking place in EU Member States or some third countries associated to the programme are in possession of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
📘 Info Kit: Ensure that the volunteer receives the European Solidarity Corps Info Kit.
📞 Staying in touch: Stay in touch with the volunteer and the host organisation throughout the activity.
Our guide on Online Language Support explains the free language courses, the agreement you sign before starting covers the volunteering agreement, insurance for ESC volunteers explains the insurance plan, and what to arrange before you go collects the practical preparation.
What does a supporting organisation do after the activity?
The tasks and responsibilities of an organisation holding a Quality Label for the support role after the activity are the following.
🏡 Reintegration: Provide support for the reintegration of the volunteer into the home community.
🔁 Sharing: Provide the volunteer with the opportunity to exchange and share experiences and learning outcomes.
📣 Dissemination: Encourage the involvement of the volunteer in dissemination and exploitation of results.
🎓 Further opportunities: Provide guidance regarding further education, training or employment opportunities.
🗓️ Annual event: Ensure the participation of the volunteer in the annual European Solidarity Corps event.
Our guide on what comes after your project walks through the return home, and how to put Youthpass on your CV and LinkedIn shows how to use the record of learning.
How is a supporting organisation different from a host organisation?
The host role covers the full range of activities related to hosting a European Solidarity Corps participant, including the development of a programme of the young person's activities and providing guidance and support to the participant during all the phases as appropriate. Some of these hosting activities can be carried out by a support organisation involved in the same project. During the activity the host role provides task related support, supervision and guidance to the volunteer. The host role covers identifying a mentor who is responsible for providing to the volunteers support to carry out self-reflection on the learning and personal support. The host role provides support to the volunteers to reflect on the learning process and to identify and document their learning outcomes, through EU validation tools, in particular Youthpass or Europass or national tools, and this task may also be undertaken by the support organisation. Where only one organisation is involved (in-country activities or volunteering teams), the organisation has to ensure that all phases are carried out and the host and support tasks and responsibilities are fulfilled.
Living and working conditions belong to the host role: provide suitable accommodation and healthy meals (or a food allowance) to the volunteer, including during the holiday period, ensure that means of local transport are available for the volunteer, and provide the due allowance to the volunteer on a weekly or monthly basis.
An organisation applying for the Quality Label with a host role must declare pre-defined activities, that is standard activities in which volunteers are involved, with a set of tasks that they will carry out in the organisation. Organisations applying for a host role may also declare locations during the application for a Quality Label, and all locations must be in the same country where the host organisation is based.
Our guide on how to become a host organisation for ESC sets out the host side, your ESC mentordescribes the mentor's part, and how much pocket money you get on ESC explains the allowance.
How does an organisation get the support role?
An organisation obtains the support role through the Quality Label, a process that certifies that an organisation is able and willing to carry out high quality solidarity activities in compliance with the principles, objectives and quality standards of the European Solidarity Corps. Any public or private entity, whether non-profit or profit making, local, regional, national or international, legally established in an EU Member State, a third country associated to the Programme or a third country not associated to the Programme, or any international organisation, is an eligible applicant for the Quality Label.
Our guide on what the ESC Quality Label is goes through the application in detail, what an Organisation ID (OID) is explains the registration number, and what National Agencies are says who assesses the application.
How does a supporting organisation find volunteers?
Young people who want to participate in the European Solidarity Corps must register on the European Solidarity Corps Portal, and young people with fewer opportunities may receive support from organisations to complete the registration phase. The European Solidarity Corps Portal offers a meeting place for young people and organisations holding a Quality Label and willing to implement solidarity activities, and organisations have to select the participants from the database of registered young people. Once awarded a Quality Label, organisations have access to the European Solidarity Corps Portal where they are invited to publish volunteering activities for which they are looking for participants, and organisations must make use of the European Solidarity Corps Portal's database to search for potential participants. In order to facilitate partner finding, profiles of all organisations holding a Quality Label are published in a database of Quality Label organisations.
Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas are large scale, high impact projects supporting voluntary activities carried out by young people from at least two different countries coming together to express solidarity by implementing short-term interventions that address common European challenges in policy areas defined each year at EU level. In those projects, organisations have to select in the Placement Administration Support System (PASS) participants that are registered in the Portal.
Our guide on how to register on the ESC Portal shows the volunteer's side of the Portal, how to recruit volunteers for your project covers the search itself, and how to find partners for an Erasmus+ project helps with the partner search.
Which principles must a supporting organisation respect?
The European Solidarity Corps guarantees high-quality volunteering activities, through the Quality Label process, and the activities are based on a common understanding of key principles and standards. When applying for a Quality Label, organisations must be able to demonstrate their capacity to perform the tasks and responsibilities relevant to the role they are applying for.
Our guide on what the ESC Quality Label is explains each principle and standard, what Youthpass isexplains the record of learning, and inclusion support covers the extra support for young people with fewer opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
Can one organisation hold both the host and the support role?
Yes: the organisations involved in a volunteering activity assume the role of “supporting” the implementation of the activities and the volunteers and/or “hosting” the volunteers. The organisations will submit application forms by filling in parts which are relevant for the Quality Label roles they wish to play. Our guide on what the ESC Quality Label is explains the application for each role.
Does a Quality Label bring money with it?
Obtaining a Quality Label is a non-budgetary award and while it does not provide automatic access to funding, it does simplify the grant application process into separate stages and thereby enables easier access to funding for applicants holding a Quality Label. Applications are assessed by the National Agency against eligibility criteria, selection exclusion and award criteria. Our guide on what National Agencies are explains who assesses the applications.
Does the volunteer pay the supporting organisation?
Participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer. Organisations should cover the participants' expenditure arising from participation in such solidarity activities but should not provide them with salaries or an economic benefit. Our guide on whether ESC is fully funded explains what the programme covers for the volunteer.
How long does a Quality Label last?
The Quality Label is awarded for the entire duration of the programming period, subject to continued compliance with requirements. Unless withdrawn, the Quality Label remains valid until the end of the last activity in which the organisation is involved as partner, implemented through a grant of the current programming period, and the National Agencies will monitor compliance and may carry out periodical reassessments. Our guide on whether Erasmus+ and ESC are ending after 2027 explains what the end of the programming period means.
Can an organisation apply for a grant without a Quality Label for lead organisations?
Organisations who do not hold a Quality Label for lead organisation may act as partners in projects, but they cannot apply for funding. The lead role cannot be awarded independently, and organisations must hold a Quality Label for host or support in order to be able to act in a lead capacity. Our guide on the 2026 EU project deadlines for organisations lists the dates for grant requests.
What does an organisation do for young people who run their own Solidarity Project?
In a Solidarity Project the role of the organisation should be administrative, to support the group in the project life-cycle administrative and financial tasks, and the organisation can also offer support and guidance in identifying and documenting learning outcomes. A group of young people who plan a Solidarity Project can seek for support from an organisation, which can be any public or private body, and an organisation may apply on their behalf for a grant under the European Solidarity Corps. Our guide on projects young people run themselves covers how a group starts one.
Where the supporting organisation fits
The support role entails supporting, preparing and/or training participants before departure, a mediation between them and their host organisations and/or providing support to participants upon return from their activity. In all cases, the involvement of a support organisation in activities involving young people with fewer opportunities is highly recommended. Our guide on how to become a host organisation for ESC is the next Youth Works Hub page for organisations that also want the host role.
Related pages: what the ESC Quality Label is · how to become a host organisation for ESC · your ESC mentor · how to recruit volunteers for your project · what National Agencies are
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/category/esc-projects
