Small-scale Partnerships are designed to widen access to the programme to small-scale actors and individuals who are hard to reach in the fields of school education, adult education, vocational education and training, youth and sport. With lower grant amounts awarded to organisations, shorter duration and simpler administrative requirements compared to the Cooperation Partnerships, this action aims at reaching out to grassroots organisations, less experienced organisations and newcomers to the Programme, reducing entry barriers to the programme for organisations with smaller organisational capacity. The action also supports flexible formats, mixing activities with transnational and national character although with a European dimension, allowing organisations to have more means to reach out to people with fewer opportunities. Key Action 2: Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions supports Partnerships for Cooperation, including Cooperation Partnerships and Small-scale Partnerships. Two types of partnerships are offered to organisations to work, learn and grow together, Cooperation Partnerships and Small-scale Partnerships. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is introduces the programme as a whole, and cooperation partnerships describes the larger partnership format in the same Key Action.
Last updated: October 2026.
What are Small-scale Partnerships for?
The objectives of this action are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
🚪 First step into European cooperation: Small-scale Partnerships attract and widen access for newcomers, less experienced organisations and small-scale actors to the programme, and these partnerships should act as a first step for organisations into cooperation at European level.
🤲 Inclusion of target groups: Small-scale Partnerships support the inclusion of target groups with fewer opportunities.
🌐 Active European citizenship: Small-scale Partnerships support active European citizenship and bring the European dimension to the local level.
In addition, the main objectives of Cooperation Partnerships also apply to Small-scale Partnerships, proportionally to the scope and volume of each project.
📈 Quality and new actors: increasing quality in the work and practices of the organisations and institutions involved, opening up to new actors not naturally included within one sector.
🌍 Transnational capacity: building capacity of organisations to work transnationally and across sectors.
🧩 Common needs and priorities: addressing common needs and priorities in the fields of education, training, youth and sport.
🔄 Transformation and change: enabling transformation and change at individual, organisational or sectoral level, leading to improvements, in proportion to the context of each organisation.
Small-scale Partnerships can also contribute to the creation and development of transnational networks and to fostering synergies with, and between, local, regional, national and international policies. Our guide on Erasmus+ accreditation covers the route for organisations that want recurring funding, and how to bring Erasmus+ to your school is written for a first project.
Who can apply, and which organisations can take part?
Any participating organisation established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme can be the applicant. The applicant organisation applies on behalf of all participating organisations involved in the project. For applications submitted to National Agencies in the fields of school education, vocational education and training, adult education and youth, an organisation can apply only once per deadline.
Any public or private organisation, established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme, can participate in a Small-scale Partnership. Irrespective of the field impacted by the project, Small-scale Partnerships are open to any type of organisation active in any field of education, training, youth, sport or other socio-economic sectors as well as to organisations carrying out activities that are transversal to different fields, such as local, regional and national authorities, recognition and validation centres, chambers of commerce, trade organisations, guidance centres, cultural and sport organisations.
For the purpose of this Action, informal groups of young people are not to be considered as an organisation and are therefore not eligible to participate, neither as applicants nor as partners. Any higher education institution established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme and wanting to participate in a Small-scale Partnership must hold a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).
A Small-scale Partnership is transnational and involves minimum two organisations from two different EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme. There is no maximum number of participating organisations in one partnership. All participating organisations must be identified at the time of applying for a grant. For applications submitted to National Agencies in the fields of school education, vocational education and training, adult education and youth, the same organisation (one OID, Organisation ID) cannot be involved in more than 5 applications overall per deadline, either as applicant or partner, and that maximum concerns all small-scale partnership applications submitted for all eligible fields.
Depending on the priority and the objectives addressed by the project, Small-scale Partnerships should involve the most appropriate and diverse range of partners in order to benefit from their different experiences, profiles and specific expertise. Our guide on what an OID is explains the registration number every partner needs, which countries can apply lists the eligible countries, and how to find partners for an Erasmus+ project covers partner search.
Which priorities must your project address?
To be considered for funding, Small-scale Partnerships must address either at least one horizontal priority and/or at least one specific priority relevant to the field of education, training, youth and sport that is mostly impacted. Our guide on cooperation partnerships walks through the full list of 2026 horizontal priorities.
For projects in the fields of vocational education and training, school education, adult education and youth managed by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, National Agencies may, among these priorities, give more consideration to those that are particularly relevant in their national context, called European priorities in the national context, and National Agencies must duly inform potential applicants through their official websites. For projects in the field of sport only one priority, horizontal or specific, can be addressed. Our guide on what National Agencies are explains who decides these national priorities, and Erasmus+ Sportcovers the sport strand separately.
How long can the project last, and how much funding is there?
The duration of the project is between 6 and 24 months. The duration must be chosen at application stage, based on the objectives of the project and on the type of activities planned over time. In exceptional cases, the duration of a Small-scale Partnership may be extended, upon request of the beneficiary and with the agreement of the National or Executive Agency, and in that case the total grant will not change.
There are two pre-defined lump sums grants, EUR 30 000 and EUR 60 000. Applicants will choose between the 2 pre-defined amounts according to the activities they want to undertake and the results they want to achieve. When planning their projects, the applicant organisations, together with their project partners, will need to choose the most appropriate lump sum amount to cover the costs of their projects, based on their needs and objectives.
Proposals must describe the activities that applicants commit to carry out with the lump sum amount opted for and must satisfy the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The choice of the lump sum amount should be based on the applicant's estimate for the overall cost of the project, and project budgets are expected to be co-financed with other funding sources, therefore the estimated overall cost of the project shall be higher than the fixed lump sum amount opted for.
In case of doubts between two amounts, applicants can reduce the cost of their project, for instance by finding more cost-effective ways to achieve similar results or by adapting the number/scale of the project activities to the budget, or increase the scale of their project, for instance by aiming to reach more participants with their activities, increasing the number of activities or producing additional project outputs. The adequacy of the number, scope and complexity of the proposed project activities to the amount opted for, together with their relevance for the project objectives, will be important elements of the quality assessment. Our guide on how lump sum funding works explains lump sums across the programme, and cooperation partnerships sets out the larger format for organisations that outgrow this one.
Where and when do you apply?
For Small-scale Partnerships in the fields of vocational education and training, school education, adult education and youth submitted by any organisation in these fields, the application goes to the National Agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established. For Small-scale Partnerships in the field of sport, you apply to the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, Call ID ERASMUS-SPORT-2026-SSCP. In both cases, the same consortium of partners can submit only one application and to one Agency per deadline.
For Small-scale Partnerships in the fields of vocational education and training, school education, adult education and youth, applicants have to submit their grant application by 5 March at 12:00:00, midday Brussels time, for projects starting between 1 September and 31 December of the same year. National Agencies may organise an additional round for applications for projects in the fields of vocational education and training, school education, adult education and youth, for which the rules set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide will also apply, and National Agencies will inform of this possibility via their website. If the additional round is organised, applicants have to submit their grant application by 1 October 12:00:00, midday Brussels time, for projects starting between 1 January and 31 August of the following year. For Small-scale Partnerships in the field of sport, applicants have to submit their grant application by 5 March at 17:00:00, Brussels time.
All the activities of a Small-scale Partnership must take place in the countries of the organisations participating in the project. In addition, if duly justified in relation to the objectives or implementation of the project, activities can also take place at the seat of an Institution of the European Union, even if in the project there are no participating organisations from the country that hosts the Institution. Our guide on EU project deadlines for organisations puts these dates next to the other calls, and what National Agencies areexplains where a national application lands.
How is your application assessed?
In addition to the eligibility criteria, applicants will be assessed against the relevant exclusion and selection criteria. Considering that small-scale partnerships are an instrument for inclusion and access of newcomers and less experienced organisations to the programme, the level of information required to apply for a grant under this action will be simple, while ensuring compliance with EU Financial Regulation. The applicants should read the award criteria carefully and address all of them in their project application.
🎯 Relevance, maximum score 30 points: the extent to which the project proposal is relevant to the objectives and the priorities of the Action, the proposal is relevant for the respect and promotion of shared EU values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as fighting any sort of discrimination, the profile, experience and activities of the participating organisations are relevant for the field of the application, and the proposal brings added value at EU level by building capacity of organisations to engage in cross-border cooperation and networking.
In addition the proposal will be considered as highly relevant if it addresses the priority inclusion and diversity, or, in case of projects managed by the Erasmus+ National Agencies, if it addresses one or more European Priorities in the national context, as announced by the National Agency.
🛠️ Quality of the project design and implementation, maximum score 30 points: the extent to which the project objectives are clearly defined, realistic and address the needs and goals of the participating organisations and the needs of their target groups, the activities are designed in an accessible and inclusive way and are open to people with fewer opportunities, the proposed methodology is clear, adequate and feasible, the project work plan is clear, complete and effective, including appropriate phases for preparation, implementation and sharing project results, the project is cost-effective and allocates appropriate resources to each activity, the project incorporates the use of digital tools and learning methods to complement their physical activities and to improve the cooperation with partner organisations, the project is designed in an eco-friendly way and incorporates green practices in different project phases, the project encourages participation and civic engagement, and, if applicable, the extent to which the project makes use of Erasmus+ online platforms, the European School Education Platform, EPALE (the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe), the European Youth Portal and the EU Youth Strategy Platform, as tools for preparation, implementation and follow-up of the project activities.
👥 Quality of the partnership and cooperation arrangements, maximum score 20 points: the extent to which the project involves an appropriate mix of participating organisations in terms of profile, the project involves newcomers and less experienced organisations to the Action, the proposed allocation of tasks demonstrates the commitment and active contribution of all participating organisations, and the proposal includes effective mechanisms for coordination and communication between the participating organisations.
📣 Impact, maximum score 20 points: the extent to which the project proposal includes concrete and logical steps to integrate the project results in the regular work of participating organisation, the project has the potential to positively impact its participants and participating organisations, as well as the wider community, the project proposal includes an appropriate way to evaluate the project outcomes, and the project proposal includes concrete and effective steps to make the results of the project known within the participating organisations, to share the results with other organisations and the public, and to publicly acknowledge the European Union funding.
To be considered for funding, proposals must score at least 60 points, and they must score at least half of the maximum score points in each of the categories of award criteria mentioned above, that is minimum 15 points for the categories relevance of the project and quality of the project design and implementation, and 10 points for the categories quality of the partnership and the cooperation arrangements and impact. In cases where two or more applications have received the same total score, in ex aequo cases, priority will be given to highest scores for relevance of the project and then impact. Our guide on how to write a strong Erasmus+ application works through each criterion, and dissemination and impact explains the impact criterion.
What does running a Small-scale Partnership involve?
A Small-scale Partnership project consists of four stages, which start even before the project proposal is selected for funding, planning, preparation, implementation and follow-up.
For Small-scale Partnerships in the field of sport, it is recommended to include in the proposals at least one local or regional sport club.
Our guide on cooperation partnerships sets out the project stages, activity types and design aspects in more detail, and running an Erasmus+ project covers the day to day work after the grant arrives.
Frequently asked questions
How many organisations do you need for a Small-scale Partnership?
A Small-scale Partnership is transnational and involves minimum two organisations from two different EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme. There is no maximum number of participating organisations in one partnership. Our guide on finding project partners shows where to look for the organisations you need.
Can an informal group of young people apply?
For the purpose of this Action, informal groups of young people are not to be considered as an organisation and are therefore not eligible to participate, neither as applicants nor as partners. Our guide on Erasmus+ youth participation activities describes an action that informal groups of young people can use.
Can you choose your own grant amount?
There are two pre-defined lump sums grants, EUR 30 000 and EUR 60 000. Applicants will choose between the 2 pre-defined amounts according to the activities they want to undertake and the results they want to achieve. Our guide on how lump sum funding works puts these amounts next to the other lump sums in the programme.
Do you get the whole grant even if some activities are dropped?
The condition for the full payment of the grant is the completion of all the activities in line with the quality criteria described in the project application. In case one or more activities are not completed, partially completed or assessed as unsatisfactory in the quality assessment, appropriate reductions of the grant amount may be applied at final report stage in cases of poor, partial or late implementation by not accepting single activities or by reducing the overall amount by a flat-rate percentage. 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. Our guide on lump sum grants explains how payment is tied to completed activities.
Can you subcontract part of the work?
Subcontracting of services is allowed if it does not cover core activities on which the achievement of the objectives of the action directly depends. In such cases, the subcontracted tasks and the amount allocated for them must be clearly described in the project application. Our guide on the basics of running an Erasmus+ project covers how the partners share the work.
Where to start
Our guide on how to write a strong Erasmus+ application covers the writing itself, and how to find partners for an Erasmus+ project explains the partner search. The related pages below from Youth Works Hub cover each part of this guide in more detail.
Related pages: cooperation partnerships · how to find partners for an Erasmus+ project · how to write a strong Erasmus+ application · how lump sum funding works · what an OID is · EU project deadlines for organisations
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/category/erasmus-projects
