European City Facility

The main goal of this opportunity is to support European cities and municipalities in developing investment concepts for energy efficiency and integrated energy transition projects. The focus is on helping local authorities, especially smaller and medium-sized ones, transform climate and energy strategies into concrete investment plans. Key areas include local heating and cooling, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and building capacity among public staff. The initiative aims to mobilize significant financing for energy transition and make it easier for cities to access diverse sources of funding. This grant is available to cities, municipalities, or their groupings from eligible countries across Europe.

• Projects must show strong political commitment and be based on approved local energy or climate plans.
• Applicants need to clarify their planning processes and available resources.
• Projects must demonstrate significant potential for investment and energy savings.
• The proposal should describe the investment sectors targeted and the financial solutions planned.
• A clear governance structure for developing the investment concept is required.
• Applicants must outline strategies for stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and monitoring investment implementation for at least one year.
• Each proposal must involve at least three applicants from three different eligible countries.

Example Projects:

• A group of three cities from different countries develops a joint investment plan to upgrade municipal buildings with energy-efficient heating and solar panels.
• Several municipalities collaborate to design a regional renewable energy project, including wind and solar farms, based on their local sustainable energy plans.
• A partnership of small towns creates a shared plan for modernizing public transport fleets with electric vehicles, improving energy efficiency, and reducing emissions.

• Personnel costs
• Subcontracting
• Travel and subsistence
• Equipment (depreciation or rental)
• Consumables and materials
• Dissemination and communication
• Access to research infrastructure
• IPR and certification
• Audit costs
• Indirect costs (25% flat rate)
• Internally invoiced services

• Co-financing rate: 95%
• Budget for this Call: 15,000,000€
• Maximum value per project: 15,000,000€

• Applicants must show proof of political commitment and have approved local energy or climate plans.
• They must clarify their planning processes and available resources.
• Applicants need to demonstrate significant potential for investment and energy savings.
• The proposal must describe targeted investment sectors, planned financial solutions, and the governance structure.
• A strategy for engaging stakeholders, building capacity, and monitoring investments for at least one year is required.
• Proposals must be submitted by at least three applicants from three different eligible countries.
• Applicants should have experience in municipal energy or climate planning and financial engineering for energy efficiency.
• An effective outreach strategy to mobilize a large number of cities or municipalities across Europe is needed.