Kleidung

Application deadline: Monday, 31 August 2026, 23:59 CEST

Apply by 31 August 2026 for Financial Support to Third Parties under the EU-funded project “Towards Forced Labour Free Clothes: A Multi-Country Civil Society Initiative”.

Romero Initiative e.V. (CIR) is launching a Call for Proposals to support civil society organisations, trade unions, labour rights organisations, migrant support organisations, worker organisations and other eligible non-profit actors working to prevent, identify and address forced labour risks in global garment supply chains.

The call supports activities that strengthen worker-centred monitoring, migrant and women worker participation, trade union and civil society capacities, advocacy, strategic communication and the development of a Worker-Led Monitoring System (WLMS).

All applicants that fulfill the tender criteria are cordially invited to apply. All application documents can be viewed and downloaded here:

Call for Proposals

Annex 1: Third Party Agreement (including Annex I and Annex II)

Annex 2: Template for project proposal

Annex 3: Template for budget proposal

Annex 4: Template Declaration on exclusion criteria by the third party

A full application must be submitted electronically to fstp-call@ci-romero.de no later than 31 August 2026.

The subject line must read: “Application FSTP – Lot [number] – [Name of Applicant]”.

Each organisation may submit only one application under this Call and may apply for only one Lot. The application must clearly indicate the selected Lot.

Funding amount

The maximum financial support per selected third-party project is: up to EUR 60,000

The exact amount depends on the Lot, the proposed activities and the approved budget.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants may include, depending on the Lot:

civil society organisations; migrant support organisations; trade unions and trade union federations; trade union support organisations; labour rights organisations; worker organisations; worker centres; non-profit media or communication organisations working in the public interest; research institutes; technical non-profit organisations with relevant expertise.

Applicants must be non-profit making and must demonstrate relevant experience for the Lot under which they apply. They must also have sufficient administrative and financial capacity to manage the grant.

Applicants must not receive double funding for the same activities and must not be beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associates or contractors under the Action where this would create ineligibility or a conflict of interest.

What kind of projects will be supported?

The call supports activities that contribute to one or more of the following objectives:

• preventing and addressing forced labour risks in garment supply chains;
• strengthening worker participation in identifying and documenting labour rights violations;
• improving safe and trusted reporting mechanisms for workers;
• strengthening migrant and women worker participation;
• building the capacity of trade unions, civil society organisations and worker organisations;
• supporting the development and operationalisation of Worker-Led Monitoring Systems;
• generating credible evidence for advocacy, remediation and policy engagement;
• strengthening public awareness of forced labour and labour rights risks;
• supporting advocacy linked to the EU Forced Labour Regulation and human rights due diligence frameworks.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed based on:

• relevance of the proposed action;
• experience and expertise of the applicant;
• quality of the methodology and implementation approach;
• worker participation, inclusion and gender sensitivity;
• safeguarding and Do No Harm approach;
• sustainability and multiplier effects;
• budget and cost-effectiveness.

A minimum score of 70 out of 100 points is required for selection.

Indicative timeline

Publication of Call: 15 July 2026
Deadline for Questions: 31 July 2026
Publication of Answers / Q&A: 7 August 2026
Submission Deadline: 31 August 2026
Notification of Results: 15 September 2026
Earliest Possible Start of Activities: 1 October 2026

The start of activities is subject to completion of the evaluation process, award decision and signature of the Third Party Agreement. The maximum project duration shall be specified in the Third Party Agreement. Activities must be completed within the overall implementation period of the Action.

Questions

Questions concerning this Call for Proposals may be submitted to electronically to fstp-call@ci-romero.de no later than 31 July 2026. The subject line should read:

“Question FSTP Call – Lot [number, if applicable]”

Responses to questions of general interest will be compiled and published in an anonymised Q&A document by 7 August 2026 on this website. Applicants are therefore encouraged to consult the published Q&A before submitting their application.

We are looking forward to your applications!