EU No Child Left Behind Grant 2026: Up to €1 Million for NGOs Supporting Children with Disabilities in Egypt

The European Union has opened a major new call for proposals titled “No Child Left Behind: Inclusion and Protection for Children with Disabilities”, inviting eligible nonprofit organisations to develop projects that advance the rights, protection, participation and well-being of children with disabilities in Egypt. Published under reference EuropeAid/186723/DD/ACT/EG, the opportunity is designed to strengthen the environments in which children with disabilities live, learn and participate. It combines a rights-based approach to disability with practical interventions around child protection, inclusive education, community participation, family support, accessibility, social protection and institutional capacity. The EU Delegation to Egypt has confirmed that eligible NGOs are invited to apply and that the deadline is 30 September 2026. The call has three major priority areas: • Human rights and protection of children with disabilities • Social inclusion and participation • Family and enabling environments Applicants must address at least one of these priority areas, although proposals integrating more than one priority will be viewed particularly favourably during evaluation. Detailed call information reproduced by funding databases indicates an overall budget of approximately €3.9 million, with individual grants ranging from €650,000 to €1 million and projects generally lasting 24 to 36 months. Funding is reported to cover between 51% and 95% of eligible project costs, meaning most applicants will need to demonstrate an appropriate financing structure for the balance where the EU grant does not cover the full budget. A particularly important feature of the call is its emphasis on strengthening local organisations. At least 60% of eligible action costs is reported to be intended for financial support to third parties, such as Egyptian civil society organisations, community-based organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities. The normal maximum amount of support per third-party recipient is reported as €60,000, unless a higher amount can be appropriately justified. The deadline for submission is: 30 September 2026 Applicants should consult the official EU Funding & Tenders/EuropeAid documentation referenced by the EU Delegation to Egypt before submitting, since the full guidelines govern eligibility, partnership structure, budget rules, documentation and application procedure. View the EU Medbridge opportunity page About the No Child Left Behind Call for Proposals The programme responds to continuing gaps in the realisation of children’s rights in Egypt, particularly for children affected by overlapping disadvantages such as disability, poverty, social exclusion, geographic isolation and limited access to appropriate services. Egypt ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, and its 2014 Constitution affirms the state’s commitment to protecting children. National policies have subsequently sought to improve education, health and child-protection outcomes. Nevertheless, children with disabilities continue to experience barriers that can affect their ability to participate fully in family, school and community life. The call therefore moves beyond a narrow service-delivery model. Its overall objective is to contribute to the full realisation of the: • Rights • Dignity • Well-being • Participation • Equality of children with disabilities in Egypt. It aims to achieve this by supporting inclusive social environments, strengthening families and communities, and improving the institutional and systemic capacity needed to deliver accessible and equitable services. Why This Funding Opportunity Matters Children with disabilities can experience disadvantages at several different levels simultaneously. These can include: • Discrimination within families or communities • Exclusion from schools • Violence or neglect • Limited access to health and social services • Stigma • Inaccessible public spaces • Limited participation in community activities • Barriers to social protection • Insufficient family support • Lack of opportunities to express their views The programme is therefore deliberately broad. It recognizes that inclusion cannot be achieved by concentrating only on the child as an individual. Effective disability inclusion also depends on: • Parents • Caregivers • Schools • Health workers • Community organisations • Religious and community leaders • Government services • Social-protection systems • Accessible physical environments • Public attitudes The call is designed to support interventions capable of working across those interconnected levels. Global Objective of the Call The programme’s global objective is to contribute to the: Full realisation of the rights, dignity and well-being of children with disabilities in Egypt. It intends to do so by: • Promoting inclusive social environments • Strengthening families • Strengthening communities • Improving institutional capacity • Improving systemic capacity • Expanding access to equitable services • Expanding access to accessible services This makes the call relevant to organisations working in both direct service delivery and systems change. Specific Objective 1: Protecting the Rights of Children With Disabilities The first specific objective seeks to promote a: Rights-based approach to disability and child protection. The programme aims to protect children with disabilities from: • Discrimination • Neglect • Violence • Abuse while promoting equality. This framing is important because disability programmes can sometimes treat beneficiaries only as recipients of care. The EU call instead emphasizes children with disabilities as rights-holders. That approach can involve ensuring children and their families understand: • Their legal rights • Available services • Social-protection entitlements • Mechanisms for reporting abuse • Available support systems It also means institutions and communities should understand their responsibility to respect and uphold those rights. Specific Objective 2: Inclusion and Participation The second objective is focused on ensuring that children with disabilities can participate meaningfully in: • School • Peer groups • Community life It also aims to challenge: • Stigma • Harmful social norms • Discriminatory attitudes that restrict children’s development, participation or voice. Participation should therefore not be interpreted simply as physical presence. A child may technically attend school but still be excluded from learning, friendships, recreation or decision-making. Meaningful inclusion involves enabling children to: • Participate • Communicate • Learn • Play • Build friendships • Develop skills • Express opinions • Influence decisions affecting their lives Specific Objective 3: Strengthening Families and Caregivers The third objective recognizes the critical role played by: • Parents • Caregivers • Families • Community actors in enabling children with disabilities to thrive. The programme seeks to strengthen their capacity while supporting family- and community-based environments that promote the child’s: • Development • Well-being • Inclusion • Participation This can involve practical caregiving support as well as: • Counselling • Training • Peer support • Financial resilience • Links to social protection • Community rehabilitation Priority Area 1: Human Rights and Protection of Children With Disabilities The first priority focuses on protecting children with disabilities from harm while ensuring equal treatment. Eligible or relevant activities may include promoting: Non-discrimination and equality within: • Families • Schools • Communities This could potentially involve: • Rights-awareness campaigns • Community dialogue • Training for teachers • Child-protection mechanisms • Referral systems • Strengthening safeguarding practices The call is not limited to these examples, but proposed activities should clearly contribute to the programme objectives. Preventing Violence, Neglect, Abuse and Exploitation Projects under Priority Area 1 may work to prevent and respond to: • Violence • Neglect • Abuse • Exploitation affecting children with disabilities. The call specifically includes the promotion of: Positive parenting and non-violent discipline within families. This can be particularly important because children with disabilities may face heightened protection risks while also experiencing barriers to reporting mistreatment. Strong proposals might therefore combine: • Prevention • Awareness • Identification • Referral • Response • Family support rather than focusing only on awareness campaigns. Building the Capacity of Frontline Community Actors The call also highlights the importance of increasing awareness among frontline actors such as: • Teachers • Religious leaders • Health workers • Community volunteers These groups frequently interact with children and families and can play a central role in recognizing: • Abuse • Exclusion • Service needs • Protection risks Projects may therefore strengthen their ability to understand and uphold the rights of children with disabilities. Helping Families Access Integrated Service Cards Another possible intervention is helping children with disabilities and their families obtain: Integrated service cards and understand the rights and entitlements associated with them. This illustrates the practical nature of the call. A rights-based programme is not only about advocacy at national level. It can also help individual families navigate administrative systems and access benefits for which they are already eligible. Priority Area 2: Social Inclusion and Participation The second priority addresses the barriers that keep children with disabilities from fully participating in school and community life. Actions may support access to: • Inclusive education • Recreation • Community activities • School participation Projects might work directly with schools, communities, local organisations or families to create environments in which children with disabilities can participate alongside their peers. Inclusive Education Inclusive education is one of the clearest intervention areas under this priority. Programmes could potentially focus on: • School accessibility • Teacher capacity • Inclusive teaching • Peer support • Participation in school life • Family-school collaboration • Prevention of discrimination The objective should be not only to increase attendance but to improve actual participation and educational inclusion. Addressing Stigma and Harmful Social Norms The call explicitly encourages initiatives addressing: Stigma and discriminatory social norms through: • Awareness • Community engagement Stigma can limit children even where formal rights exist. For example, negative assumptions may lead communities to believe that children with disabilities: • Cannot learn • Should remain at home • Cannot participate in sport • Cannot make decisions • Should be treated differently from peers Projects addressing such attitudes should ideally go beyond one-directional awareness campaigns and promote sustained engagement with communities. Peer Interaction and Life Skills The programme also identifies: • Peer interaction • Life-skills development • Self-advocacy as possible areas of action. This recognizes the importance of children developing: • Confidence • Communication • Social relationships • Independence • Agency Projects may therefore directly support children with disabilities to become active participants rather than passive beneficiaries. Meaningful Participation in Decisions Children with disabilities should also have opportunities to participate in: Decisions affecting them. This may include decisions concerning:

• Applicant must be a nonprofit organisation (NGO) • Must be eligible to work in Egypt • Must address at least one of the three priority areas: human rights and protection of children with disabilities; social inclusion and participation; or family and enabling environments • At least 60% of eligible action costs must provide financial support to third parties such as Egyptian civil society organisations, community-based organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities • Applicants must demonstrate appropriate financing structure for project costs not covered by the EU grant (EU covers 51% to 95% of eligible costs) • Consult official EU Funding & Tenders/EuropeAid documentation for full eligibility criteria, partnership structure, budget rules, documentation and application procedures