The aim of the grant project competition is to support the implementation of development cooperation projects in partner countries in order to promote the long-term social and economic development of these countries, strengthen good governance, democratic participation, and sustainable growth.
The competition gives geographical priority to projects in the European Union’s Eastern Neighbourhood (Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia, as well as Georgia for the support of civil society and independent media), countries of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan), and the African region.
For each country, thematic priorities in the competition have been set in accordance with Latvia’s development cooperation policy and the specific needs of partner countries. In all areas of development cooperation, emphasis is placed on such principles as democracy, gender equality, involvement of civil society, environmental sustainability, alongside climate change issues. In all projects, digitalisation has been made a horizontal priority wherever appropriate.
The total available funding from the Latvian state budget for the competition in 2026 is up to EUR 744,805. The amount of grant available for a single development cooperation project ranges from EUR 40,000 to EUR 80,000. The projects are due to be implemented in 2026.
Project proposals must be submitted in an electronic form by 23:59 on 15 March 2026 to the e-mail address granta.konkurss@mfa.gov.lv. The applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
Eligible applicants are institutions of direct and indirect public administration of the Republic of Latvia, derived public entities, as well as associations, foundations, commercial companies, trade unions and other entities registered in the Republic of Latvia. The project applicant must have at least one cooperation partner in the partner country.
Project applications will be assessed on the basis of their alignment with development cooperation objectives and partner country needs, the experience of the applicant and its partners, and the feasibility of the proposed activities and budget. Additional points will be awarded to projects in priority regions / partner countries, civil society organisations, new applicants, and projects with co-financing.
In order to provide practical information on the competition specifications, on 19 February 2026 at 11:00, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites all those interested to an informative seminar, covering the requirements for preparing project applications and matters related to the project evaluation procedure. The seminar will be organised in a hybrid format, thus offering in-person and virtual attendance options.
Please apply for participation in the seminar not later than by 17 February by sending the participant’s full name, e-mail address, and information on whether attendance is planned in person or remotely to the e-mail address AttistibasSadarbiba@mfa.gov.lv. The link to the webinar will be sent out on 18 February 2026.
Complete details of the competition specifications are available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For further information, please call us at (+371) 67016227 or write an e-mail to AttistibasSadarbiba@mfa.gov.lv.