Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To establish innovative financing schemes that increase the amount of private finance allocated to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
Target recipients: Organizations, including private sector stakeholders (e.g., financial institutions, energy services market operators) and local/regional authorities, capable of setting up and piloting such schemes.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Energy, Finance, Construction.
Geographic scope: At least one eligible country under the LIFE programme (primarily EU Member States).
Key filtering criteria: Focus on innovative financial instruments for sustainable energy, capacity to pilot and potentially replicate schemes, and ability to leverage private capital.
Grant frequency: Recurring, as part of the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025-2027.

Financial Structure

Funding mechanism: Grant funding (LIFE Project Grants / Other Action Grants).
Suggested EU Contribution: Up to EUR 1.5 million per proposal.
Funding rate: 95% of eligible costs.
Total budget for this topic: EUR 7,000,000 for 2025.
Eligible costs: Not detailed, but activities related to setting up and piloting innovative financing schemes for energy efficiency/renewables.
Co-financing: Schemes may involve equity and debt, potentially combined with non-reimbursable grants ('blending'). Public funds can be used as a catalyst and/or in blended approaches.
Financial viability: Proposals must clearly demonstrate the financial viability of the proposed scheme.
Financial reporting and audit requirements: Described in section 10 of the call document (Legal and financial set-up of the grants) and the LIFE MGA.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Status

Eligible applicants: Single applicant or applicants from a single eligible country.
Types of actors that can initiate schemes: Private sector stakeholders, local and regional authorities, and 'other types of actors'. This suggests a broad range of legal entities (e.g., companies, public bodies, NGOs, universities, financial institutions).

Geographic Requirements

Scheme establishment: Must be set up in at least 1 eligible country under the LIFE programme (all EU Member States).

Project Scope

Focus: Must set up an innovative financing scheme leveraging private finance for investments in energy efficiency, potentially combined with renewables and energy storage.
Operational requirement: The financing scheme must be operational by the end of the project.
Pilot testing: The financing scheme must be pilot tested during the project time.
Replication plan: Proposals should include a plan for replication and/or rollout of the scheme beyond the initial target region(s).

Exclusion Criteria

Not explicitly listed, but standard EU financial regulations apply (e.g., financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria described in section 7 of the call document).

Application Process

Application Timeline

Call opening: 2025-04-24
Submission deadline: 2025-09-23 at 00:00:00.000+0000 UTC.
Evaluation timeline: Indicative timeline described in section 4 of the call document (not provided).

Submission Process

Submission system: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Submission type: Single-stage.

Required Documentation

Standard application form (LIFE SAP and OAG)
Detailed budget table (LIFE)
Participant information (LIFE)
Proposals are expected to adhere to page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form.

Support & Guidance

Available support: National Contact Points (NCPs), Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, IT Helpdesk, Online Manual, Info session recordings/presentations, Frequently Asked Questions.

Evaluation Criteria

The provided text refers to 'section 9 of the call document' for award criteria, scoring and thresholds. Without access to that document, the following criteria are inferred from the 'Expected Impact' and 'Scope' sections: Expected Impact & Contribution

Concrete results: Proposals should present concrete results delivered by activities.
Contribution to topic-specific impacts: Demonstrate how results contribute to increasing private finance for sustainable energy.
Financing scheme readiness: Demonstrate operational and ready-to-finance schemes with credible access to financing sources and a prospective investment pipeline.
Quantifiable results: Quantify results and impacts using provided indicators (e.g., number of investment projects, volume of investments, number of investors/project developers, investments in sustainable energy triggered, energy savings, GHG emission reduction).
Causality links: Establish clear causality links between results and expected impact.
Long-term impact: Quantify results for the end of the project and 5 years after.

Innovation & Business Case

Innovation: Clearly demonstrate how the proposed scheme is innovative.
Complementarity: Justify how the scheme complements available funding schemes.
Business case & financial viability: Clearly demonstrate the business case and financial viability (e.g., market analysis, investment sizes, transaction/management costs, expected returns).
Additionality: Demonstrate the additionality of the proposed financing scheme compared to existing market practices.

Replication & Scalability

Replication plan: Plan for replication and/or rollout beyond initial target regions, including analysis of legal and market conditions.
Building on existing schemes: Can build on and/or upscale successfully tested innovative financing schemes.

Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination

Stakeholder support: Demonstrate support from targeted stakeholder groups and detail their involvement.
Complementarity with public funds: Explain how the scheme complements available public funds (e.g., EU Cohesion funds).
Coordination: Coordinate with and potentially participate in national hubs of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Alignment with EU Policies: Projects must align with objectives of the European Green Deal, REPowerEU Plan, revised Energy Efficiency Directive, and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs): Schemes should contribute to national strategies for achieving 2030 energy efficiency targets and building renovation policy objectives.

Financial & Legal Compliance

EU Financial Regulation: Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Legal & Financial Set-up: Adherence to requirements outlined in section 10 of the call document and the LIFE Model Grant Agreement (MGA).
Legal Entity Validation: Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment apply.

Scheme Design Requirements

Innovation: The financing scheme must be innovative.
Geographic presence: Scheme must be established in at least one eligible country.
Operational status: The scheme must be operational by the end of the project.
Pilot testing: The scheme must be pilot tested during the project timeframe.
Demand & Supply: Address the provision of finance and ensure the availability of demand (project pipeline).
Market analysis: Include detailed market analysis justifying the scheme.
Complementarity: Demonstrate complementarity to available public funds, particularly EU Cohesion funds.

Special Considerations

Public funds as catalyst: Emphasis on using public funds to mobilize private capital.
Synergies & Partnerships: Stimulate synergies and develop long-term partnerships between financial institutions and energy services market operators.
Coordination: Coordinate with and potentially participate in national hubs of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition.
Risk perception: Proposals acknowledge and aim to address private investors' perception of sustainable energy investments as risky or insufficiently profitable.

Grant Details