ESTDEV opens 2026 calls for proposals

This year’s calls cover a wide geographic scope. Funding applications can be submitted for projects in Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Belarus, as well as Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. 

Supporting Ukraine and strengthening regional approach  

ESTDEV’s CEO Klen Jäärats says the 2026 calls reflect the organisation’s updated development cooperation strategy. 

“Supporting Ukraine is and will remain Estonia’s priority, and this is clearly visible in the call. At the same time, we have introduced a stronger regional approach in both Europe and Africa to better link Estonia’s development cooperation with external financing. This should create new global opportunities for our partner organisations to grow their impact.” 

Overview of calls and deadlines 

Ukraine: The call aims to support Ukraine’s EU integration-related reforms and to strengthen societal resilience in the face of long-term Russian aggression. Deadline: 30 January 2026.

Africa regional call: The Africa regional call aims to leverage Estonian expertise to support development in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Priority themes include innovation and the green-digital twin transition, systemic improvements in education, digital skills development, e-governance, cybersecurity, and the empowerment of women and girls. Deadline: 30 January 2026.

Armenia: Projects are expected to draw on Estonia’s best practices in democratic governance, digital development and improving education quality. Deadline: 16 January 2026 

Moldova: The call supports Moldova’s EU integration efforts, modernization of education, and enhancement of societal resilience. Deadline: 16 January 2026 

Belarus: Funding will prioritize strengthening the democratic Belarusian civil society operating in exile. Deadline: 16 January 2026 

Key changes in the 2026 calls 

The 2026 calls for proposals introduces several updates, following changes to the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ regulation governing Estonia’s development cooperation and humanitarian aid. ESTDEV’s internal funding principles have also been revised to increase clarity and consistency. 

Grant Manager Marika Kundla says the updates were necessary: “We needed to harmonise financing principles and align them with the actual procedures ESTDEV applies.” 

A notable practical change is that applicants no longer need to list indirect administrative costs separately. These are now automatically calculated as up to 7% of eligible direct costs, already built into the updated budget template available in the Application Processing Information System. 

To ensure a transparent and impartial assessment process, ESTDEV will now include independent experts - professionals from fields outside traditional development cooperation - into evaluation committees. 

“Their expertise will help assess project applications more effectively and strengthen the impact of Estonia’s development cooperation programmes,” Kundla notes. 

There will be no separate scholarship call in 2026. Instead, scholarship activities can be included as part of larger development projects. This approach ensures that scholarships are directly linked to the needs of the target country and contribute more effectively to the project’s overall goals. 

Grant manager for Africa region, Annika Leek explains: “Embedding scholarship activities into wider projects avoids fragmentation and ensures greater overall impact. Applicants to the Ukraine and Africa calls can request up to €50,000 in additional support for scholarship components.” 

For more information, application guidelines, and access to required documents, applicants are encouraged to visit ESTDEV’s Application Processing Information System.