Framework partnership agreements (FPAs) are implemented through Specific Grant Agreements (SGAs). Based upon an FPA, a procedure to award a SGA (included in this work programme part as “Specific Grant Agreements for a European Networked Catalyst Fund for Social Innovation in Support of the Missions”) provides an EU grant in line with the presented action plan to realise the joint objectives.

The FPA award procedure as presented here has no budget. The budget and rules on funding are set out in each SGA and depend on the specific type of action.

The Commission plans to establish 5 FPAs to ensure widest possible geographic coverage and make social innovation funding more prominent and more accessible across the EU and associated countries.

Having concluded an FPA does not entitle entities to be awarded an SGA.

To apply for the action, interested individual eligible entities or groups thereof should demonstrate that they have a track record as social innovation investors/financiers or that they have funded social innovation projects. Applicants do not need to be involved in the CSA HORIZON-MISS-2024-CROSS-01-01.

To apply for the action interested individual eligible entities or groups there of shall describe the unique contribution the partnership would make towards (1) the outcomes specified in this topic, and (2) the wider impacts, in the longer term, specified in the respective destinations in the work programme and submit an action plan serving the above-mentioned objectives – namely advancing the EU Missions by financing the scaling up social innovation projects and increasing the impact of Horizon Europe funding by attracting additional non-EU funds in the form of private and public contributions – for the use of the grant that the Commission could award them via an SGA. The action plan should include the following:

• prospect identification and selection, and investment decisions: how they plan to identify promising projects and select the ones that they invest in; the Commission invites applicants to refer to the Mission Implementation Plans when developing prospect identification and selection, and investment decision criteria;
• funding strategies and practices including selection and award procedures in place or to be put in place to award grants to final beneficiaries that scale-up social innovations: how they plan to finance social innovation. The funding strategy presented shall be based on an exemplary EU grant of up to €2 million complementary to own and other funds (see below) primarily to be granted to third parties over a period of up to 4 years (the maximum duration of the FPA). The amount here describes shall serve only as justification of the strategy, it does not constitute a formal financial proposal.
• financial architecture: how they plan to finance the upscaling of social innovations including the leverage that they can secure with the grant awarded by Horizon Europe through the SGA; the Commission expects applicants to match each €1 granted by the EU with €2 by non-EU sources as a minimum.
• monitoring and reporting: how they plan to monitor and report on the upscaling of social innovation projects;
• measuring and communicating impact: how they plan to measure and communicate on the impact achieved.

Blending Horizon Europe and non-EU resources would constitute a meaningful innovation in terms of EU co-investment schemes for social and environmental good.