The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the EU’s main instrument for investing in people and supporting the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. With a budget of €142.7 billion for the period 2021-2027, the ESF+ will continue to provide an important contribution to the EU’s employment, social, education and skills policies.
The ESF+ finances the implementation of the principles from the European Pillar for Social Rights through actions in the areas of employment, education & skills and social inclusion.
The ESF+ will support EU policy implementation and national structural reforms in these fields, thus contributing to Member States’ efforts to reduce unemployment, advance quality and equal opportunities in education and training and improve social inclusion and integration.
In all its investments, the ESF+ will promote the horizontal principles of gender equality, respect for fundamental rights, equal opportunities and non-discrimination. ESF+ funding will therefore be vital to ensure Europe’s fair and inclusive recovery, and will focus on the following objectives: social inclusion, education and skills, employment.
Following the entry into force on 20 September 2025 of an amendment of the ESF+ regulation, Member States may now receive financial incentives and additional flexibilities for introducing new priorities dedicated to the following areas in their programmes: developing skills in civil preparedness, and the defence industry (including dual-use capabilities), and cybersecurity. Accordingly, measures to foster skills in these sectors can be supported if they contribute to the ESF+ specific objectives in the area of employment and education.
For instance, thanks to this amendment, firefighters and organisations such as the Red Cross may benefit from the ESF+ in order to support skills development actions in the area of civil preparedness necessary to enabling them to respond to crisis situations. These type of actions will contribute to the ESF+ specific objective of promoting lifelong learning.
ESF+ delivers grants, financial instruments or prizes or a combination thereof.
Support under the ESF+ is mainly managed by Member States, with the Commission playing a supervisory role. Funding therefore either takes place at national level, through a shared management strand, implemented by Member States and their regions in partnership with the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL, European Commission).
Funding can also take place at EU level through the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Strand, which is implemented by the Commission (direct management), or through entrusted entities (indirect management), such as the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation.
Most ESF+ funding is distributed by Member States at the national or regional level under shared management. For each 7-year-long programming period, Member States and the European Commission define the priorities for ESF+ investments, which are detailed in national and regional programmes. These programmes outline how ESF+ resources will be used to address specific challenges.
Each programme has a Managing Authority, whose main responsibility is to manage the programme with a view to deliver its objectives. Among other tasks, the Managing Authority is responsible for: selecting projects, monitoring implementation and providing information on the programme.
EU Member States and participating countries (subject to signed agreements) as well as third countries (for certain actions).
ESF+ funding is typically awarded on a project-by-project basis. To be eligible for funding, applicants must ensure that their project aligns with the priorities and objectives of ESF+, meets the specific criteria of the relevant funding strand, and demonstrates a unique value proposition that sets it apart from others. The eligibility criteria for ESF+ funding are determined on the basis of EU law, at the national and regional level in each country.
Generally, the following groups can be identified as the main beneficiaries of the fund: public bodies, private sector entities, particularly small businesses, universities, associations, NGOs, and voluntary organisations, foreign firms with a base in the area covered by the relevant programme may also apply, as long as they comply with EU public procurement rules.
For information on how to apply, please check the call specific page:
Official program website: European Social Fund Plus.
An example of a project with disaster risk management relevance is e-JUMP. This project aims to develop the qualification and support the retraining of collectively dismissed workers, linked to various elements such as economic transformations, the impacts of the COVID 19 health crisis, the impacts of the floods of July 2021 in the disaster-stricken regions of Wallonia and the development of new forms of work resulting in the disappearance of certain jobs.