- Sector
- Private
- Level of governance
- Other
- Country
- AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyKazakhstanKosovoLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgNorth MacedoniaMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTürkiyeUkraineUnited KingdomVatican City
- Lighthouse
- Atlantic and Arctic basinMediterranean Sea basinBaltic and North Sea basinDanube-Black Sea
- Funding mechanisms
- Grants
- Managing institutions
- Arcadia
- Mission Objectives
- 1. Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Description of the funding initiative
The mission of the Open Rivers Programme is the restoration of endangered European rivers by supporting interventions that result in the removal of small dams and the restoration of the flow of rivers and biodiversity. The Programme offers grants to support the following projects that contribute to this mission:
- Programme supported dam removals: These grants will support a range of interventions that lead to the removal of small dams in catchments that offer the highest potential for river restoration and ecosystem recovery. These interventions include barrier identification and prioritisation, pre-demolition, and dam removal.
- Enabling others to remove dams: These grants will support preparatory work when funding for the dam removal (demolition) can be sourced from an alternative funder.
- Enabling the European dam removal movement: These grants are not linked to specific removals but support interventions that result in dam removal becoming more widely accepted and implemented by others, which results in more rivers being restored across Europe.
Overview of eligibility requirements for applicants
Potential applicants are encouraged to consult the application resources: https://openrivers.eu/grants/apply-for-a-grant/
The following organisations may apply to the programmes with variations between programmes:
- A charitable organisation.
- An organisation with not-for-profit status.
- Public sector entity (but not for the Enabling the European dam removal movement Programme)
It is expected that most applicants will be organisations with an environmental focus and a track record of restoring rivers / ecological work. Public and private organisations and community groups may wish to apply and the Managing Authority, Arcardia, encourages their participation in projects as partners but will not accept unsolicited applications from these groups. These groups may contact the programme to explore options if they are not able to identify a suitable NGO coordinator for a project.
Projects must be implemented in Greater Europe and coordinating partners must be registered in Greater Europe and excludes overseas territories. Projects and coordinating partners from Kazakhstan and Russia may be located in and come from the West of the River Ural and as far east as the Urals, respectively.
Rules on co-financing
No information found.
Procedures to submit proposal
Apply for a grant using the online portal: https://openrivers.smartsimpleuk.com/s_Login.jsp
The date(s) for the next round of Calls for Proposals and additional information are provided at: https://openrivers.eu/grants/apply-for-a-grant/
Relevant websites
Contact points
