Development Cooperation Grants 2026: What Changes for NGOs and Foundations

Key data

Entities dedicated to international cooperation face a regulatory change that enters into force even before its official publication. The Royal Decree 315/2026, of April 15, modifies Royal Decree 188/2025 which regulates grants in the field of cooperation for sustainable development and global solidarity, and does so with effect from April 15, 2026 itself, one day before its publication in the BOE.

This is not a minor formal change: any modification in eligibility requirements, application procedures, justification obligations or available amounts can have direct consequences on ongoing projects, open calls and grants already awarded. Entities that do not review their situation in time are exposed to involuntary non-compliance.

What does this regulation establish?

Royal Decree 315/2026 acts as a modifying regulation of Royal Decree 188/2025, of March 11, which is the regulatory framework for grants and aid in the field of cooperation for sustainable development and global solidarity in Spain.

According to available information, the changes introduced may affect the following aspects of the aid regime:

• Eligibility requirements: The conditions that entities must meet to access grants may have been modified.
• Application procedures: The steps, deadlines or documentation required to submit applications may have changed.
• Justification obligations: Entities with grants already awarded must verify whether the new justification requirements apply to them.
• Grant amounts: Available amounts or limits per project or entity may have been revised.

The regulation affects both ongoing calls and future calls, and potentially also the management and justification of projects already financed under the previous framework of Royal Decree 188/2025.

Economic and operational impact

The impact of this regulatory change materializes in three distinct areas for affected entities:

• Projects in application phase: If there are open calls under Royal Decree 188/2025, entities must verify whether their applications comply with the new eligibility requirements introduced by Royal Decree 315/2026 before submitting them or, if they have already submitted them, whether they must remedy or update documentation.
• Projects in execution: Entities with grants already awarded must review whether the new justification obligations apply to them retroactively or from the entry into force of the regulation. An error at this point can result in fund reimbursements.
• Planning of future projects: Organizations designing new cooperation initiatives must do so under the modified framework, not under the original Royal Decree 188/2025.

The main operational cost is not direct economic, but internal management: reviewing procedures, updating justification templates, training the technical and legal team, and where applicable adapting ongoing projects to the new requirements.

Who does it affect?

• NGOs dedicated to international cooperation for sustainable development.
• Foundations with global solidarity or development cooperation programs.
• Non-profit entities that are current beneficiaries or potential applicants for grants regulated by Royal Decree 188/2025.
• Project managers and coordinators in third sector entities with public funding in the field of cooperation.
• Legal and compliance departments of third sector organizations that must update their internal procedures.
• Advisors and consultants providing services to entities in the international cooperation sector.

Practical example

A Spanish foundation that currently manages three development cooperation projects financed through grants awarded under Royal Decree 188/2025 finds itself in the following situation after the entry into force of Royal Decree 315/2026:

• Project A (in execution, pending justification): Must review whether the new justification requirements apply to the financial report it must submit in the coming months. If the criteria have changed and it does not apply them, it may face a partial fund reimbursement requirement.
• Project B (application in progress): If it has a pending or in-preparation application for an open call, it must verify that it complies with the new eligibility requirements of Royal Decree 315/2026, not just those of the original Royal Decree 188/2025.
• Project C (in design phase): Must be planned entirely under the new regulatory framework, incorporating changes in procedures and requirements from the outset.

In all three cases, the first step is the same: read the text of Royal Decree 315/2026 and identify exactly which articles of Royal Decree 188/2025 have been modified and in what sense.

What should entities do now?

1. Read Royal Decree 315/2026 in full and identify which articles of Royal Decree 188/2025 it modifies and in what specific terms. This is the priority and immediate action.
2. Audit projects in execution to verify whether the new justification obligations apply to them and whether current documentation complies with the new requirements.
3. Review applications in progress to verify that the eligibility criteria used are those of the new regulatory framework, not those of the original Royal Decree 188/2025.
4. Update internal grant management procedures: templates, justification checklists, internal eligibility criteria and guides for the technical team.
5. Consult with the calling entity if there are doubts about how the changes apply to already published calls or grants already awarded.
6. Train the team responsible for project management on the changes introduced, especially regarding justification and eligibility.