FSE+ 2026: grants to transform 250 early care centers in Spain

Key data

Entities from the Third Sector of Social Action with state-wide scope have a concrete opportunity for European financing: the Order SND/1063/2026 approves regulatory bases and a call for proposals in competitive competition to select operations cofinanced by the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+). The objective is to support the transformation of 250 centers, services and early care teams so that they adapt to the new standards of the State Consensus for the Improvement of Early Care.

The call is framed within the Social Inclusion, Child Guarantee and Poverty Reduction Program, within the specific objective ESO4.12 of FSE+ 2021-2027, focused on the social integration of people at risk of poverty. The actions prioritize areas with greater social vulnerability and seek to standardize care quality throughout the national territory under principles of universality, free access and territorial equity.

What does this regulation establish?

Order SND/1063/2026 simultaneously approves the regulatory bases and the call for proposals for the selection of operations under the title "Actions to support centers, services and early care teams for their adaptation to the new standards of the State Consensus for the Improvement of Early Care".

The structural elements of the call are as follows:

The ultimate objective is to standardize care quality in early care throughout Spanish territory, ensuring that centers operate under principles of universality, free access and territorial equity, aligned with the State Consensus on Early Care.

Economic and operational impact

For Third Sector entities working in early care, this call represents a direct route to European financing to modernize their centers and services. Selected operations will receive FSE+ cofinancing within the 2021-2027 programming period, with an execution horizon extending until December 2029.

From an operational perspective, entities that are selected must:

• Adapt their centers, services or teams to the new standards of the State Consensus for the Improvement of Early Care.
• Comply with the monitoring, control and justification requirements demanded by Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.
• Demonstrate state-wide implementation, which excludes entities with exclusively regional or local scope.
• Demonstrate that their actions prioritize areas with greater social vulnerability.

The territorial impact is significant: by setting 250 centers throughout the country as a target, the call aims for systemic transformation of the early care model in Spain, not isolated interventions.

Who does it affect?

• Non-profit entities from the Third Sector of Social Action with state-wide scope that manage or support early care centers, services or teams.
• Federations and confederations from the Third Sector with national implementation that can articulate operations at state level.
• Early care centers, services and teams that want to adapt to the State Consensus and need technical and financial support to do so.
• FSE+ program managers in Third Sector entities responsible for identifying and preparing calls for European funds.

Expressly excluded are for-profit entities and non-profit entities that do not have state-wide scope of action.

Practical example

A state-wide federation of early care associations that brings together entities in several autonomous communities can submit an operation to support the transformation of a set of associated centers distributed throughout the national territory, prioritizing those located in areas with higher social vulnerability indices.

If the operation is selected in competitive competition, the federation will receive FSE+ cofinancing to execute support actions—training, technical advice, protocol implementation—that allow those centers to meet the new standards of the State Consensus. All execution must be completed before December 2029 and must be justified in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, which requires transparent and non-discriminatory selection criteria.

An entity with exclusively regional scope—even if it manages several quality centers—cannot directly apply to this call: it would need to coordinate with a state-wide entity to participate.

What should entities do now?

1. Verify eligibility: Confirm that the entity meets the requirement of being a non-profit entity from the Third Sector of Social Action with state-wide scope of action.
2. Review the full text of Order SND/1063/2026: Identify the specific selection criteria, required documentation and application submission deadlines published in the BOE.
3. Map centers susceptible to transformation: Identify which centers, services or teams of the entity or member entities need to adapt to the State Consensus and in which areas of greater social vulnerability they are located.
4. Prepare the operation with competitive criteria: Design the proposal taking into account that selection is in competitive competition and that criteria must be transparent and non-discriminatory in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.
5. Plan execution until December 2029: Establish a realistic timeline that ensures complete justification of actions within the maximum execution deadline.
6. Consult with the European funds management team: Ensure that the entity has the administrative capacity to manage FSE+ cofinancing and comply with the program's monitoring and control requirements.

Official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-20973