The HRF is meant to support activities in line with the relevant priorities of the Dutch human rights policy:

• Supporting human rights defenders;
• Equal rights for LGBTIQ+ persons;
• Freedom of expression, internet freedom and independent journalism;
• Equal rights for women and girls;

The focus of the proposed project should be on at least one of the priority areas of Dutch human rights policy mentioned above. In light of the current Hungarian context, particular attention will be given to projects that foster an enabling environment for meaningful civic participation and strengthen checks and balances. They should address the needs of civil society as, among others, identified in the principles articulated in the Civil Minimum 2026 – the guideline aiming to foster a healthy, strong, and diverse civil sector.

Project proposals need to meet the following criteria in order to be considered:

• The applying organization must have operations in Hungary.
• If your organization has been financially supported by the Embassy in previous years, the previous project should be finished in a satisfactory manner before the starting date of a new project, or have a different target group and objective.
• The project must start as soon as possible, should last for at least one year and should finish within three years after the starting date.
• The requested grant should be under EUR 25 000. A detailed budget should be enclosed with the application form in a separate document in Excel format or Word table format.
• The proposal should include clear and feasible goals and sustainable expected results.
• Project proposals must be concise and focus on the intended activities and results.
• Only the detailed budget and short addendums elaborating on the requested information in the standard application form will be accepted as attachments. Please do not send any attachments, such as letters of recommendation or other background documents supporting your application as they will not be taken into consideration.
• Focus of the project should be on at least one of the priority areas of the Dutch human rights policy mentioned above.  

The deadline for submitting project proposals is 4 October 2026, 11:59 PM.

Project proposals must be submitted to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Budapest via e-mail to bdp-hrf@minbuza.nl.  Only proposals sent to this email address will be taken into consideration.

Subject of the e-mail should be “HRF26 Round 2 - [name of applying organization]”.

Due to the limited amount of funding available, meeting all formal criteria does not automatically mean selection of the proposal. Project proposals received will be subjected to a competitive selection procedure. In assessing the proposals the Embassy will, inter alia, take the following factors into account:

• Relevance of the project to the human rights objectives of the Netherlands and to the Hungarian context;
• The expected sustainable and tangible impact including, where relevant, constructive engagement with public authorities and other relevant stakeholders;
• Balance between the scope of the project activities and proposed budget;
• Past performance;
• Joint applications with other Hungarian organisations are welcomed – informal groups can apply through a legally registered organization;
• We will look with special interest to longer-term (multi-annual) projects and projects executed outside of the capital.

The Embassy will assess all received proposals and inform applicants accordingly no later than 7 November 2026. A personal (or telephone) meeting could be part of the selection procedure. After the final decision, organisations whose proposals are approved will receive a grant decision. At that time they will be informed about the reporting requirements.

If you have any questions, please contact the Embassy through bdp-hrf@minbuza.nl. 

Link to the application form