Open for application

Sectoral Partnerships Pillar 2

Last checked on:

1 October 2024

Published on:

23 October 2024

Is your civil society organisation based in the Netherlands? Do you participate in agreements on International Responsible Business Conduct under the guidance of the Social and Economic Council (Sociaal-Economische Raad (SER)? The Sectoral Partnerships subsidy Pillar 2 aims to support your participation in a Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) sector agreement.

The subsidy is for civil society organisations to contribute their knowledge and experience for due diligence during the implementation phase of RBC sector agreements. Civil society organisations can also apply for subsidies in partnership with companies for projects that focus on actionable perspectives arising from the RBC due diligence process.

Budget and application period

Start date:

Tuesday 1 October 2024

End date:

Monday 30 June 2025

Total budget:

€ 3,000,000

New subsidy policy framework

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has been carrying out the subsidy programme Sectoral Partnerships since 2022. After an evaluation in 2023, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated the subsidy policy framework. The minister shared the evaluation results and advice in a parliamentary letter. The letter states that:

The Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) will play a role in preparing businesses for international Responsible Business Conduct (RBC);
The assessment criteria and threshold requirements for applicants will be lowered;
New partnerships must have a duration of 5 years. This will allow the subsidy policy framework to fund projects until 31 December 2029.

See publications below for the policy frameworks published in the Government Gazette.

Sectoral Partnerships

With this programme, we aim to make it easier for Dutch entrepreneurs to meet OECD guidelines and United Nation's human rights and business principles. This way, entrepreneurs can address and reduce the worst risks in their value chains together. These risks include human rights violations, child labour and environmental hazards. By carrying out due diligence with companies in their sectors, entrepreneurs can:

Lower individual costs;
Work on mutual trust;
Learn from each other; and
Make an impact together.

This also makes it easier to follow future European legislation.

For whom

This subsidy is for civil society organisations participating in a Responsible Business Conduct sector agreement. These organisations work to reduce the risks associated with responsible business conduct in international value chains. The activities of civil society organisations should align with their core activities. If you are interested in an initial, no-obligation consultation with one of our advisors, please send your request to sesam@rvo.nl.

Budget and application period

The Sectoral Partnerships (Pillar 2) subsidy programme runs for 5 years from 2024 to 2029. We assess subsidies on a 'first-come, first-served' basis by processing complete applications in the order of receipt.

Applicants must start their projects within 6 months of receiving the subsidy and complete it within 5 years unless the sector agreement's duration is shorter. Applicants must complete their activities by 31 December 2029.

The maximum annual amount you can apply for eligible activities is €150,000 for each sector agreement. This applies for the remainder of the partnership programme period or until 31 December 2029 at the latest.

There are 2 types of eligible activities:the

One-time, overarching activities per partnership, such as active involvement in a steering committee, communication and reporting;
Thematic activities, such as the time invested in working groups and other project-related activities.

Terms and conditions

The terms and conditions are only available in Dutch. Please visit the Dutch Sectoral Partnerships Pillar 2 webpage to read all terms and conditions and how to apply for a subsidy.