EU funds for a private kindergarten and care home: the North-East call offering up to €300,000

If you run a private kindergarten, an after-school club or a care home for older people set up as an SRL, the call for private companies with a confirmed submission date that we have identified is the one for micro-enterprises in the North-East Region (Bacău, Botoșani, Iași, Neamț, Suceava, Vaslui). The grant is between €100,000 and €300,000, and applications are submitted in MySMIS2021 from 28 September 2026, 14:00, until 28 October 2026, 14:00. Which CAEN codes the call accepts is determined by Annex 5 of the final guide, so the first step is to check your activity's code there.

In brief

• Programme: North-East Regional Programme 2021–2027, Priority 1 – Investments for the modernisation of micro-enterprises, Call 2 (PR/NE/2026/P1/RSO1.3/2/1)
• Authority: ADR North-East, as Managing Authority
• Beneficiaries: micro-enterprises (companies established under Law 31/1990) with their registered office in the North-East Region
• Total budget: €20,370,738.40
• Value per project: €100,000–300,000 non-refundable, de minimis aid, own contribution of at least 10%
• Submission period: 28 September 2026, 14:00 – 28 October 2026, 14:00, in MySMIS2021
• Status: final guide published on 27 August 2026, competitive call with a minimum threshold of 70 points

Which programmes suit a private kindergarten or care home right now?

There are currently no EU funds dedicated exclusively to private kindergartens or care homes. There are, however, general calls for SMEs that such a business can enter if it meets the conditions. What can be used as of 27 September 2026:

• PR North-East, micro-enterprises, Call 2: the call whose submission window opens on 28 September. Details in the programme sheet.
• PR South-East, Action 1.6: micro-enterprises in the Danube Delta ITI, call in preparation. The submission period has not yet been announced (call sheet).
• PR South-East, SME digitalisation (Action 1.3): call announced, but the launch and submission period have not been officially confirmed. Useful if you want a platform for parents, management software or a resident monitoring system.
• PoCIDIF 6.1, EDIH hubs: they do not provide money, but digitalisation services for SMEs. Check on the programme's website whether the call is open on the date you apply.

For micro-enterprises in the North-West, Centre, West, South-Muntenia and Bucharest-Ilfov, we have not identified a regional call with open submission at this date, and a new call window has not been officially announced.

Who can apply to the North-East call?

The conditions below come from the applicant's guide and from ADR North-East's official answers during the public consultation:

• the company is a micro-enterprise (fewer than 10 employees, turnover or assets of no more than €2 million) and has its registered office in one of the region's six counties. All six counties are eligible;
• the company is a company established under Law 31/1990. PFAs, sole proprietorships (II) and family businesses (IF) are not eligible, and the MA has stated clearly that it will not extend the call to them;
• the company was established no later than 3 January 2025, had operating profit at 31 December 2025 and did not suspend its activity in 2025 or 2026;
• the company is not in difficulty or in insolvency;
• the CAEN code of the investment appears in Annex 5 – List of eligible fields of activity. The list uses CAEN Rev. 3 and was revised after the consultation.

Important: Annex 5 can only be found in the guide archive published on regionordest.ro. We could not confirm in the official document whether pre-school education or residential care services appear in the final list. Open Annex 5 and look for the exact code of your activity before spending anything on preparing the project.

Which costs are eligible?

According to ADR North-East, the call funds:

• construction, extension or modernisation of production or service premises;
• equipment, installations, furniture and IT equipment;
• renewable energy systems: photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, heat pumps;
• patents, licences and software;
• marketing and branding;
• digitalisation solutions.

What is not funded: salaries, because, according to the MA's answers, the call covers investments in tangible and intangible assets, not running costs. Motor vehicles and other means of transport are not funded either, as the applicant's guide excludes them regardless of the field of activity. A minibus for transporting children or residents therefore cannot be part of the project. Equipment that uses fossil fuels is also excluded.

How and by when do you apply?

The application is submitted electronically only, in MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+, between 28 September 2026, 14:00, and 28 October 2026, 14:00. The call is competitive: a project needs at least 70 points, and the budget of €20.37 million covers, according to one consultation participant's calculation, about 70 projects of the maximum value. ADR North-East has a self-assessment tool that estimates the score based on ANAF data. The result is only indicative. Implementation must be completed by 31 December 2029.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation, as consultants: for a kindergarten or care home, this call is especially worthwhile when you want to extend or modernise the building, buy furniture and equipment, install photovoltaics or a heat pump, or digitalise your activity. If you mainly need money for salaries or day-to-day operation, this call will not help you.

• Check your CAEN code today in Annex 5. If your activity does not appear there, stop preparing the project.
• Check your de minimis ceiling. The grant is added to the other de minimis aid received over 3 years, and the ceiling is €300,000.
• Prepare the sector-specific authorisations in good time. Works on buildings for children or older people must comply with the operating rules of the activity. Talk to the designer before you fix the budget.
• Common pitfall: companies established after 3 January 2025 or those with an operating loss in 2025 are not eligible, however good the project.

If you are not in the North-East, follow the South-East calls that are in preparation. In the meantime, you can take the eligibility check to see what suits you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I receive EU funds for a private kindergarten in 2026?

Yes, if the company is a micro-enterprise with its registered office in the North-East Region, meets the conditions of Call 2 of PR North-East and the CAEN code of the investment appears in Annex 5 of the final guide. Submission takes place between 28 September and 28 October 2026. The grant is between €100,000 and €300,000.

Can a care home run as an NGO apply to this call?

No. The call is open only to micro-enterprises established as companies under Law 31/1990. NGOs, PFAs and sole proprietorships are not eligible applicants.

Can I buy a minibus to transport children?

No. According to the applicant's guide, motor vehicles and means of transport are not eligible costs in this call, regardless of the field of activity.

How much do I have to contribute myself?

At least 10% of the eligible costs, plus ineligible costs and VAT if you cannot recover it. A higher contribution earns additional points in the evaluation grid.

What do I do if my company is not in the North-East?

In the other regions we have not identified similar calls with open submission. Calls are being prepared for the Danube Delta ITI and for SME digitalisation in the South-East, but the submission dates have not yet been announced.

Official sources

• Regio North-East – Modernisation of micro-enterprises, Call 2 (final guide and annexes)
• ADR North-East – call launch announcement
• Applicant's guide – Investments for the modernisation of micro-enterprises, Call 2
• Summary of questions and answers from the public consultation

Information checked on 27 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.