Energy-desk grant
Grant for a nonprofit organisation running independent energy advice and outreach for residents and businesses in Zeist.
Questa opportunità è attualmente disponibile in inglese.
Fund a physical and digital energy desk that helps people save energy, generate or store renewable energy and make buildings free of natural gas. The service covers tenants and homeowners, building owners, businesses, business parks, private landlords, owners’ associations, heritage-building owners and neighbourhood initiatives. The grant pays for informing and encouraging these groups, rather than installing the energy measures themselves.
The municipality advertises a maximum grant of €512,000 for 2027. The policy separately sets an annual aggregate budget of €512,500 for energy-desk awards: this is the total available for awarding grants, allocated by quality until the pool is used. Applications can cover part of the service and may receive a partial award. These amounts describe different limits. Budgets remain subject to municipal council approval and annual indexation.
A grant can cover up to four years, subject to funds being available each year. You must submit an updated activity plan annually. The municipality prefers a continuing relationship with one partner able to cover all energy topics and target groups.
Eligibility
Your organisation must have a legal form and operate without a profit motive. Set up both a physical and digital desk offering independent, expert advice without a commercial interest. Know the municipal heat programme and include it in the information you provide.
You may apply for a specific topic or target group if you explain why a separate provider adds value and cooperate well with the main energy-desk partner. Limited experience with a target group can result in a partial award. Monitor your work, learn and adjust your approach, supply the municipality’s accountability data, and report important developments and results.
Applications compete on demonstrated impact, monitoring and learning, knowledge of target groups, relevant expertise, involvement of local volunteers, cooperation with local partners, fit with existing projects without overlap, cofinancing or own resources, and organisational continuity for longer relationships. More own resources improve the score; they are not stated as a fixed contribution rate.
The activities must predominantly benefit Zeist or its residents and you must demonstrate that the grant is necessary. Commercial activities, work already completed or knowledge already shared, infeasible plans, inadequate or negative impact, unreasonable costs, insufficient expertise or cooperation, multiple applications by one party on the same theme, or an exhausted budget can lead to refusal. Activities already substantially provided elsewhere, party-political, religious or philosophical promotion, integrity grounds under the Dutch public-administration integrity law (Wet Bibob), and breaches of applicable legal or state-aid rules can also be refused; incompatible European Commission aid decisions or an outstanding Commission recovery order require refusal.
How to apply
- Stato
- chiude 1 nov 2026
- Chiude
- Restrizioni del bando
- Apply before 1 November 2026 for 2027; awards are competitive and subject to the annual budget.
Apply through the municipality’s subsidy application form using DigiD or eHerkenning (level 2+ for organisations) before 1 November 2026 for activities in 2027. Applications submitted before 1 November receive their assessment and any award before 1 December. This energy-desk grant follows the content-assessed procedure in articles 10–17.
Describe your activities, their financial justification, objectives, expected results and impact. Include a budget and financing plan showing other subsidies or reimbursements sought for the same work and their status. If your organisation carries out economic activity, include the required information on publicly funded support and a de-minimis declaration about public aid. For an annual legal-entity grant, report the current balance of your equalisation reserve (egalisatiereserve). First-time legal-entity applicants also submit their incorporation deed, statutes, previous year’s annual report, accounts and balance sheet; the municipality may adjust which documents it requires.
For awards below €5,000, the municipality confirms the final grant amount directly, with proof of delivery due within 12 weeks after implementation. At exactly €5,000, the general municipal grant rules (ASV) allow the municipality to confirm the final grant amount directly or later and may require proof as specified in the award. For awards above €5,000, ask the municipality to confirm the final grant amount (vaststelling) before 1 May after the subsidy period or within 12 weeks after completing the activities. Include a report on delivery, cooperation and results and an income-and-expenditure report. Above €100,000, also provide a balance sheet with explanation and an independent accountant’s audit opinion. Multiyear awards require annual substantive and financial reports and a balance sheet with explanation, plus the accountant’s opinion above €100,000.
Immediately notify the municipality if activities or grant obligations are unlikely to be fulfilled. Give immediate written notice of relevant organisational or financial changes, steps to end the funded activities or dissolve the organisation, and relevant changes to statutes or directors. Inadequate delivery or accountability may reduce the final grant and lead to partial recovery.