What is Concurrent Grant Funding?

Concurrent grant funding occurs when a single project is co-financed simultaneously from multiple grant programs or funds (such as structural funds, national schemes, or international programs).

This arrangement is generally prohibited unless the guidelines of a specific call explicitly state otherwise. The primary reason for this restriction is to prevent double funding.

What is double funding?

Double funding occurs when the same eligible expenditure (or a portion thereof) is covered more than once using public resources, such as EU funds, state budgets, or other grant schemes.

This constitutes an impermissible situation leading to the unauthorized drawdown of financial support in violation of grantor rules. Such non-compliance can result in the mandatory repayment of allocated funds or severe financial penalties.

How to avoid the risk of double funding

To ensure smooth project implementation and eliminate the threat of sanctions, it is essential to follow these practices:

• Plan your short-term and medium-term investments while considering all available support opportunities. Always verify program compatibility and check whether the specific call permits combined funding.
• Implement reliable approval and accounting processes to track and assign costs to specific projects.
• Clearly delineate the funding allocation for each project component during implementation. Keep separate records for each grant and rigorously check that no specific cost item is reimbursed (even partially) from multiple sources.
• Archive all supporting documentation detailing the funding origin for every expense to prepare for potential audits by the provider or control authorities.
• If any ambiguities arise, consult directly with the funding provider or grant experts to prevent regulatory breaches.