Applications Open for Women’s Leadership Programme

Applications are now open for PESSOAS-2026-8, a new European funding call designed to support programmes preparing women for leadership, management, and decision-making roles. 

This call is part of the PESSOAS 2030 programme, which is co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). It aims to reduce gender-based occupational segregation, tackle pay inequalities, and promote balanced representation of women and men in positions of responsibility within organisations. 

The call is managed by the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), acting as the intermediate body. 

 

Purpose of the funding 

This funding call supports projects that develop Women's Leadership Capacity-Building Programmes, combining intensive training, executive coaching, mentoring, networking, and the active involvement of employers. The goal is to create conditions that enable more women to strengthen their strategic skills, increase their professional visibility, and progress into coordination, management, and senior leadership positions. 

 

Funding allocation and conditions 

The total budget available amounts to €5,882,352.94. The ESF+ provides 85% of the funding, with the remaining 15% covered by national public contribution through the State Budget. Each application must comply with the following limits: 

Condition	Amount
Total budget available	€5,882,352.94
ESF+ co-financing rate	85%
National public contribution	15%
Minimum project cost	€200,000.00
Maximum cost per participant	€8,000.00
Minimum number of participants per project	26

Projects may run for up to 30 months, with all activities to be completed by 31 March 2029. 

 

Who can apply? 

Applications may be submitted by: 

• Social partners with a permanent seat on the Standing Committee for Social Concertation;  

• Business, commercial and industrial associations.  

Each beneficiary may submit one application only. 

 

Eligible regions 

Eligible projects must be carried out in the North, Centre and Alentejo regions, according to the NUTS II classification. Geographic eligibility is determined by the participants’ place of residence. 

 

What must each project include? 

Projects must be structured as integrated women’s leadership programmes, incorporating the following components: 

1. Capacity-building activities:At least three intensive modules, each lasting at least three days and delivered in person or in a hybrid format. Topics may include purpose-driven leadership, influential communication, negotiation, team management, strategic thinking, and decision-making.
2. Executive coaching:Each participant must receive at least five individual coaching sessions, delivered by professionals certified by arecognised national or international body. 
3. Cross-mentoring:Theprogramme must include at least five mentoring sessions to ensure that each participant is supported by a senior mentor from another organisation. 
4. Networking:Projects must provide opportunities for participants, experts, and established leaders to meet, share experiences, and develop professional networks.
5. Communication and employer engagement:Applications must include an institutional communication plan to ensure the active involvement ofemployers throughout the programme. 
6. Evaluation:Ongoing and final evaluation is mandatory and must include entry and exit questionnaires, as well as agreed output and result indicators.

 

Who can take part in the programmes? 

Participants must be working women who usually meet the following requirements: 

- Hold a higher education qualification, including a bachelor's degree, undergraduate degree, professional higher technical diploma, master's degree or doctorate.  

- Have at least three years of professional experience;  

- Currently hold, or have held in the past three years, coordination, management or leadership responsibilities.  

Up to 10% of participants may be women without previous leadership experience. All participants must have formal support from their employer in the form of a Statement of Intent to Join the Programme. 

 

Budget structure 

The budget for each application must adhere to the following limits, depending on the type of activity: 

Type of activity	Funding limit
Capacity-building activities	35% to 60%
Executive coaching and cross-mentoring	25% to 40%
Networking and communication	Up to 15%
Evaluation	Up to 15%

The total of these percentages must equal 100% of the approved budget. 

 

How will applications be assessed? 

They will be scored on a scale from 1 to 5, and a minimum overall score of 3 points is required for selection. The assessment criteria are: 

Criterion	Weighting
Strategic alignment	10%
Impact	30%
Delivery capacity	30%
Quality of the operation	30%

Delivery capacity will be the first tie-break criterion, followed by the quality of the operation. 

 

Why is this call important? 

The balanced participation of women and men in leadership positions remains a structural challenge. Despite women's increased qualifications and participation in the labour market, barriers to career progression, pay inequalities, and underrepresentation in decision-making roles persist. 

This call provides social partners and business associations with a concrete opportunity to promote robust skills development programmes, strengthen professional networks, and foster the creation of more diverse, inclusive, and competitive organisations. 

 

Application deadline and submission 

Applications are open from 19 May to 12 August 2026 (until 18:00) and must be submitted through Balcão dos Fundos. The following contacts are available for further information: 

Linha dos Fundos: 800 10 35 10 | linhadosfundos@linhadosfundos.pt | Business days, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 
PESSOAS 2030: 21 589 53 00 | geral@pessoas2030.gov.pt 
Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality — CIG: Rua Professor Gomes Teixeira, No. 2, 1399-022 Lisbon | 217 983 067 | cig.portugal2030@cig.gov.pt