The Department for Family Policies at the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers has published the non-competitive notice “Crescere nei piccoli comuni 2026”, with €50 million from the Family Policy Fund. The call is addressed to municipalities, not directly to families.

Eligible are Italian municipalities with at most 5,000 residents, according to ISTAT figures for 1 January 2025, excluding those in the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano. They may take part individually or jointly, under a convention.

The resources target proximity services and educational, social and relational opportunities for families, activities for children and adolescents, and intergenerational initiatives. Eligible interventions should be taken from the official notice, not from summaries.

Expressions of interest must be sent by 29 September 2026, on the prescribed form, with a digital signature, by certified email to crescereneipiccolicomuni@pec.governo.it, subject “CPC2026”. The deadline is for local authorities, not for parents seeking an individual grant.

The notice is not a contest in which municipalities eliminate one another. According to ANCI, the contribution for admitted municipalities is to be allocated according to resident population. Results for residents will appear after projects are registered, not at the launch of the call.

The programme is part of efforts to support small communities. It does not replace other services and does not guarantee an identical package in every municipality. Residents should wait for communications from the selected local authorities.

Image: Luca Aless, Castelmezzano, 5 December 2015, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. A small Basilicata municipality, not a named family. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Crescere nei piccoli comuni 2026 notice — Department for Family Policies.