Aragon opens subsidies for food cards for families in severe poverty

The Government of Aragon has published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 158, of 17 August 2026, the Order DBF/1197/2026, of 31 July, which approves the regulatory bases and the call for subsidies intended for non-profit entities to cover the costs of implementing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Programme for Basic Material Assistance (Basic Programme) in the Autonomous Community. The order, signed by the Vice President and Minister for Deregulation, Social Welfare and Family, Alejandro Nolasco Asensio, mobilises a maximum budget of €6,659,060.62 for the financial years 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The call, identified in the National Database of Subsidies with code 904313, replaces the former Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The new Basic Programme, approved by the European Commission through Implementing Decision C(2022) 9405 final, of 9 December 2022, changes the system for supplying food and hygiene products to a common system of cards or vouchers exchangeable for food products and basic material assistance.

Purpose and beneficiaries

The subsidies will finance the provision of electronic cards exchangeable for food and hygiene products — such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products and baby nappies — for families with dependent children who are below the severe poverty threshold, that is, whose resources do not exceed 40% of the national median income. The beneficiary entities must meet, among others, the following requirements:

• Be non-profit legal entities registered in the Register of Entities, Centres and Social Services of Aragon.
• Demonstrate operational experience in caring for people in situations of exclusion or severe material deprivation.
• Be up to date with tax obligations and with the Social Security system.
• Guarantee territorial coverage and the provision of cards throughout the Autonomous Community.

Amount and funding

The maximum amount of the subsidy amounts to €6,659,060.62, distributed in two allocations: €5,993,154.56 charged to the ESF+ (90%) and €665,906.06 from the Government of Aragon’s own funds (10%). Of the total, €5,997,733.66 will be allocated to food and basic material assistance expenses, €241,485.96 to technical assistance and €419,841.00 to accompanying measures, the latter financed at a flat rate of 7% and technical assistance at 3.899%.

Deadlines and submission

The application submission period will be fifteen business days counted from the day following the publication of the extract of the call in the Official Gazette of Aragon. Applications will be submitted electronically through the Electronic General Registry of the Government of Aragon, in the procedure “Basic Material Assistance Program (Basic Program) - Call 2026-2028”. The last date for reloading the cards may not be later than December 31, 2028, and the entities must have the card supply system operational within one month from the notification of the grant.

The management of the program corresponds to the Functional Coordination Service of the System and Social Inclusion, under the General Management of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, attached to the Department of Deregulation, Social Welfare and Family. The call represents a key step to consolidate in Aragon the new European aid modality, which directly affects Aragonese social entities and thousands of vulnerable families with dependent children, guaranteeing equal access throughout the autonomous territory.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 158, August 17, 2026, section I. General Provisions (official reference: BOA20260817001; extract in section V, reference BOA20260817023).