The Etxepare Institute will allocate 320,000 euros to Basque language courses in Basque Houses around the world

The Etxepare Institute has approved a grant call of 320,000 euros to finance Basque language courses provided by Basque Houses worldwide from October 2026 to September 2027. The call was published in issue number 209 of the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on November 2, 2026, with official reference 2026/4613. The resolution was signed by Director Irene Larraza Aizpurua on October 6, 2026, in Donostia, and includes the regulatory bases and the agreement of the call approved by the Board of Directors.

The call defines the scope of activity of the Etxepare Institute: Law 3/2007 (of April 20), which created and regulated the Institute, establishes for the organization the universal promotion of the teaching, learning, and use of the Basque language, and Article 19.3.b) of Decree 88/2008 (of May 13) promotes the learning of Basque among Basque communities worldwide, especially through Basque Houses. The bases of the call were approved by the Board of Directors on March 16, 2026, and are included in the Strategic Grant Plan 2025-2028 as well as the 2026 Annual Plan; the latter was approved by the Minister of Culture and Language Policy via the Order of February 17, 2026.

320,000 euros distributed over two accounting periods

The budget items have been divided into two parts, aligning with the academic calendar: 95,000 euros for teaching activities from October to December, and 225,000 euros for activities from January to September 2027. These amounts come from the credits established in the Etxepare Institute’s budgets.

The grant is not a fixed amount per entity, as it is based on a rate per hour/group: 15.00 euros per hour and group. If the credit for the call is insufficient, the grant will be distributed proportionally among the requesting entities. Payment is not made in a single installment: after the resolution is issued, the amount of hours/groups for October to December 2026 will be paid; from March 2027 onwards, 60% of the grant for January to September 2027 will be paid, after verifying that the certificates of hours and expenses for January to December are correct. The remainder will be specified in the liquidation resolution.

To whom it is addressed and under what conditions

Basque Houses, as well as their federations and confederations, may apply for the call, provided they are in accordance with Articles 2 and 6 of Law 8/1994 (of May 27, regarding relations with Basque collectives abroad), and are registered and have updated data in the Basque Government’s Registry of Basque Houses.

The academic conditions are as follows:

• The reference curriculum will be the Basic Curriculum for Teaching Basque to Adults, published in BOPV No. 144 on July 31, 2015.
• Courses must have an intensity of at least three hours per week.
• The minimum number of students to form a group will be six, and the average group size must be at least eight students.
• Applications must include a detailed forecast of hours/groups, separating the two accounting periods, and responsible declarations must be attached (among others, that there is no prohibition on receiving subsidies, compatibility, and notification of de minimis aid).

The application period is one month, starting from the day after the call is published in the BOPV, that is, until December 3rd. They must be sent to the general director of the Etxepare Institute, at the address of the Tabakalera building (Plaza de las Cigarreras 1, 3rd floor, 20012 Donostia), or to the Zuzenean offices of the Basque Government.

Resolution, justification, and specific regime

The resolution will be issued within a maximum period of two months after the application period ends; if no notification is made within that period, administrative silence allows the application to be considered rejected or denied. The resolution will be published in the BOPV, according to the law of the common administrative procedure.

Regarding justification, two periods are distinguished: documentation for the period from January to December must be submitted before February 15, 2027, and that from January to September 2027 before October 15, 2027. Beneficiary entities must provide certificates of hours/groups and expenses, as well as the exchange rate on the day the subsidy was received; in expenses, teacher costs and didactic expenses will be at 100%, and the rest (rentals, communications, electricity, water, cleaning, and taxes) at the corresponding percentage.

The grants from this call are compatible with those provided by other organizations for the same purpose, provided that the activity is not over-financed. Likewise, they are subject to Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 (of December 13, 2023) according to the de minimis aid regime: the total aid per legal or natural person over a three-year period cannot exceed the limit of 300,000 euros. In case of rule violations, the obligation to return the amount received and late-payment interest is established.

Against the agreement, an appeal for reversal may be filed before the Board of Directors of the Etxepare Institute within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the administrative contentious section of the Court of the Instance of Donostia-San Sebastián within two months. The rules enter into force the day after they are published.

Why is this call important

Basque centers constitute the main network for structuring the international presence of the Basque language, and this call finances their teaching activities, but through a payment model based on results: the amounts received are conditioned by settlements according to hour/group certifications and strict verification of expenses. The subsidies also reflect the strategy of public institutions: the 2025-2028 strategic plan foresees stable activity, semester by semester, and the limits of the de minimis regime remind us of the need for other financing channels. For Basque Centers, 320,000 euros is the forecast that sustains the entire school year, with a fixed rate of 15 euros per hour. There continue to be two critical deadlines: applications until December 3rd, and justification in February and October 2027.

Source: Official Gazette of the Basque Country, number 209, November 2, 2026, Other Provisions, pp. 1-13 (official reference: 2026/4613).