The three-level structure.
If you've tried to understand who is responsible for Erasmus+ and got confused, it's because the programme operates through a deliberately layered structure. Three levels, each with a distinct role. Once you see the structure, every other Erasmus+ administrative question becomes easier to answer.
The key insight: the further down the chain, the more operational the role. The European Commission thinks about what Erasmus+ is trying to achieve across 33 countries. EACEA manages the money for centralised programmes. OeAD manages the money and approvals for Austrian organisations. VJMS manages the participants.
What EACEA does.
EACEA — the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency — is the Brussels-based body that the European Commission created to manage the more complex, centralised parts of Erasmus+. It operates under a delegation agreement with DG EAC (the Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture) and with DG CNECT (for digital education actions).
In practice, for a youth organisation in Vienna doing KA1 youth exchanges: EACEA is not your contact. You will never submit a KA1 application to EACEA, never report to EACEA, and never receive a grant directly from EACEA for a youth exchange. The National Agency — OeAD — is the relevant body. EACEA only appears if your organisation grows into large-scale KA2 partnerships or other centralised programme actions.
EACEA publishes high-visibility communications about Erasmus+ results and funding. Because it's a Brussels institution, many people assume it's the primary contact for all Erasmus+ applications. It isn't — for most youth organisations, the National Agency is the only relevant body.
What OeAD does.
OeAD — the Österreichischer Austauschdienst (Austrian Exchange Service) — is Austria's designated National Agency for Erasmus+. It has held this role since the beginning of the current programme period in 2021, managing both the youth and education components.
OeAD runs two to three application rounds per year for KA1 youth mobility actions, with deadlines published on erasmusplus.at. An Austrian organisation like VJMS Wien submits its project application to OeAD, which evaluates it against the Erasmus+ Programme Guide criteria, and either approves or rejects it. Approved projects receive an EU grant agreement signed between the organisation and OeAD.
OeAD also provides guidance and training for new and existing beneficiary organisations, maintains a list of Austrian Erasmus+ National Contact Points, and manages the formal quality checks that all approved projects must pass. For any question about Austrian Erasmus+ applications, deadlines, or programme rules, OeAD is the authoritative source — not VJMS, and not EACEA.
Where VJMS fits.
VJMS Wien sits at the third level of the structure: a beneficiary organisation that applies to OeAD for KA1 youth exchange grants and delivers the approved projects.
Our role is as the sending organisation for Austrian participants. In the Erasmus+ KA1 model, a youth exchange involves a coordinating organisation (usually the host), partner sending organisations (like VJMS), and the participants themselves. VJMS recruits and selects participants from Vienna, prepares them for the exchange, manages their travel arrangements, and handles all administrative reporting back to OeAD.
When OeAD approves a project that includes VJMS as a sending partner, VJMS receives a share of the grant to cover the costs of its participants: travel, accommodation contribution, organisational support costs. OeAD holds VJMS accountable to the terms of the grant agreement, and VJMS in turn holds accountable to the participants.
If you're a young person applying to a VJMS exchange: you deal only with VJMS. If you're a partner organisation in another country: you deal with VJMS and your own National Agency. OeAD and EACEA are administrative layers that VJMS handles on your behalf.
What this means for you.
If you're a young person in Vienna applying to participate in an exchange run by VJMS: the entire OeAD and EACEA layer is invisible to you. You apply to VJMS, VJMS selects you, VJMS arranges everything. You show up, you participate, you come home, you get your Youthpass. The institutional structure above VJMS is relevant to how we operate but not to what you need to do.
If you're a partner organisation in another European country interested in co-hosting or co-building a project with VJMS: you deal with your own National Agency for your country's obligations. The cross-border coordination happens between VJMS and your organisation directly, with each of us reporting to our respective National Agencies.
If you're a funder or donor interested in understanding how Erasmus+ money flows: the EU grant goes directly to the approved organisation (VJMS). Private donations or sponsorships sit alongside the EU grant and can cover gaps — additional participant costs, programme enhancements, or capacity the grant doesn't cover. For the full picture, read the funders guide.
If you're a journalist, researcher, or policy person: OeAD's annual reports are the authoritative source on Austrian Erasmus+ statistics and programme outcomes. EACEA publishes programme-level data for all centralised actions. The European Commission publishes aggregate EU-wide data. VJMS contributes our project outcomes to OeAD's reporting, which feeds upward into the EU's own programme evaluation.