Deadline: September 23, 2026.

 They believe in the power of young people working together across Africa and Europe. The AU-EU Youth Action Lab connects youth initiatives with their peers to share ideas, learn from each other, and collaborate.  It also creates opportunities for young people to bring their voices and solutions to decision-makers, including the European Union and African Union!

In August, the Youth Action Lab will launch its final Call for Proposals, inviting young people in their diversity to apply. Eligible countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland Region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For this final cohort, they offer 2 different types of grants. Each grant has its own focus, but both share the same goal: supporting youth-led initiatives in a powershifting way!

GRANTS

INNOVATION GRANT: The Innovation Grants provide grant opportunities of 42,000 EURO to which individual youth-led organisations can apply.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Your organisation must be a non-profit, operating as a Trust, Community Based Organisation (CBO) or as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)/Civil Society Organisation (CSO) with a clear social mission.
• Your organisation must be youth-led: young people (aged 18-35) represent the organisation’s governance and have primary decision-making power over the organisation’s direction and programmes (100% is aged 18-35) and are directly involved in designing and carrying out activities (>80% is aged 18-35)
• Your project must be youth-led: all staff (100%) working on implementing the project should be young people (aged 18-35)
• You are a youth organisation that is formal: you are legally registered in your country, have an organisation bank account and a clear governance structure.
• You are located and registered in one of the 12 African Youth Action Lab focus countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Your proposed activity takes place in one or more of the above 12 countries.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP GRANTS: The Entrepreneurship Grants aim to provide support to youth actors that work on strengthening the economic opportunities for young people! The Entrepreneurship Grants provide grants opportunities for 31,500 EURO to which individual youth-led organisations can apply.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Your organisation must be a non-profit, operating as a Trust, Community Based Organisation (CBO), or as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)/Civil Society Organisation(CSO) or Cooperative with a clear social/environmental mission. The social enterprise activity exists to sustain and advance that mission, not as a side business.
• Your organisation must be youth-led: young people (aged 18-35) represent the organisation’s governance and have primary decision-making power over the organisation’s direction and programmes (100% is aged 18-35) and are directly involved in designing and carrying out activities (>80% is aged 18-35)
• Your project must youth-led: all staff (100%) working on implementing the project should be young people (aged 18-35)
• Your organisation is formally registered in your country, has an organisation bank account, a clear governance structure and has been operating for at least 12 months.
• You are located and registered in one of the 12 African Youth Action Lab focus countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Your proposed activities take place in one or more of the above 12 countries.

Find more information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE