Are you ready to tackle some of our world’s global challenges?

The Cooperation Grants financially support youth organisations, particularly marginalised youth, to engage in policy-making and cross-continental collaboration between Africa and Europe. Grants of 50.000 EURO are available for consortiums of youth-led organisations, with at least one African organisation and one European organisation.

Call for Proposals

What do we mean with cooperation?

Young people around the world often face similar challenges. Some, like climate change and inequality, require global solutions; others, such as lack of education or economic opportunities, demand more localised solutions. Cooperation grants aim to help African and European youth organisations share resources, knowledge and strategies, and to leverage the added value of collaboration, creating a stronger response across continents.

Youth-led organisations from the AU and EU must apply together, with at least two organisations as part of the consortium. Applications must be submitted jointly; independent submissions from a single organisation will not be accepted.

Each group of organisations must dedicate their proposal to tackling one solution, with work taking place in both continents. We believe that by cooperation, our actions become stronger!

What can you expect when you receive a grant?

Cooperation Grants aim to:

  • Enable young people, to become effective advocates for their rights and their priorities, by giving them the financial resources required to dedicate efforts to policy-work on local, national and international stages.
  • Provide training and resources to help youth understand how to engage with government institutions and influence policy as active citizens.
  • Facilitate connections between youth organisations across Africa and Europe to promote intercultural dialogue and collaborative initiatives.

Is your organisation eligible to apply?

  • Your organisation must be legally registered in your country, have an organisation bank account and a governance structure;
  • Your organisation is youth-led (age 18 to 35) where young people are the decision makers;
  • Your organisation is located in one of the European Union member states or in one of the 12 specific African countries, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe;
  • At least one of the cooperating organisations has prior experience working on collaborative projects.

What kind of activities can you propose?

The Cooperation Grants support the joint advocacy work of youth organisations. By advocacy, we mean speaking up for a cause, hold power to account, and/or to create change. Your initiative can take many forms and include a wide range of activities, such as:

  • Organising policy events with stakeholders;
  • Conducting research and share findings;
  • Facilitating the participation of marginalised youth in policy discussions;
  • Hosting events to mobilise support for youth-led projects;
  • Launching online campaigns to raise awareness about youth issues.
  • Using social media tools to share ideas and work together.
  • Connecting youth with EU and AU representatives;
  • Create connections with other youth-led initiatives and projects;
  • Press releases to engage with media to spread key messages and project updates.

This is not an exhaustive list and you are free to deviate from these examples. When you choose differently, please explain clearly why and how this relates to the focus of the grant.

How to apply

  • Carefully read the funding manual. (English)
  • Make sure you meet the eligibility criteria.
  • Find at least one partner organisation from the other continent.
  • Deadline for applications: 15th of March.
SUBMIT APPLICATION

Not sure how to find a partner organisation?  

You’re interested in applying for the Cooperation Grants but you don’t know any organisations on the other continent? No worries! Fill in this form and you’ll see a confirmation message with a link and access to a database of potential partner organisations interested in this programme.

Need help with your application? Join our webinars in January and February, where we’ll walk you through the process of developing and submitting your project proposal.

What is the AU-EU Youth Action Lab & what are Cooperation Grants?

Learn more about this grant type and how to create your consortium by registering to one of the following webinars:

28 January 2025 at 13:00 CET

29 January 2025 at 18:30 CET

30 January 2025 at 17:00 CET

AU-EU Youth Action Lab: Tips & next steps to apply for a Cooperation Grant

Get guidance on how to write a project proposal and learn the next steps before submitting your application by registering to one of the following webinars:

18 February 2025 at 13:00 CET

19 February 2025 at 18:30 CET

20 February 2025 at 17:00 CET

 

Any questions?

Check out the funding manual and our FAQ for more information!

Want to connect with other youth organisations and stay up-to-date on the latest info about the grants? Sign up to our online community on the Power to Voices Platform in two steps:

Step 1: Sign up to the Power to Voices Platform by making an account: Sign Up Here

Step 2: Go to the AU-EU Youth Action Lab Community and click on ‘follow’ to become a member of the group, via this link: AU-EU Youth Action Lab Community | Power to Voices

Consortium partners:

FAQ

Cooperation Grants

All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. They aim to nurture organisations’ stability, financial security and organisational capacity.

Cooperation Grants provide financial support as well as training and resources to help you understand how to effectively engage with government institutions and influence policy. This grant will also allow you to develop new cross-continental partnerships and meet grantees from the three other grant types at the annual link & learn events through the Power2Voices online platform (accessible beyond the grant period)!

Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

To apply for a Cooperation Grant, your organisation must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a formal youth-led organisation: legally registered, with a bank account and governance structure, young people (aged 18-35) are the decision makers;
  • Be located in one of the 27 European Union member states OR be located in one of the following 12 African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  • At least one of the cooperating organisations must have prior experience working on a project with at least one other partner.

To form a consortium, you must partner with at least one organisation from an eligible country on the other continent: So, if your youth organisation is based in one of the eligible African countries, you need a partner from a European Union member state. If your organisation is in the European Union, you need a partner from the participating 12 African countries. A consortium must include at least two organisations and maximum five. It doesn’t matter how many organisations come from Europe and how many from Africa, as long as the two continents are represented.  Unfortunately, organisations that are registered in countries other than the 27 EU Member States and the 12 African counties listed above are not eligible to apply for this grant, even as part of a bigger consortium.

Don’t worry, many organisations are in the same situation! This is why we created this form for you to fill out and get access to a database of potential partner organisations interested in this grant.

Yes, of course! The information sessions are organized to help you with your application but are not mandatory.

No, all Cooperation Grants are 50,000 EUR per consortium. It is up to you to decide how to split the money between the consortium partners. Please bear in mind that the lead partner may want to receive a slightly higher amount than the collaborators as they will be our main contact person and responsible for submitting reports, which requires additional resources. But this, of course, depends on your consortium’s plans and division of roles.

The lead organisation needs to have experience working on at least one collaborative project. For the rest, it’s up to you to decide who will lead. However, keep in mind that the lead organisation will have more responsibilities and slightly more work. Therefore, make sure the lead applicant has capacity to lead on this!

You are free to choose any topic you want to work on as long as it aligns with the four focus areas of Cooperation Grants, namely:

  • Policy and advocacy: your project needs to focus on advocacy and policy influence and be aligned with one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Cross-continental collaboration: your project needs to promote collaboration between African and European youth and address shared challenges. You will need to demonstrate a clear common goal and explain how this cooperation is beneficial for both.
  • Marginalised youth: make sure your project has a strong emphasis on benefitting marginalised groups while reflecting on how your organisation is suited to work with these groups.
  • Sustainability: you will have to explain the continuity of your project after the end of the grant period. In other words, how you foresee your activities to continue or for the results of your activities to create change after the project period ends.

Please read the [funding manual – available soon] for more information.

Your project will be funded for 12 months maximum, from May 2025 to April 2026.

All application are due on the stated date 16 March 2025 by midnight CET. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.

It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take about six weeks. Therefore, you can expect to hear from us during May 2025. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.

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This website has been prepared with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of the consultants and therefore in no way reflects the official opinion of the European Commission.

Newsletter

Sign up to know about the programme’s opportunities and events.

Stay connected

Follow us and get involved!

This website has been prepared with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of the consultants and therefore in no way reflects the official opinion of the European Commission.

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