FAQ
Applicants are invited to first refer to the Funding Manuals for each grant type and carefully read the Call for Proposal Text and any related documents published on the Youth Lab website. Questions, likely to be relevant to all applicants, can be found in this regularly updated document, classified by themes.
Need help on how to submit your application? View our guide here.
General FAQs – AU-EU Youth Action Lab – GRANTS
What is the AU-EU Youth Action Lab?
The AU-EU Youth Action Lab provides the opportunity for youth initiatives in Africa and Europe to apply for funding through the Call for Proposals (CfP) to implement their ideas and solutions linked to global challenges. The Youth Action Lab is funded by the European Union and is part of the ambitions laid out in the EU’s Youth Action Plan!
The AU-EU Youth Action Lab is implemented by a consortium of partners: Oxfam, the European Youth Forum and Restless Development Uganda. Together, they aim to connect young people from both continents, encouraging them to collaborate, share knowledge, and raise their voices to influence policy at all levels, from local to international levels, including the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU).
The Youth Action Lab will launch a total of 3 Call for Proposals, inviting youth in their diversity to apply. The Youth Action Lab has 4 different grant types – each with a different focus, but all with a similar ambition: Support youth initiatives in a powershifting way!
What are the focus countries?
For your organisation to be eligible to apply for an Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Representation and Cooperation Grants, your organisation needs to be located in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe. Cooperation Grants also includes European Union member states.
What is the role of the Youth Advisory Board?
Nothing about youth without youth – the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) of the Youth Action Lab will review and select the proposals to receive funding. The YAB is composed of 12 young representatives, with 10 selected out of the African Union focus countries and 2 from the European Union. From the start, they have steered and shaped the program together with the consortium partners (Oxfam, Restless Development, European Youth Forum).
What do you mean by youth-led organisations?
We define youth-led organisations where 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). If you apply for funding, we expect that your project is youth-led as well: all staff (100%) working on implementing the project should be young people (aged 18-35). We only fund youth-led organisations to address the lack of opportunities for youth in Africa and Europe to collaborate, cooperate, develop, implement and scale up their own initiatives.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Are organisations from any country eligible to apply?
No, to apply for a grant your organisation should be formally registered in one of the 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, OR if you are applying for a cooperation grant they can be registered in the European Union as well.
How can I submit my application?
On the ON Grip platform only. Please watch this video to understand how to use ON Grip.
Can l revise my application once l submitted it?
No, unfortunately you cannot revise or modify your application once it has been submitted to the online platform.
Can I submit my application in multiple languages?
No, you can only submit your application in one language. You can choose one of the following languages for the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Representation Grants: English, French and Portuguese. Cooperation Grants are to be submitted in English only.
I have doubt on the application process, how can l be supported?
We will organise an online session before close of applications. We will provide clarity, take questions and provide support and tips on how to write an application. Be on the lookout for the specific dates of each of your grant type on the
Can l apply to two or more grants at the same time?
No, please apply to only one grant scheme with one project. Please also only register for one grant scheme on ON Grip.
Can I apply with two or more organisations for a grant?
You can only apply with two to four organisations for the cooperation grants. In this case, at least one organisation should be registered in one of the 12 eligible African countries, and at least one organisation should be registered in the European Union. For the other three grant types (entrepreneurship, innovation, representation) you can only apply with one organisation for one grant.
I missed the deadline; can l still submit my application?
No, we will not accept applications once the deadline is passed, but there will be another cycle for Innovation and Entrepreneurship grants in the coming two years. Keep an eye on the Youth Lab website to stay updated!
If my application is not successful, can l apply again?
Yes, if your application was not successful, you can apply again on the next call for proposal. Please look out for our next opportunities on the Youth Lab website and social channels.
Do l need any matching fund?
No, there is no matching fund nor co-funding obligations.
Evaluation and Selection
What are the evaluation criteria of my application?
As these are powershifting grants co-designed by young people for young people, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) holds decision-making power in the selection process. The process includes the following steps:
- Applications will be screened first based on eligibility criteria-both the hard and soft eligibility tests.
- During the longlisting and shortlisting process, the applicants are grouped according to eligibility countries – this is done to ensure that there will be equitable representation across the 12 eligible African countries and European Union member states.
- A detailed assessment will be administered on all the shortlisted applicants by the YAB and these will be scored and ranked. The YAB will use an Assessment Tool co-designed for this process.
- A Due Diligence and an organizational capacity assessment will be conducted to verify applicants’ governance and accounting protocols.
- The highest-scoring proposals will be notified and selected applicants will be asked to complete forms and provide additional details for contracting.
- Where applicable, site-visits may be undertaken as part of the assessment process to ensure that applicants have minimum governance and accounting protocols and/or to review existing programming. The consortium partners will collaborate with its various country offices for this including on ground support by the YAB members.
When will applicants be notified of the results?
This depends on the grant type you are applying to. In general, the selection process should take between two to four months after the Call for Proposals closes. Make sure to check the relevant grant type on the website to stay updated. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.
Can I receive feedback on my application if it is not selected?
Upon request.
PAYMENT OF THE GRANT
Is it necessary to have a separate bank account for the project?
No, it is not needed to have a specific bank account. All payments should be made and to your organisation bank account.
Will the grant be transferred in EUR or in my national currency?
The grant will be transferred in EUR.
How will the payment of the grant be organised?
The grant will be provided in separate payments (usually in two instalments). The first instalment (60% of your total approved grant) will be transferred after signing the grant agreement including all annexures. The second instalment (40% of your grant) is due after the approval of one mid-term progress report, including meeting all required milestones. Be aware that the definition of the instalment payments will be set at the time of contract agreement once your project has been approved.
REPORTING
If my proposal is selected, what would be the reporting requirements?
The frequency of reporting and required documentation will be detailed in the reporting guidelines, which are provided to all grantees, and we will guide you through all the necessary steps during the kickoff meeting. Additionally, we are committed to supporting you throughout the project trajectory, ensuring you have the resources and guidance you need to meet all reporting and documentation requirements.
Which costs are eligible?
- Costs during the project period (while the project is running).
- Costs listed in the project budget (the plan you submitted).
- Necessary, clear, and proven costs (following tax and legal rules).
- Reasonable and justified costs (ensuring good use of funds and efficiency).
Please refer to each funding manuals for specificity.
Are there any costs which are not eligible?
- Expenses outside the project timeline (anything before or after the project).
- Costs not related to the project (like unrelated activities).
- Buying land, buildings and vehicles
- In-kind contributions
How can I request additional clarifications about the AU-EU Youth Action Lab?
For additional clarifications, you can contact us at action.lab@aueuyouth.com.
Before reaching out, we kindly ask that you review the funding manuals and FAQ, as our team has limited capacity to handle inquiries. To further support applicants, webinars will be organised for each grant to address common questions and provide detailed guidance.
FAQs for Entrepreneurship Grants
Why should I apply?
All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. This funding addresses the lack of opportunities for youth in Africa and Europe to collaborate, cooperate, develop, implement and scale up their own initiatives. It is designed to support young people to be more engaged, empowered and connected. The grant aims to nurture organisations’ stability, resilience, financial security and organisational capacity with the result aimed at showing impact created at community level with a distinct scale-up potential.
Entrepreneurship Grants focus on youth-led actions that address a three-fold selection of key challenges young people face around the world in their economic participation and taking control of their own future i.e. skills development opportunities, responsible growth of youth-led social enterprises, and an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs.
During the second Call for Proposal in 2025, the focus will be on the second topic: The responsible growth of youth-led social enterprises that combines its social or environmental mission with income-generating activities. We ask interested youth organisations or social enterprises to submit their ideas to advance meaningful skills development opportunities for young people!
This grant will also allow you to meet grantees from the three other grant types at the Annual Link & Learn events and through the Power2Voices online platform! Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that make sense to youth initiatives. Read the full for more information.
Who can apply?
To apply for Entrepreneurship Grants, your organization must meet the following requirements:
- 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 be 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 can show evidence of community programmes and revenue-generating activities.
- Income-generating activities: you run a trading arm or enterprise with income that supplements donor support and contributes to financial sustainability of the organisation.
- Social/environmental impact: you can demonstrate measurable impact (jobs for youth, improved livelihoods, affordable services, environmental gains). You have at least basic systems for tracking and reporting results.
- Profit use & reinvestment: all or most surpluses are reinvested into the mission or scaling of the enterprise. No private shareholder payments of profit.
- 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.
Can I apply to scale up my entrepreneurship idea?
Yes, the focus of the second Call for Proposals is on the responsible growth of youth-led social enterprises that combines its social or environmental mission with income-generating activities. If your idea is to scale ideas related to this, you are welcome to apply!
What if l want to apply for an entrepreneurship idea not related to Skills Development- will that be considered?
No, any other idea on entrepreneurship not linked to the responsible growth of youth-led social enterprises will not be considered for this second call for proposals.
Can you explain what you mean by social enterprises?
Social enterprises are typically a non-profit, trust, cooperative, or community-based organisation that combines its social or environmental mission with income-generating activities. These organisations use trading or service delivery to generate revenue, which is then reinvested into their projects and community impact, helping them reduce reliance on donor funding while expanding sustainability.
Key features of social enterprises:
- Social/environmental goals drive all activities (mission-first).
- Runs enterprise/trading activities.
- Surpluses are reinvested into the mission (not taken by shareholders).
Can you explain what you mean by income-generating activities?
You run a trading arm or enterprise with income that supplements donor support and contributes to financial sustainability of the organisation. All or most surpluses are reinvested into the mission or scaling of the enterprise. No private shareholder payments of profit.
What type of activities can I include in my project proposal?
Activities can take many forms depending on the social enterprise venture that you wish to grow. In your proposal, describe the activities you plan to implement and explain how they are linked to your goals/objectives, and the involvement of young people.
There is no fixed formula: you are free to design activities in the way that best fits your project, as long as you show clearly how they contribute to the growth of your social enterprise.
While the Entrepreneurship Grants are broad in their focus, please note that the following types of organizations or activities are not considered eligible for this grant:
- Purely for-profit SMEs whose social impact is incidental or token
- NGOs that are entirely donor funded with no enterprise activities
- Idea stage projects with no operational trading track record
I can’t attend the webinars, but I still want to apply for an Entrepreneurship Grant. Is that possible?
Yes, of course! The information sessions are organised to help you with your application but are not mandatory.
Can I apply for less than the grant amount of 30,000 EUR?
No, all grants are 30,000 euro and cannot go below or above that.
How many Entrepreneurship grants will be awarded in the second Call for Proposals?
We will award a total of 10 Entrepreneurship grants during the second Call for Proposals.
How long will my project last?
Your project will be funded for a duration of 12 months, from May 2026 to April 2027.
What is the latest time l can submit my application?
All applications for the entrepreneurship grants are due on 7th of January 2026 by 14.00 PM CAT / 15.00 PM EAT. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.
When will l be contacted regarding the outcome of my application?
It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take around four months, therefore expect to hear from us in April/May 2026. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.
Requests for additional clarifications can be sent to the following email: action.lab@aueuyouth.com.
FAQs for Representation Grants
Why should I apply?
All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. They aim to nurture organisations’ stability, financial security and organisational capacity.
Representation grants provide the opportunity for youth initiatives in Africa to apply for funding through a Call for Proposals (CfP) and implement ideas and solutions linked to global challenges. They are grants supporting initiatives led by underrepresented and marginalised youth in Africa with the overall goal of enabling young people to deliver the change they wanted in their communities.
Some more good news? Our application and reporting mechanisms are designed in a way that makes sense to youth initiatives. Read the [funding manual] for more information.
Who can apply?
To apply for a Representation Grant, your organisation must meet the following requirements:
- 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)
- Your organisation is formally registered in your country, has 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 activities take place in one or more of the above 12 countries.
Why is this called a representation grant?
These grants are called representation grants because they aim at supporting initiatives led by underrepresented and marginalised African youth. Youth face numerous barriers that prevent them from engaging meaningfully in things that matter to them, empowerment and connection.
Why do you call representation grants power shifting grants?
Representation grants are called powershifting grants because of specifically 3 reasons;
- Nothing about youth without youth – a Youth Advisory Board of the Youth Action Lab will review and select the proposals to receive funding.
- The grants facilitate and nurture stability, resilience, financial security, and organizational capacity.
- Application and reporting mechanisms make sense to youth initiatives.
What is the grant size?
The available budget is 10,000 Euros for each grant, with 20 representation grants available in number for this Call for Proposals, and each grant will run for a maximum duration of 12 months.
Which interventions are targeted by the representation grants?
- Representation grants will support youth-led initiatives challenging discriminatory acts and promote inclusion – especially among the underrepresented and marginalised young people.
- Support movement building initiatives such as advocacy coalitions and networks right from grassroots;
- Enable the participation of under-represented and marginalised youth groups in relevant (advocacy) dialogues voicing their aspirations and challenges.
- Support development of research, analysis and knowledge products on topics relevant to young people’s priorities.
What do I need to apply for this grant?
- You need to carefully read the funding manual
- You will need to make your application on the ON Grip platform
When do I expect to be contacted regarding the application outcome?
The assessment process of applications will take about four months. Therefore, expect to hear from us around April/May 2026.
FAQs for Innovation Grants
Why should I apply?
All Youth Action Lab grant types are created by youth and for youth. This funding addresses the lack of opportunities for youth in Africa and Europe to collaborate, cooperate, develop, implement and scale up their own initiatives. It is designed to support young people to be more engaged, empowered and connected. The grant aims to nurture organisations’ stability, resilience, financial security and organisational capacity with the result aimed at showing impact created at community level with a distinct scale-up potential.
The Innovation Grants aim to provide support to youth organisations that seek to innovate in their own context in response to a global challenge! The grant supports youth led organisations innovative solutions and thereby increases opportunities for youth to take the lead and create positive change at scale. The grant provides organisations with an opportunity to work with other youth to share their solutions to peers and decision-makers at the continental and inter-continental level.
This grant will also allow you to meet grantees from the three other grant types at the Annual Link & Learn events and 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 full [funding manual] for more information
Who can apply?
To apply for Innovation Grants, your organisation must meet the following requirements:
- 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)
- Your organisation is formally registered in your country, has 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 activities take place in one or more of the above 12 countries.
Does innovation mean a technological design?
That’s a great question! Simple answer is NO- we do not see innovation as being about a technological design. An innovation is a broad term and is often mistaken as only something that is completely new or perhaps something focusing on new technologies. While this could be the case, innovations are so much more! Our working definition is that we define innovation as designing, testing, scaling or improving a new or existing activity for young people in their own context with long-term impact.
What do we mean by innovations addressing global challenges?
With a global challenge we mean an issue that is faced by young people and their communities around the world. For example, the impact of climate change, or the limited representation of young people in decision-making processes. While in each context and for each individual the impacts of a particular challenge can be different, they are linked to the same root-causes. We are looking for innovative ideas to tackle intersectional and global challenges.
Can you further explain what you mean by innovations around intersectionality?
These are activities that work on different thematic areas around the global challenges at the same time. For example, an activity that addresses the impacts of climate change on access to education of young people. It can also be an activity that brings together young people from various diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We aim to fund activities that do not fully ‘fit’ into one thematic area and can experience additional barriers to apply for funding.
I can’t attend the information session, but I still want to apply for a Innovation Grant. Is that possible?
Yes, of course! The information sessions are organised to help you with your application but are not mandatory.
Can I apply for less than the minimum amount of 30,000 EUR?
No, you cannot apply for grants below 30 000 EUR as grants are a minimum of 30,000 euro. You also cannot go above 40,000 EUR as that is the maximum amount.
How long will my project last?
Your project will be funded for a duration of 12 months, from May 2026 to April 2027.
What is the latest time l can submit my application?
All applications for the innovation grants are due on 7th of January 2026 by 14.00 PM CAT / 15.00 PM EAT. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.
How many Innovation grants will be awarded in the second Call for Proposals?
We will award a total of 15 Innovation grants during the second Call for Proposals.
When will l be contacted regarding the outcome of my application?
It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take around four months, therefore expect to hear from us in April/May 2026. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.
Requests for additional clarifications can be sent to the following email: action.lab@aueuyouth.com
FAQs for Cooperation Grants
Why should I apply?
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] for more information.
Who can apply?
To apply for a Cooperation Grant, your organisation must meet the following requirements:
- Consortium only: Applications must come from 2–4 organisations. At least one must be based in an eligible African country (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and at least one in the European Union. Individual organisations cannot apply alone.
- Organisation type: Must be a non-profit (Trust, CBO, NGO/CSO) with a clear social mission.
- Youth-led organisation: Young people (18–35) must control governance and decision-making (100%) and be directly involved in activities (>80%).
- Youth-led project: All staff implementing the project must be aged 18–35.
- Formal organisation: Must be legally registered, have a bank account, and a clear governance structure.
- Experience required: The coordinating organisation must have experience working on collaborative projects with at least one partner.
How can I form a consortium to submit a joint application?
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 four. 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.
I don’t know any organisation on the other continent, what can I do?
Don’t worry, many organizations are in the same situation! This is why we created for you to fill out and get access to a database of potential partner organizations interested in this grant.
I can’t attend any of the information sessions, but I still want to apply for a Cooperation Grant. Is that possible?
Yes, of course! The information sessions are organised to help you with your application but are not mandatory.
Can I apply to less than 50,000 EUR?
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. Keep in mind that the coordinating organisation usually handles more administrative tasks, which may require a larger share, depending on your consortium’s plan and division of roles.
How do we decide which organisation is the lead partner?
The coordinating 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 coordinating organisation will have more responsibilities and slightly more work. Therefore, make sure the coordinator has capacity to lead on this!
How do I choose the topic that my consortium will cooperate on?
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] for more information.
How long will my project last?
Your project will be funded for 12 months maximum, from May 2026 to April 2026.
What is the latest time l can submit my application?
All applications are due on the stated date 15 February 2026 by midnight CET. Applications received later than the stated date and time will not be considered.
When will l be contacted regarding the outcome of my application?
It is expected that the assessment process of applications will take about eight to ten weeks. Therefore, you can expect to hear from us during April or May 2025. An announcement will also be made on the Power2Voices platform for you to check your emails.
