NYFF Youth Leadership Development Fund 2026 Grant Cycle (Up to $50,000 Grant Funding)

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Applications are open for NYFF Youth Leadership Development Fund 2026 Grant Cycle. The Youth Leadership Development Fund 2026 Grant Cycle is live and ready for bold, impact-driven young leaders and organizations across Nigeria.

The Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) seeks grant applications from qualified individuals and organizations for the Youth Leadership Development Fund. The grant aims to strengthen, support and promote youth ecosystem building in the country. The grants will be awarded to individuals and organizations working in line with the thematic areas of interest. Nigeria Youth Futures Fund seeks to strengthen youth leadership in Nigeria through outcomes-driven policy engagements and inclusive resourcing that help youth shape the future long-term development plans of the country.

The grant making component of the NYFF is pivotal towards bridging the gap for underfunded youth activists and youth focused organizations in order to strengthen the effectiveness and impact of their work. This is quite important given that there is still a huge gap between funds available for young people and the amount of funds actually managed by them.

Grant Thematic Areas

The Youth Leadership Development Fund seeks proposals that promote good governance and address fundamental national issues. The following thematic areas will be prioritised:

Policy and Advocacy: Target projects and interventions that promote and strengthen structured youth engagement in public policy processes at national and subnational levels. Priority areas will include:
- Open Government Partnership (OGP) engagement and public sector reform initiatives
- Interventions targeting Review, Domestication and Implementation of National/State Youth Policies
- Legislative engagement and regulatory reform efforts
- Policy research, policy performance tracking, and issue-based advocacy campaigns
Electoral Engagement and Democratic Participation: As a build-up to the general elections in 2027, initiatives that strengthen youth participation in electoral and democratic processes beyond voter mobilisation. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Leadership development for aspiring young leaders
- Election-related initiatives that promote informed participation and issue-based politics;
- Advocacy for Electoral Reforms
- Manifesto analysis and voter education initiatives that simplify and assess party and candidate policy positions;
- Candidate debates, town halls and issue-based dialogues that create platforms for engagement between young people, candidates, and elected officials;
- Post-election accountability initiatives that track campaign promises and governance commitments.
Accountability and Transparency: This thematic area promotes responsible governance, institutional integrity, and efficient public service delivery. Priority areas include:
- Strengthening accountability and transparency mechanisms in public institutions
- Monitoring public expenditure and budget tracking initiatives
- Promoting efficient and autonomous local government administration following the Supreme Court’s affirmations of financial autonomy
- Community-based governance scorecards and social accountability tools
Social Inclusion: NYFF seeks proposals on youth development projects that address Gender Equality and inclusion for People With Disabilities (PWDs) and marginalized groups. Priority areas include:
- Gender Equality: Gender equality ensures equal consideration and participation of both genders in all activities. It allows for unbiased treatment of all genders and provides equal opportunities and chances for contributions to society. Considering the myriad of concerns about gender inequality and social exclusion across various systems, such as sexual and gender-based violence in private and public institutions, and gender bias in access to health, education and other social amenities, etc., NYFF seeks to support youth initiatives that address the issues of gender inequality in the community, government system and structures.
- Implementation of the Disability Act: The Disability Act seeks to ensure people with disabilities are not discriminated against on the grounds of their disability by any person or institution in any manner or circumstance. The Act, which was passed on March 28, 2018, criminalizes discrimination against people with disabilities. The Act also seeks to fully integrate persons with disabilities into society by establishing their right to social amenities such as education, health, accommodation and emergencies, infrastructural systems and so on. The Act also provides a five-year transitional plan for public buildings, infrastructures and automobiles to be suitably modified for people with disabilities. However, the Act has not been fully domesticated or implemented across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The NYFF seeks to support youth initiatives that would aid the domestication of the Disability Act, as well as its proper adoption and adaptation into various systems at local, state and national levels.
National Cohesion, Peace and Security: Proposals that align with the following subthemes will be prioritised:
- Conflict prevention and early warning mechanisms
- Community-based peacebuilding initiatives
- Youth engagement in security sector accountability and community dialogue
- Violence prevention and mediation frameworks
- Strengthening civic-security trust relationships

NYFF Youth Leadership Development Fund Grant Categories

Small Grants of $1,000 are available for individuals and young advocates. Development Grants of $10,000 are targeted at youth-led and community-based organisations.
Catalyst Grants of up to $50,000 are designed for civic and innovation hubs serving as regional anchors within the youth ecosystem.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals must be young changemakers aged 18 to 35 with a demonstrated track record in youth development or civic engagement work.
Organizations must be registered, youth-led, and youth-focused entities whose work aligns with the fund’s thematic priorities.
Applicants should demonstrate clear impact potential, strong leadership capacity, and alignment with democratic values and inclusive governance principles.

Individual-level

The beneficiary must be a Young Change Maker (aged 18- 35 years) with a proven track record of working on a sustainable solution that directly addresses any of the thematic areas.
The beneficiary must demonstrate a good understanding and experience of youth activism, strategic planning and project management.
The beneficiary must demonstrate experience and knowledge of community or team building following principles of honesty and integrity.
The beneficiary must demonstrate talent and passion for new ways of behaving, norms, actions, love for creative arts and imagination –
The beneficiary must have genuine means of identification and/or must be attached to an institution.
The beneficiary must provide two (2) reputable referees.

Organization Level

Any organization applying must be a formally registered organization with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria or any other state-level relevant registration. Otherwise, unregistered organizations can form a cluster and apply through a registered organization.
Any organization applying must be a youth-driven civic and transformation organization working on sustainable solutions that directly addresses any of the thematic areas.
The organization must have good antecedents and proper track records.
The organization must have a SCUML certificate and any other relevant documents that certify its legal operations.
The organization must have a physical office address and a corporate account.
The organization must have a good reach within the proposed state of Implementation.
The organization must provide financial records with good financial standing
The organization must provide 2 reputable referees.

How To Apply for NYFF Youth Leadership Development Fund

The application steps consist of the following:

Filling of Pre-application questions
Proposal Submission: Applicants should submit a concept note/proposal, not more than 3000 words, following the stated guidelines and proposal template. Click here for Individual/Development Grant Proposal Template
The proposal templates are divided into three sections:
- Section A: This consists of the Individual/organization background, challenges identified, initiatives to be implemented, and scope of work
- Section B: This section consists of the Monitoring and Evaluation framework showing the expected inputs, outputs, outcome and impacts of the project
- Sections C: This section consists of the project work plan, showing the activities to be performed, timeline and the budget for each line items
Submission of organization/individual identification document:
- Small/Individual Grant: NIN certificate or equivalent.
- Organization Grant (Development & Catalyst Grant): CAC registration, Organizational document, and other documents such as certificate of recognition by previous funders, SCUML, etc., in a single PDF.
Filling of the Referees’ information: Name, Organization and portfolio, Phone Number, and email address

Click Here to Apply and for more details

Application Deadline: 31 March 2026.