Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) Spaces for Youth Grant 2026 (Up To €10,000 Grant)

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Applications are open for Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) Spaces for Youth Grant 2026. AEYA Spaces for Youth Grant is an initiative supporting youth-led organisations across Africa to create or strengthen safe, inclusive spaces where young people can learn, innovate, develop leadership skills, and drive community change.

The programme is funded by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative and implemented by Expertise France in partnership with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and regional implementing partners.

The Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) is one of the flagships of the Youth Action Plan (YAP) in European Union external action and part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package under the “Youth Mobility for Africa Flagship”. Expertise France is lead of the project and operates in consortium with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).

The AEYA program aims to strengthen the role of young people as change agents and leaders of sustainable development, while reinforcing the links between Africa and Europe.

What is a Space for Youth?

A “Space for Youth” is the core concept of this Call for Projects. “Spaces for Youth” are:

Youth-focused: youth between 18 and 30 years old represents <75% of their “Space for Youth” project target beneficiaries;
Youth-led: <75% the governance bodies members of the “Space for Youth” project are between 18 and 30 years old;
And preferably youth-owned: the youth organisations are “owned” by a person or a collective of members between 18 and 30 years old.

They are designed by and for young people, enabling them to develop their leadership potential, express their voices, and access tailored support services. Inspired by the « European Spaces of Culture” by EUNIC, they are “hybrid spaces” that serves as a communal or informal gathering place.

AEYA Spaces for Youth Grant Funding mechanism

AEYA combines financial support with a structured capacity-building pathway in two rounds.

A. Round 1: Launch or Boost of a Space for Youth project

Twenty (20) youth‑led or youth‑focused organisations will be selected to establish, activate, or strengthen a project of Space for Youth.

The overall budget allocated to the Round 1 is €200,000, distributed across the lot as follows:

Lot 1: €200,000, corresponding to twenty (20) selected Spaces for youth projects across the countries covered by the lot.

Each selected organisation will receive:

A grant of €10,000;
Organisational support and tailored coaching delivered by Ghiyada Africa;
Access to a structured capacity-building programme delivered by Campus AFD.

As an indication, the programme aims to support approximately two (2) to three (3) Spaces for Youth projects per country, subject to the quality of applications received and the final distribution across lots.

B. Round 2: Acceleration and Scaling Up

At the end of Round 1, four (4) Spaces for youth projects selected among successful Round 1 beneficiaries and demonstrating the strongest potential for impact, inclusion, and sustainability will receive:

An additional grant of €40,000 each;
Diagnostic and tailored technical assistance to support scaling and organisational development based on the findings of the organisational diagnostic.
Continued access to regional and European networks and peer-learning opportunities.

The overall budget allocated to the Round 2 is €160,000, distributed across the two lots as follows:

Lot 1: €160,000, corresponding to four (4) selected Spaces for youth projects across the countries covered by the lot.

AEYA Spaces for Youth Grant Benefits

Selected organisations will receive:

€10,000 grant to implement a youth space project (Round 1)
Training and capacity-building support
Coaching and technical assistance
Networking opportunities with youth organisations across Africa and Europe

Outstanding projects from Phase 1 may also qualify for:

Up to €40,000 in additional funding (Round 2)
Continued technical support to scale their impact.

Who can Apply for AEYA Spaces for Youth Grant?

Civil society organisations (CSOs),
non‑governmental organisations (NGOs),
associations, cooperatives,
youth collectives,
community networks.

MSMEs and start‑ups may also apply, provided they:

Are legally registered and classified as micro, small, or medium enterprises.
Serve a clear public‑interest purpose.
Will not generate profit from the grant‑funded activities.
Are not subsidiaries or controlled by large corporate groups.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

Be legally registered, with proof of incorporation or equivalent documentation. Where applicable, and depending on the national legal context, an official receipt confirming that the registration application was submitted at least one (1) year before the submission deadline may be accepted. The evaluation committee reserves the right to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether such documentation is sufficient under the applicable national legal framework.
Be established in one of the eligible countries under Lot 1 (West Africa).
Have a minimum of one year of legal existence prior to the submission deadline.
Be apolitical, non‑partisan, and non‑discriminatory on the basis of religion, denomination, ethnicity, gender, or disability.
Demonstrate financial accountability, with basic financial systems in place to manage grants responsibly.

The proposed Space for Youth must:

Be youth‑led: at least 75% of governance body members must be aged 18–30 (with a list disaggregated by sex and age provided).
Be youth‑focused: at least 75% of project beneficiaries must be aged 18–30.
Operate on a non‑profit basis, with no for‑profit objectives under the proposed project.
Be apolitical, non‑partisan, and non‑discriminatory on the basis of religion, denomination, ethnicity, gender, or disability.
Meet the definition of a Space for Youth set out in Section 5 of this Call.