AU-EU Youth Action Lab Grants 2026 for African Youth-led Initiatives (Up To €42,000 Grant Funding)

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Applications are open for AU-EU Youth Action Lab Grants 2026. The AU-EU Youth Action Lab offers funding for youth-led initiatives in Africa and Europe. If you have an idea or project that helps tackle global challenges in your own context, you can apply for funding and bring your ideas and solutions to life!

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.

AU-EU Youth Action Lab Grants Types

The Youth Action Lab has 2 different grant types available for its final Call for Proposals: Each grant will last for a period of 12 months from January 2027 to December 2027. Please note – you can only apply to one grant opportunity at a time!

INNOVATION GRANTS

To support youth initiatives that want to design, test and/or scale innovations that are linked to global challenges.

This category may be particularly relevant to organisations developing practical solutions in areas such as climate action, social inclusion, technology, community development, education, youth participation and other challenges affecting their communities.

The emphasis is on giving youth-led initiatives the resources and organisational support needed to turn promising ideas into practical action.

Benefits

The Innovation Grants provide grant opportunities of 42,000 EURO to which individual youth-led organisations can apply.
Your organisation will receive financial support to implement your innovation in your own community and beyond.
Your organisation will become part of a platform for you to share your solution with peers, decision-makers and other stakeholders across Africa and Europe.
You will benefit from mentorship and other forms of capacity development support according to the needs of your organisation.

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.

Focus Areas

Your idea may combine several approaches. It may start locally and grow over time. It may improve an existing solution or create an entirely new one. We are excited to receive your ideas!

Create tangible local impact: a positive change for young people and/or their communities in their own context.
Contribute to longer-term systems, policy, or practice change related to a global challenge, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda 2063, or other relevant frameworks.
Demonstrate innovation by designing, testing, adapting, scaling, or improving approaches with the potential for sustainable impact and future replication.
Generate learning and share knowledge with youth actors and other stakeholders across Africa and Europe.

The activities you propose can be a mixture of the broad types of activities above and do not need to ‘fit in one box’.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP GRANTS

To support youth initiatives that advocate for an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs. This makes the opportunity relevant to youth organisations working on entrepreneurship policy, access to opportunities, youth economic participation, business ecosystems and advocacy for young entrepreneurs.

The Entrepreneurship Grants aim to provide support to youth actors that work on strengthening the economic opportunities for young people!

Benefits

The Entrepreneurship Grants provide grants opportunities for 31,500 EURO to which individual youth-led organisations can apply.
Your organisation will receive financial support to implement your innovation in your own community and beyond.
Your organisation will become part of a platform for you to share your solution with peers, decision-makers and other stakeholders across Africa and Europe.
You will benefit from mentorship and other forms of capacity development support according to the needs of your organisation.

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.

How To Apply for AU-EU Youth Action Lab Grants

Eligible youth-led initiatives should first review the requirements for both grant categories and select the opportunity that best matches their project.

Applicants can then:

Choose one grant type – Innovation or Entrepreneurship.
Review the specific eligibility and application requirements for the selected grant.
Develop a clear project proposal explaining the challenge, proposed solution, target beneficiaries and expected results.
Demonstrate the youth-led nature of the initiative and its relevance to the applicant’s local context.
Prepare the required application information and supporting materials.
Submit the application before 23 September 2026 at 13:00 CAT.

Click Here to Apply and More Details

Application Deadline: 23 September at 13.00pm Central African Time