AU-EU Youth Action Lab Opens €31,500 Grant for Youth Organisations

Youth-led organisations across selected African countries can now apply for the 2026 AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grants.

Successful applicants are eligible to receive €31,500 to support initiatives that expand economic opportunities for young people.

The latest funding round is the third and final call under the AU-EU Youth Action Lab programme, making it a significant opportunity for eligible organisations seeking financial and capacity-building support for youth entrepreneurship initiatives.

The programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by Oxfam, the European Youth Forum and Restless Development Uganda, is designed to strengthen youth-led organisations and help young people take a greater role in shaping solutions to economic and social challenges.

What the Grant Supports

The Entrepreneurship Grant focuses particularly on initiatives that seek to create a more enabling environment for young entrepreneurs to start, develop and grow sustainable businesses.

Proposed projects may address issues such as:

• Improving young people’s access to entrepreneurship opportunities and relevant skills.
• Supporting youth-led enterprises and social entrepreneurship.
• Promoting sustainable and responsible growth of youth ventures.
• Advocating for policies, systems and structures that make it easier for young entrepreneurs to succeed.

Selected organisations will receive the €31,500 project grant, alongside mentorship, tailored organisational capacity development and opportunities for peer learning and networking within the AU-EU Youth Action Lab community.

Projects supported through this call will run for 12 months, from January to December 2027. The programme expects to award 11 Entrepreneurship Grants in this final round.

Who Can Apply?

The opportunity is open to youth-led organisations that meet the programme’s eligibility requirements.

Applicants must generally:

• Be formally registered as a non-profit organisation, such as an NGO, Trust or Community-Based Organisation.
• Have an organisational bank account and a clearly established governance structure.
• Have been operational for at least 12 months.
• Be genuinely youth-led, with young people aged 18–35 holding primary decision-making power.
• Ensure that staff working on the proposed project are aged 18–35.
• Be located and legally registered in one of the programme’s 12 eligible African countries.

Eligible Countries

Organisations must be based in one of the following countries:

Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This means eligible youth-led organisations in Nigeria can apply.

Important Application Details

Applicants can submit their proposals in English, French or Portuguese. Organisations can apply for only one grant type during this call, and there is no matching-fund or co-financing requirement.

The application deadline is:

September 23, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Central African Time (CAT).

Late applications will not be considered.

How to Apply

Interested organisations should first review the official Entrepreneurship Grant Funding Manual and confirm that they satisfy all eligibility requirements.

Applicants can then begin the process through the official ON GRIP registration and application platform, complete the eligibility screening and provide the required organisational, project, work-plan, budget and supporting information before submitting their proposal.

Apply for the AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grant

Read the Entrepreneurship Grant Funding Information

With this being the final AU-EU Youth Action Lab call, eligible youth-led organisations are encouraged to prepare their proposals early and submit before the September 23 deadline.