AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grant 2026 for Youth-Led Organisations

 Application Deadline: September 23, 2026, at 1:00 PM Central African Time

Applications are open for the 2026 AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grant, which supports youth-led organisations working to expand economic opportunities for young people across Africa.

The programme offers grants of up to €31,500 to eligible youth-led organisations implementing initiatives that help young people develop skills, create and grow enterprises, and participate in shaping a supportive business environment.

Areas of Focus

The Entrepreneurship Grant supports projects addressing three major challenges affecting young people's economic participation:

  1. Skills development and youth enterprise creation
    Projects that provide young people with relevant skills based on local economic needs and help them establish new youth-led businesses.
  2. Sustainable growth of youth-led enterprises
    Initiatives that support the responsible expansion of youth-led and social enterprises while taking social and environmental considerations into account.
  3. Advocacy for young entrepreneurs
    Activities that promote policies, systems and conditions that make it easier for young people to start, operate and grow businesses.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify, an organisation must meet the following conditions:

  • Be a non-profit organisation, such as a Trust, Community-Based Organisation (CBO), NGO, Civil Society Organisation (CSO) or Cooperative with a clearly defined social or environmental mission.
  • Be genuinely youth-led, with all members of its governance structure aged 18–35 and young people having primary decision-making authority.
  • Have more than 80% of the people directly involved in designing and implementing activities aged 18–35.
  • Ensure that 100% of staff working on the proposed project are between 18 and 35 years old.
  • Be formally registered in its country of operation.
  • Have an organisational bank account and an established governance structure.
  • Have been operating for at least 12 months.
  • Be registered and based in one of the 12 eligible African Youth Action Lab countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
  • Implement the proposed project in one or more of these eligible countries.

How to Apply

Interested organisations should take the following steps before submitting an application:

  • Carefully review the official Entrepreneurship Grant Funding Manual and application guidance.
  • Confirm that your organisation meets all the eligibility requirements.
  • Develop a project proposal either independently or together with other eligible youth organisations.
  • Submit the completed application before the deadline.

Applicants can review the funding manual in their preferred language:

Application Deadline: September 23, 2026, at 1:00 PM Central African Time

👉 Apply for the 2026 AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grant

For questions that are not addressed in the programme's FAQ, applicants can contact entrepreneurship@aueuyouth.com.

Eligible youth-led organisations are encouraged to review the funding requirements carefully and submit their proposals before the application deadline.

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