AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants 2025
The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants 2025 are now open for proposals. These grants represent an incredible opportunity for youth-led organizations in Africa to receive funding that can help them amplify their voices, effect positive change in their communities, and contribute to the global conversation on youth empowerment.
Through this initiative, the AU-EU Youth Lab is focusing on supporting underrepresented and marginalized youth, aiming to help them bring their ideas, solutions, and needs to the attention of policymakers. This is an important step in empowering young people to play a more active role in shaping their futures.
The grants are being managed by Restless Development Uganda, a non-profit organization that has been at the forefront of youth empowerment efforts globally. Restless Development has long worked to amplify the voices of young leaders, helping them lead the charge for a better, more inclusive world. This partnership is a testament to the power of youth activism and leadership in driving long-lasting change.
The overarching purpose of the AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants is to empower young people in Africa to influence the decisions that affect their communities, not only locally but on a continental scale.
These grants aim to give young leaders the resources they need to advocate for the changes they want to see, be it in their local communities, national governments, or at the African Union and European Union levels.
Why the AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants Matter
In many parts of the world, including Africa, young people often face significant barriers when it comes to having their voices heard. Whether it’s due to socio-economic factors, lack of access to education, or systemic inequalities, underrepresented and marginalized youth often find it difficult to access the resources and platforms they need to advocate for the change they wish to see in their communities.
These youth voices are critical to creating solutions to the pressing challenges the world faces today, from climate change and poverty to education and health care.
The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants seek to address these barriers by providing much-needed financial support to youth-led organizations.
These grants are intended to allow young people to not only advocate for themselves but also to design and implement the changes they wish to see in their communities. Importantly, these grants are about more than just financial support—they are about recognizing the value of youth voices and ensuring that they are a key part of the decision-making processes that affect their lives.
By strengthening the role of young people in the change-making process, these grants will contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful future.
The ultimate goal is to create a world where youth are no longer passive recipients of policies but active participants in the creation of policies that directly affect them and their communities. This aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both of which emphasize the importance of youth involvement in creating a better, more equitable world.
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Key Objectives of the AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants
The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants are driven by two main objectives:
Strengthening the role of young people in designing and implementing change:
- The grants aim to enhance the capacity of youth-led organizations and groups to design and deliver initiatives that bring about the changes they believe are necessary for their communities and countries. Young people often possess unique perspectives on social issues, and their ideas can be transformative if given the right opportunities and support. By providing grants to these organizations, the initiative ensures that young people can turn their ideas into tangible actions.
Amplifying youth voices and solutions to policymakers:
- One of the key challenges young people face is getting their voices heard by decision-makers. Often, their concerns and solutions are sidelined, despite the fact that young people represent a significant portion of the population. The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants aim to elevate youth voices and ensure that young people’s solutions to issues such as unemployment, climate change, education, and health care are brought to the attention of influential policymakers, particularly within the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU).
By achieving these objectives, the grants will help create a more inclusive policy environment where youth can contribute meaningfully to the decisions that affect their lives. Moreover, they will help build networks of young leaders who can collaborate, share ideas, and collectively work towards a better future.
Grant Categories and Structure
A total of 40 representation grants will be awarded as part of this initiative, with different levels of financial support depending on the scope of the projects. These grants will be awarded for a maximum duration of 12 months. The grants are divided into three categories based on the size of the funding:
- Small Grants (€5,000):
- Ten grants will be awarded in this category, each providing €5,000 in funding. These grants are aimed at smaller-scale initiatives that may need initial financial support to get off the ground.
- Medium Grants (€10,000):
- Ten grants will be awarded in this category, each providing €10,000 in funding. These grants are intended for projects that are more established and need moderate funding to expand their impact.
- Large Grants (€20,000):
- The remaining 20 grants will provide €20,000 in funding to larger-scale projects that have the potential for significant impact. These grants are for organizations or groups that have a broad reach and aim to make substantial changes at local, national, or regional levels.
Each grant will be awarded for a 12-month period, providing ample time for the recipient organizations to design, implement, and evaluate their projects.
Who Can Apply?
The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants are open to youth-led organizations or groups that focus on empowering underrepresented or marginalized youth. To be eligible for this funding, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Youth-Led Organizations:
- The organization or group must be youth-led, meaning that young people between the ages of 15 and 35 must be the decision-makers, founders, or at least co-founders. At least 75% of the staff members must also be under the age of 35.
- Geographical Focus:
- The organization or group must be based in one of the following 12 African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe. These countries were selected to ensure that the grants have an impact across different regions of Africa.
- Grassroots Engagement:
- The organization or group must be actively involved at grassroots, sub-national, national, sub-regional, or regional levels. This ensures that the grants support initiatives that are deeply connected to local communities and that can generate real, grassroots-level change.
- Registration:
- The organization or group must be a registered entity, such as a youth-led group, civil society organization (CSO), network, alliance, or collective.
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How to Apply for the AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants
To apply for the AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants, interested organizations should follow these steps:
- Read the Funding Manual:
- Applicants should first carefully review the funding manual, which provides detailed information about the application process, eligibility, and guidelines for submitting proposals. The manual is available in three languages: English, French, and Portuguese, to accommodate a wide range of applicants across Africa.
- Develop a Proposal:
- Applicants should develop a well-thought-out proposal that outlines their project’s objectives, the activities they plan to carry out, the expected outcomes, and how they will engage youth in the decision-making process. Proposals can be submitted individually or in collaboration with other youth organizations.
- Submit the Application:
- The deadline for applications is February 19, 2025. Applicants should ensure they submit their proposals before this date to be considered for funding.
Once the applications are submitted, a review panel will assess the proposals, and successful applicants will be notified by March 2025. The grants will be awarded based on the strength of the proposals, the impact of the proposed initiatives, and the potential for long-term sustainability.
Conclusion
The AU-EU Youth Lab Representation Grants 2025 offer an exciting opportunity for youth-led organizations in Africa to receive the support they need to create meaningful change in their communities. These grants will help elevate the voices of young people, particularly those from marginalized and underrepresented groups, ensuring that their ideas and solutions are heard at the highest levels of policymaking.
By supporting these youth-led initiatives, the AU-EU Youth Lab aims to create a more inclusive, fair, and equitable society, where young people have the power and resources to shape their futures. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a transformative movement that values youth leadership and places young people at the heart of decision-making processes.
If you are part of a youth-led organization in one of the eligible African countries, don’t miss the chance to apply for these grants. Your ideas and actions can make a real difference, not only in your community but across the continent and beyond.
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