AU–EU Youth Action Lab 2026: Up to €42,000 Available for Youth-Led Organisations

What if your youth-led organization could receive up to €42,000 to turn an idea into a real project?

The AU–EU Youth Action Lab has opened its third and final Call for Proposals, giving eligible youth-led organisations in 12 African countries the opportunity to apply for either an Innovation Grant of €42,000 or an Entrepreneurship Grant of €31,500.

And yes, Zimbabwe is one of the eligible countries.

What Is the AU–EU Youth Action Lab?

The AU–EU Youth Action Lab supports youth-led organisations working to develop solutions to challenges affecting young people and their communities.

The programme is funded by the European Union and focuses on giving young people a stronger role in designing, implementing and scaling their own solutions.

This final call offers two funding options:

€42,000 Innovation Grant

The Innovation Grant is designed for youth-led organisations developing, testing, adapting, improving or scaling innovative approaches to global challenges.

Innovation does not necessarily mean technology. The programme can support new or improved activities, campaigns, approaches or collaborations that create meaningful and lasting change.

A total of 13 Innovation Grants will be awarded.

€31,500 Entrepreneurship Grant

The Entrepreneurship Grant focuses on strengthening the economic opportunities available to young people.

For this final call, the focus is specifically on advocating for an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses.

A total of 11 Entrepreneurship Grants will be awarded.

Both grants fund projects for 12 months, from January to December 2027.

Who Can Apply?

This is important: individuals cannot apply on their own.

The applicant must be a youth-led organisation.

Eligible organisations must:

• Be formally registered in an eligible country
• Be a non-profit organisation such as an NGO, CSO, CBO, Trust or qualifying cooperative
• Have a clear governance structure
• Have an organisation bank account
• Have been operating for at least 12 months
• Be genuinely youth-led, with young people aged 18–35 holding primary decision-making power
• Have young people making up the required project team
• Implement the proposed project in one or more eligible countries

The 12 eligible African countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland region), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

What Makes This Opportunity Stand Out?

This is not simply another small youth grant.

The Innovation Grant alone provides €42,000 for one 12-month project, while selected organisations will also receive mentorship, capacity development and opportunities to connect with other youth organisations, decision-makers and stakeholders across Africa and Europe.

There is also no matching-fund or co-funding requirement, according to the programme’s FAQ.

Even more importantly, this is the final Call for Proposals under the AU–EU Youth Action Lab, making this a particularly important opportunity for eligible organisations that have been waiting for the right funding call.

Important Details

Grant: €42,000 Innovation Grant OR €31,500 Entrepreneurship Grant
Project duration: January–December 2027
Eligible countries: 12 African countries, including Zimbabwe
Application deadline: 23 September 2026 at 13:00 CAT
Final call: Yes

Organisations may apply to only one grant type with one project.

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How to Apply

Eligible organisations should carefully review the relevant funding manual and submit their application through the official application platform.

TheOpHub Tip

Don’t start by thinking, “How can we spend €42,000?”

Start with the problem.

What is a real challenge affecting young people in your community? What have you already tried? What would you change, test or scale if you had the resources?

A strong proposal should make the connection between the problem, your solution, the young people you want to reach and the change you expect to create very clear.

Final Word

For youth-led organisations in countries such as Zimbabwe, this is the kind of funding call worth paying attention to. The funding is substantial, the programme offers more than money, and this is the final round.

If your organisation has a strong idea and meets the eligibility requirements, this could be the opportunity to take it from a promising concept to a properly funded 12-month project.

If it’s rare, hidden, or slept-on, TheOpHub finds it.