AU‑EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grant 2026 (Up to €50,000)

The AU-EU Youth Action Lab is offering a fresh round of support for social enterprises and youth-led ventures across Africa. Through its 2026 Entrepreneurship Grant, the initiative aims to empower young change-makers, enabling them to grow sustainable enterprises that combine social or environmental impact with income-generating activity.

This grant offers promising startup teams a chance to secure significant financial backing and join a wider network of youth-driven organisations across Africa and Europe.

Grants & Other Benefits

• The grant provides substantial funding — between €30,000 and €50,000 — to support growth and sustainability of eligible youth-led enterprises.
• Funding comes with capacity-building support. Grantees receive guidance, mentorship and access to tools to help scale their operations responsibly while maintaining social or environmental mission.
• Being part of Youth Action Lab gives access to a broader community — connecting your venture to other young innovators, potential partners, and stakeholders across Africa and Europe.
• The grant offers a structured project duration of 12 months, giving you enough runway to build, test or expand your enterprise sustainably.

Program Scope

The Entrepreneurship Grant under Youth Action Lab supports youth-led social enterprises that combine mission-driven impact with revenue generation.

Eligible enterprises should focus on growth models that improve livelihoods, generate employment, or provide services — all while contributing positively to social or environmental challenges.

In this 2025-2026 call, the focus is on the responsible growth of youth-led social enterprises, combining social/environmental mission with income-generating activities.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the grant:

• Your enterprise or organisation must be youth-led (decision-making leadership and core staff aged between 18 and 35).
• You must be a legally registered entity (social enterprise, NGO/CSO, cooperative or similar), with a bank account, governance structure and formal registration.
• Your project must take place in one of the eligible countries: those listed by Youth Action Lab (for example Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, etc.).
• You should already run some income-generating activity — the grant is not just for ideas, but for enterprises combining social/environmental goals with financial sustainability.

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Application Process

• Applications are submitted online through the official Youth Action Lab portal. Ensure you register on their platform beforehand.
• You will need to complete the proposal form, present your enterprise profile, social-impact focus, revenue model, and a plan of how grant funds will be used.
• Deadline for submission for this call: 7 January 2026 (by 14:00 CAT / 15:00 EAT).
• Selected grantees will receive funding and begin a 12-month support programme under Youth Action Lab.

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