Round 1 Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Entities: Who can apply?

  • Civil society organisations (CSOs), 

  • non‑governmental organisations (NGOs), 

  • associations, cooperatives, 

  • youth collectives,  

  • community networks.

MSMEs and start‑ups may also apply, provided they:

  • Are legally registered and classified as micro, small, or medium enterprises.

  • Serve a clear public‑interest purpose.

  • Will not generate profit from the grant‑funded activities.

  • Are not subsidiaries or controlled by large corporate groups.

Applicant Requirements: What conditions must applicants meet to be eligible?

Applicants must:

  • Be legally registered, with proof of incorporation or equivalent documentation.

  • Be established in one of the eligible countries under Lot 2 (Central Africa) or Lot 3 (East & Southern Africa).

  • Have a minimum of one year of legal existence prior to the submission deadline.

  • Be apolitical, non‑partisan, and non‑discriminatory on the basis of religion, denomination, ethnicity, gender, or disability.

  • Demonstrate financial accountability, with basic financial systems in place to manage grants responsibly.

Space for Youth Requirements: What conditions must the proposed Space for Youth meet?

The proposed Space for Youth must:

  • Be youth‑led: at least 75% of governance body members must be aged 18–30 (with a list disaggregated by sex and age provided).

  • Be youth‑focused: at least 75% of project beneficiaries must be aged 18–30.

  • Operate on a non‑profit basis, with no for‑profit objectives under the proposed project.

  • Be apolitical, non‑partisan, and non‑discriminatory on the basis of religion, denomination, ethnicity, gender, or disability.

  • Meet the definition of a Space for Youth set out in Section 5 of the Call.

Round 1 Selection Criteria

The evaluation will focus on:

  • the relevance of the proposed Space for Youth;

  • the expected impact on young people;

  • the feasibility and quality of the proposed activities;

  • the extent of youth leadership;

  • inclusion, gender equality and the participation of vulnerable youth;

  • innovation and potential for replication;

  • sustainability beyond the grant period;

  • the coherence between the proposed activities and budget.

Round 2 Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements : What conditions must applicants meet to be eligible?

To be eligible for consideration under Round 2, organisations must:

  • Have successfully implemented their Round 1 project activities;

  • Have submitted all required narrative and financial reports;

  • Have provided all supporting documentation demonstrating the proper use of the EUR 10,000 grant;

  • Have complied with Expertise France’s administrative, financial, safeguarding and reporting requirements;

  • Have actively participated in the mandatory AEYA capacity-building pathway;

  • Have ensured the regular participation of the two designated management representatives throughout the bi-weekly Campus AFD training sessions;

  • Have developed and submitted a scaling strategy or business plan;

  • Existing or clearly identified prospective collaboration with at least one European institution relevant to the proposed scale-up project ;

  • Demonstrate sound financial management and organisational capacity;

Selection criteria for Round 2 funding

1. Quality of implementation and results achieved during Round 1, including inclusion of vulnerable youth  

This criterion will assess the extent to which the organisation successfully implemented its Round 1 project, including:

  • Achievement of planned activities and outputs;

  • Quality and relevance of results achieved for young people;

  • Ability to reach the intended target groups, including vulnerable or underserved youth;

  • Evidence that vulnerable or underserved youth meaningfully benefited from the project, including youth with disability, vulnerable women, and youth affected by conflicts, climate change or experiencing territory-based exclusion;

  • Evidence of learning, adaptation and responsiveness during implementation.

2. Relevance, feasibility and inclusiveness of the proposed scale-up strategy or business plan 

This criterion will assess the quality of the organisation’s proposed scale-up approach, including:

  • Clarity of the scale-up objectives, including potential to reach more young people or deepen impact, possibility of replication in other communities, regions or contexts;;

  • Coherence between Round 1 results and the proposed Round 2 activities;

  • Feasibility of the proposed activities, timeline and budget;

  • Measures to ensure inclusion, accessibility and participation of vulnerable or underserved youth;

  • Identification of risks and proposed mitigation measures.

3. Sustainability and institutional strengthening potential

This criterion will assess whether the proposed project has realistic potential to continue, grow or be replicated beyond AEYA funding, including:

  • Institutional, operational or financial sustainability;

  • Ability to mobilise additional resources, partnerships or sources of funding;

  • Contribution to strengthening the organisation's systems, governance or long-term resilience;

  • Contribution to longer-term youth leadership and empowerment.

4. Organisational capacity, governance and financial management 

This criterion will assess the organisation’s capacity to manage a larger grant, including:

  • Quality of financial management during Round 1;

  • Compliance with reporting and documentation requirements;

  • Human resources and operational capacity to implement the scale-up project.

5. Quality of existing or prospective collaboration with a European institution 

This criterion will assess the relevance and added value of the organisation’s collaboration with at least one European institution, including:

  • Relevance of the institution to the proposed scale-up project;

  • Clarity of the expected contribution of the collaboration;

  • Added value for youth leadership, learning, networking or sustainability;

Round 2 funding will be awarded to the highest-ranked eligible organisations, subject to the availability of funds and final validation by the selection committee.

Eligible Projects

For both rounds, projects submitted must:

  • Aim to establish, activate or strengthen a Space for Youth benefiting young people aged 18–30;

  • Have a duration of between six (6) and twelve (12) months;

  • Be implemented exclusively in one of the eleven countries covered under Lot 2 or Lot 3;

  • Demonstrate how they contribute to the meaningful inclusion of vulnerable youth, including youth with disability, vulnerable women, and youth affected by conflicts, climate change or experiencing territory-based exclusion.

Projects should contribute to AEYA’s inclusion targets and aim to ensure meaningful participation of young people facing barriers to inclusion.

As indicative targets, projects should aim to reach:

  • At least 50% young women among direct beneficiaries;

  • At least 25% vulnerable youth among direct beneficiaries, including youth from rural or remote areas, youth with disabilities, displaced or conflict-affected youth, unemployed or economically precarious youth, and other marginalised groups.

Applicants must explain in their proposal how these groups will be identified, reached, included and supported throughout project implementation. Particular attention will be given to initiatives benefiting:

  • Young women;

  • Young people with disabilities (physical, mobility, sensory, or mental health-related disabilities); 

  • Family-related vulnerabilities (children in alternative care, single-parent families, survivors of domestic violence, poverty, adolescent mothers); 

  • Socio-economic vulnerabilities (illiteracy, long-term unemployment, food insecurity, lack of access to electricity or the internet, discrimination); 

  • Geographical or environmental vulnerabilities (remote areas, insecurity, conflict, refugees, and internally displaced persons).