Key Details
Read This Before You Apply
- This round funds advocacy, not startup capital. The Entrepreneurship Grants rotate focus each round. This third and final round funds only one thing: advocacy for an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs — work that removes the barriers young business owners face. A proposal asking for money to build or grow your own business will not fit this call.
- For-profit businesses are not eligible. Your organisation must be a registered non-profit with a social or environmental mission.
- The youth rule is strict. 100% of your governing body must be aged 18–35 and hold real decision-making power. More than 80% of the people running your activities must be 18–35. And 100% of the staff working on this specific project must be 18–35.
- You need a track record. Formally registered in Nigeria, with your own organisation bank account, a clear governance structure, and at least 12 months of operations behind you.
- Watch the clock. The deadline is quoted in Central African Time, one hour ahead of Nigeria. 13:00 CAT is 12 noon here. Late applications are not considered.
About This Opportunity
The AU-EU Youth Action Lab is a joint African Union and European Union programme, implemented by Oxfam and funded by the European Commission. Its Entrepreneurship Grants back youth-led organisations working to strengthen economic opportunities for young people across 12 African focus countries, Nigeria among them.
Each of the three grant rounds has taken a different angle. This one — the last — asks for ideas that tackle the barriers young entrepreneurs run into, and that show how advocacy can shift the environment they operate in. Eleven organisations will be selected and each will receive €31,500 for a 12-month project running through 2027.
Money is not the whole offer. Grantees join a peer platform connecting youth organisations across Africa and Europe, receive mentorship and capacity-building shaped around what the organisation actually needs, and meet other grantees at the annual Link & Learn event.
Applications are assessed over roughly three months, so expect an outcome by January 2027 at the latest. An information webinar runs on 3 September 2026 at 13:00 CAT — useful, but not required. Read the Funding Manual on the official page before you start writing; it carries the full call text and assessment criteria.
The official page carries the Funding Manual and the "Apply Now" button that opens the ON-GRIP application form. FundFinder AI surfaces opportunities — always verify details on the official source before applying.