The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is the grant-making body of the Council of Europe youth sector. It gives money to non-governmental youth organisations so they can run international meetings, long-term co-operation projects and local initiatives that advance democracy, human rights and youth participation. Applicants are organisations, not individuals: an international youth NGO, an international or sub-regional network of youth NGOs, a national youth NGO working with partners abroad, or — for ad hoc calls — a local youth organisation.
Every applicant registers first in the EYF online granting system, and the Programming Committee on Youth decides which projects receive a grant. The EYF describes young people as individuals between 15 and 30 years of age, and its standing deadlines are 1 April and 1 October each year, with extra ad hoc calls announced in between. Two calls are open now, both closing on 1 September 2026: one for ad hoc initiatives on democracy, one for international activities supporting young people from Ukraine.
Benefits & funding
- Ad hoc youth initiatives “Living and building democracy” (call 2026.C3.C): 25 grants of up to €8,000 each, for initiatives starting between 20 November and 31 December 2026 and running no longer than six months.
- International one-off activities supporting young people from Ukraine (call 2026.C4.A): 6 grants of up to €25,000 each, from an indicative budget of €150,000.
- International one-off youth co-operation activities (call 2027.C1.A, closed 1 April 2026): about 10 grants of up to €25,000 each, indicative budget €250,000.
- International long-term youth co-operation projects (call 2027.C2.B, closed 1 April 2026): 10 grants of up to €60,000 each, indicative budget €600,000, for projects of up to 18 months.
- Structural grants cover an organisation’s running costs for one year or for two years; the two-year grants are decided every second year, with the next deadline on 1 October 2027.
- Grants are paid in two parts: 80% once the agreement is signed and 20% after the reports are approved. Travel is reimbursed through distance-based unit rates.
- For 2027 the EYF awarded €914,474 across 23 projects — €268,033 for one-off activities and €646,441 for long-term projects.
Eligibility
- The applicant must be a non-governmental youth organisation registered in the EYF granting system. Individuals cannot apply.
- Eligible applicant types depend on the call: international youth NGOs, international or sub-regional networks of youth NGOs, national youth NGOs meeting the stated partnership conditions, and local youth organisations for ad hoc initiatives.
- The organisation must be based in one of the 46 Council of Europe member states.
- International activities must gather participants residing in at least seven Council of Europe member states. Ad hoc initiatives need participants residing in at least one member state.
- At least 75% of participants must be no older than 30. The EYF works with young people aged 15 to 30.
- Structural grants are open only to organisations with established co-operation with the Council of Europe.
- The EYF does not fund activities of a commercial nature, the purchase of land or buildings, construction or renovation, fixed equipment for buildings, tourism activities, scholarships, sports events and competitions, or school exchanges.
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Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark
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Application process
- 1Register the organisation in the EYF grant-management system at support4youth.coe.int, with the statutes, proof of registration, activity reports and bank details.
- 2Pick an open call from the EYF calls page and read the call document together with its questions-and-answers file.
- 3Join an information session or a Digital Open Desk if one is scheduled for that call.
- 4Complete the two templates attached to the call: the narrative application and the budget.
- 5Submit through the granting system before the deadline. Both open calls close on 1 September 2026 at 23:59 CET.
- 6Wait for the assessment. For the two open 2026 calls, decisions are taken by 31 October 2026 and applicants are informed by 5 November 2026.
- 7Sign the grant agreement, receive the 80% advance, run the project, then report to release the final 20%.
Program timeline
1 April 2026
Deadline for the 2027 one-off and long-term calls, now closed
Deadline for the ad hoc democracy call and the Ukraine call
1 September 2026, 23:59 CET
September 2026
New calls for 2027 one-off activities and long-term projects to be announced
Grant decisions taken for the two open calls
31 October 2026
Applicants informed of the results
5 November 2026
Window in which funded ad hoc initiatives must start
20 November to 31 December 2026
1 December 2026
Earliest start for projects under the Ukraine call, which must end by 31 December 2027
Next deadline for two-year structural grants
1 October 2027