Applications are open for the AU-EU Youth Action Lab's 2026 Entrepreneurship Grants, a fixed €31,500 award for youth-led nonprofits working on social or environmental impact, and Tanzania is one of only 12 African countries where organisations can apply. The Youth Action Lab is a joint African Union–European Union initiative, and this round runs alongside a separate, larger €42,000 Innovation Grant track for a different category of project.
The fixed amount is worth noting on its own: this isn't an "up to" figure that shrinks in practice; every successful applicant receives the full €31,500, no more and no less.
Eligible countries
Organisations must be registered and operating in one of the following: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (Somaliland), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.
Eligibility
- A formally registered non-profit entity — trust, community-based organisation, NGO, CSO, or cooperative — with a social or environmental mission
- An organisational bank account and clear governance structure
- At least 12 months of operation
- Genuinely youth-led: people aged 18–35 must hold 100% of governance representation and primary decision-making power
- At least 80% of activity participants aged 18–35
- All project staff aged 18–35
Benefits
- €31,500 in fixed grant funding
- Mentorship and capacity-development support
- Peer networking across Africa and Europe
- Access to the AU-EU Youth Action Lab community
How to apply
Applications are submitted through the ON Grip platform after reviewing the programme's Funding Manual and confirming eligibility. Applications are accepted in English, French, or Portuguese and cannot be edited once submitted, a reason to have every document ready before starting the form.
Deadline: September 23, 2026. (One source lists a submission cutoff of 1:00 p.m. Central African Time on that date; confirm the exact closing time on the official portal before submitting, since not every source specifies it.)
Full eligibility rules and the application portal are on the programme's official page: aueuyouth.com/grants.
Sourcing notes
- Cross-verified across two independent sources published within days of each other: MSME Africa, "Call For Applications: AU-EU Youth Action Lab Entrepreneurship Grants 2026," Sep 2, 2026 (https://msmeafricaonline.com/call-for-applications-au-eu-youth-action-lab-entrepreneurship-grants-2026-e31500-grant-for-youth-led-organisations/), and Opportunity Desk, "AU-EU Youth Action Lab Grant 2026," Aug 25, 2026 (https://opportunitydesk.org/2026/08/25/au-eu-youth-action-lab-grant-2026/). Grant amount, deadline, and the 12-country list matched across both.
- Official programme source named in both: aueuyouth.com/grants.