14 December 2020 is the new cut-off date for local or national youth organisations that are looking for funding for pilot activities which respond to local needs arising from the COVID-19 crisis.

The European Youth Foundation will continue to give priority to projects that aim at demonstrating solidarity and support to all persons affected by the COVID-19 crisis, such as:

• Reaching out to and supporting particularly vulnerable groups of people, including homeless, refugees and asylum-seekers, people with disabilities, people living in isolation or in remote communities;
• Support to health, social and educational services;
• Education and awareness-raising of the importance of human rights in responses to COVID-19 crisis.

Further conditions

All pilot activities must respect the sanitary and safety measures put in place by the competent authorities at national and/or local level. Further, applicant youth organisations are strongly encouraged to co-ordinate their activities with the competent authorities and to indicate such in their project proposal.

Important!

The maximum EYF grant to a pilot activity is €10 000.

Youth organisations can submit applications only if they are registered with the EYF. The instructions and criteria for registration can be found here.

Visit the EYF website and facebook page to stay up to date.

How to apply?

Information on the procedure and criteria for application can be found on the EYF website (What is a pilot activity).

If you decide to submit an application, please mention clearly at the top of the application: special call COVID-19.

Applications for Non-COVID-19 related Pilot Activities can be submitted at all times and will also be assessed and decided upon.

Please note:

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected young people in many ways and the European Youth Foundation’s special call for Pilot Activities is an opportunity to mitigate the consequences in an impactful and meaningful manner.

If you consider applying for an EYF pilot grant under the special COVID-19 call, please keep the following in mind:

• You are applying for a grant from a foundation that is part of the Council of Europe. Therefore, the EYF only awards grants to applications where proposed activities match with the tasks of the Council of Europe, and are in line with the specific priorities of its youth sector.
• Your project should have a non-formal education component, meaning that your activity is also designed to improve a range of skills and competencies of young people, outside the formal educational curriculum.
• Although the COVID19 call is a special call, it is not an urgent call, which means that the normal procedures apply. After the indicated cut-off date, your proposal will be assessed and presented to the Programming Committee on Youth, which decides whether a grant will be awarded. This procedure may take several weeks. Therefore, proposals should be submitted to the EYF at least 3 months before the intended starting date.
• Since launching the special call in April 2020, the EYF has received proposals aimed at relieving urgent needs, physical or psychological. Unfortunately, such proposals cannot be supported, as the Council of Europe is not an emergency aid organisation.

Good luck to everyone applying!