Following the adoption of the Operational Regulations of the European Youth Foundation by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the EYF created the Equal Access Fund to help remove barriers to participation and improve accessibility and inclusion in EYF-funded projects.

The Equal Access fund provides a top-up grant of up to 10% of the original grant to cover costs related to the participation of young participants and team members with disabilities or health-related issues. Requests can be submitted during specific calls announced throughout the year.

At the first deadline in February 2026, the Equal Access Fund was awarded to eight youth organisations with international youth co-operation projects in 2026. Following the second call for expressions of interest launched in June, the Programming Committee on Youth approved the request of the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) for a €6 000 top-up grant for its long-term youth cooperation project “We are IN for FEMinism”.

For more information about the Equal Access Fund, check the dedicated chapter on page 13 of the Guide to the grants of the European Youth Foundation. Youth organisations interested in making their projects more accessible can also consult the EYF’s new thematic resource on accessibility, which provides relevant information and practical resources to support more accessible youth activities.