Following the decision of the Council of Europe’s Joint Council of Youth on 12 October 2022, the European Youth Foundation (EYF) is launching a special call to support young people from Ukraine. This initiative responds to the current needs expressed by the Ukrainian authorities and stakeholders in the field of youth.
Youth organisations in Ukraine or youth organisations working with young people from Ukraine in the member states of the Council of Europe are invited to submit applications for this special call for EYF pilot activity grants. The activities must be designed for, support and involve young people from Ukraine affected by the war. Projects can be submitted at any time until the funds are exhausted.
Conditions to apply
The purpose of this initiative is to support young people from Ukraine affected by the war through civil society and youth work interventions, within the framework of the values of the Council of Europe. Project applications can include activities such as peer to peer learning and support, trainings and workshops, information and counselling, awareness raising and capacity building for young people, youth workers and youth leaders, meetings of young people from Ukraine, analysis, research and other actions that are based on the principles and practice of youth work. Activities may have a local, regional or national scope, and can also include activities in a local cross-border context. Activities may be implemented in person, online and in hybrid formats.
Project applications will be assessed based on the EYF criteria for pilot projects. A successful project will:
- be a youth activity prepared, run and managed by a local, regional or national non-governmental youth organisation and involving young people from Ukraine.
- be an activity that supports young people from Ukraine affected by the war in their daily life, rights, and to navigate their challenges and access their rights.
- be an activity related to a local need and that brings an added value to the lives of young people from Ukraine.
- follow the basic principles of youth work, in particular the promotion of intercultural dialogue and understanding and the promotion and protection of human rights and democracy.
- be in line with the values of the Council of Europe and its priorities in the field of youth.
Projects must have a start date at least 6 weeks after the submission date.
Projects that support the war effort are not eligible for this special call. The grant cannot not be used for purchasing and/or promoting goods or services for humanitarian and/or military-related actions.
Financial conditions
The EYF can provide a grant of a maximum amount of €15 000 to cover the costs of a pilot activity. However, you may apply for smaller projects, for any amount below €15 000.
The EYF grant is transferred in two instalments: a first instalment of 80% after the signature of the grant agreement with the successful grantee organisation; a second transfer of the balance (20%) upon receipt and approval by the EYF of the final project reports (narrative and financial) due within 2 months following the project end date.
The EYF grant can cover real project costs such as accommodation and meals, travel costs, fees for trainers or other experts, interpretation, translation, rental of equipment, rental of venues, communication, and up to 7% of the awarded grant for administrative costs (salaries of staff dedicated to the project, office rent, insurance, electricity, water and heating.
For the purpose of this call, the grant agreement for awarded projects may be submitted electronically to the EYF. For NGO grantees based in Ukraine, the financial report may also be submitted electronically to the EYF. For all other obligations of the grantee, the EYF regulations apply.
How to apply
Youth organisations can submit applications only if they are registered with the EYF. The instructions and criteria for registration can be found here.
The registration of new organisations based in Ukraine will be processed by the EYF within maximum 1 week upon receipt of the NGO’s relevant information.
Applications can be submitted at any time, on a rolling basis, during the initial period of 12 months after the launch of the call or until the call funds are exhausted. Applications must be submitted via the EYF online system https://fej.coe.int/ in English or French. Please note that the title of the applications should include the text: “Special Call for Ukraine”.
Timeline
The typical timeline for the application process is:
- If not registered with the EYF, count at least one week for the registration process once you submit the needed information on your organisation (questionnaire to answer to, plus original statute of the organisation, short translation to English or French of the statute, and short description of recent activities).
- From the moment you submit your project application, expect 6 weeks before receiving the results related to whether the project is approved or not.
- Once approved, you will receive a grant agreement to sign and return to the EYF. From the moment you sign the grant agreement, expect up to 4 weeks until you receive the first grant instalment.
- After the project is finished, you have up to 2 months to submit to the EYF a narrative report through the EYF online system and the financial report by post. Youth NGOs based in Ukraine will be allowed exceptionally to sign and submit the financial report electronically. Upon receipt of a complete report file, expect up to one month to receive the remaining instalment of the grant.
Information sessions to support the call
The EYF organised two information sessions on 16 and 17 November 2022. The presentations used in these sessions are available:
A FAQ page is also available.
Contact
If you have any further questions regarding the “Special Call for Ukraine” you can contact the EYF secretariat, via email, [email protected], in English or French.
In case of need, you may also contact [email protected], in Ukrainian.