The European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe is inviting proposals for international long-term youth cooperation projects beginning in 2027. Through call reference 2027.C6.B, eligible international youth organisations and international networks can request grants of up to €60,000 to implement projects that strengthen democracy, human rights, peaceful and inclusive societies, international solidarity and quality youth work.
The funding is intended for substantial projects lasting up to 18 months. Each proposal must combine at least one international in-person meeting of young people with other connected activities, which may include campaigns, advocacy, research, educational-resource production, capacity development, local actions, regional initiatives and multiplier activities.
The European Youth Foundation, commonly known as the EYF, has announced an indicative total budget of €600,000 for the call. It expects to award approximately 10 grants, each worth no more than €60,000.
However, this is an intention rather than a guarantee. The Foundation may award fewer grants, leave part of the budget unallocated or redistribute the available resources depending on the quality and number of proposals received.
Applications must be submitted through the EYF online grant-management system by October 1, 2026, at 23:59.
Applicants should note a time-zone discrepancy in the official material. The main call text and online call page use CET, while the indicative timetable uses CEST. Because the CEST interpretation produces an earlier UTC cutoff, organisations should treat 23:59 CEST on October 1, 2026 as the safer deadline and submit well in advance. Late applications will not be considered.
Prospective applicants should carefully examine the official call for proposals, the questions and answers updated on August 28, 2026 and the Guide to the Grants of the European Youth Foundation before submitting an application.
European Youth Foundation Grant 2027 at a Glance
| Key item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Call title | International long-term youth cooperation projects in 2027 |
| Call reference | 2027.C6.B |
| Funding body | European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe |
| Maximum grant request | €60,000 per project |
| Indicative total budget | €600,000 |
| Expected number of grants | Approximately 10 |
| Maximum project duration | 18 months |
| Earliest project start | January 1, 2027 |
| Latest project start | March 31, 2027 |
| Latest project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Application deadline | October 1, 2026, at 23:59 |
| Application languages | English or French |
| Application channel | EYF online grant-management system |
| Direct applicants | Registered international youth NGOs or international networks of youth NGOs |
| Required international activity | At least one in-person international meeting lasting four programme days or longer |
| Country requirement | Participants residing in at least seven Council of Europe member states |
| Age requirement | At least 75% of counted participants must be aged 30 or younger |
| Final reporting | Within two months after the project ends |
The EYF calls page lists this opportunity as open and provides the official call document, narrative application form, budget template and questions and answers.
About the European Youth Foundation
The European Youth Foundation is a Council of Europe fund established in 1972 to support youth-led civil society initiatives. Its mission is to promote peace, understanding and international cooperation among young people while advancing human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms.
The Council of Europe is an international organisation headquartered in Strasbourg, France. It has 46 member states and is institutionally separate from the European Union.
The EYF works within the Council of Europe’s youth sector and provides grants to non-governmental youth organisations whose activities reflect Council of Europe standards, priorities and values.
According to the European Youth Foundation’s official overview, its work is built around:
- Youth autonomy
- Non-formal education and learning
- European awareness
- International solidarity
- Democratic participation
- Human rights
- Peace and cooperation among young people
This 2027 call is specifically intended to fund long-term international youth cooperation. It does not provide personal financial assistance to individual applicants. Instead, it finances eligible youth organisations to design and implement structured projects involving young people.
Purpose of the 2027 Long-Term Youth Cooperation Call
The call seeks to support international projects that promote understanding and solidarity across borders while contributing to human rights and democracy.
A competitive proposal should address several of the following objectives rather than operating as an isolated event.
Strategic Development of Youth Organisations
Projects may help an applicant organisation, its members and its wider network improve their long-term strategies, methods and institutional capacity in areas connected to EYF priorities.
The project should leave the organisation stronger and better able to continue meaningful youth work after the grant ends.
Strategic development may involve:
- Improving governance and youth participation
- Developing new organisational strategies
- Strengthening international networks
- Establishing new cooperation mechanisms
- Improving advocacy capacity
- Developing sustainable educational methods
- Strengthening monitoring and evaluation
- Increasing the organisation’s ability to reach excluded young people
Capacity Building and Knowledge Development
The EYF is interested in proposals that develop practical knowledge and capacity within youth organisations.
Possible outputs include:
- Youth-work tools and methodologies
- Training resources
- Manuals and guides
- Research reports
- Policy recommendations
- Advocacy materials
- Educational publications
- Digital learning resources
- Websites and online platforms
- Videos or podcasts
- Facilitator resources
- Replicable non-formal education methods
Outputs should not be produced merely to satisfy a project requirement. Applicants should explain who will use each output, how it responds to a defined need and how it will support longer-term change.
Long-Term Partnerships and Cross-Border Cooperation
Projects can foster strategic relationships among young people and youth organisations across national borders.
The emphasis is on sustained cooperation, shared learning and coordinated action rather than bringing participants together once without a continuation plan.
A strong project may establish:
- Long-term cooperation between youth organisations
- Shared advocacy platforms
- Cross-border learning networks
- Joint research or policy initiatives
- Youth-led communities of practice
- Regional or international follow-up structures
- Continued exchange of methods and resources
Knowledge and Skills for Young People
Proposals may strengthen young people’s:
- Knowledge of democracy and human rights
- Intercultural understanding
- Advocacy capacity
- Leadership ability
- Research and policy skills
- Confidence and participation
- Media literacy
- Digital citizenship
- Peacebuilding competence
- Ability to organise collective action
The application should explain what young people will learn and how they will apply that learning after participating.
Multiplier Actions and Wider Outreach
The call encourages projects that extend beyond their direct participants.
Educational, awareness-raising, advocacy and cooperation activities may operate at local, national and international levels. Applicants should explain how project knowledge and results will reach additional young people, communities, institutions or decision-makers.
Multiplier actions may include:
- Local workshops
- Community events
- National advocacy campaigns
- Training delivered by project participants
- Public-awareness activities
- Policy meetings
- Digital campaigns
- Educational-resource distribution
- Peer-learning events
- Local or regional action grants
Four EYF Funding Priorities for 2024-2027
Every proposal must connect credibly with the Council of Europe’s youth-sector priorities.
Applicants should avoid simply repeating the name of a priority. They must demonstrate how the project responds to a defined challenge, uses relevant Council of Europe standards and produces meaningful results.
The four priorities are explained on the official EYF Youth Sector Priorities page.
Priority One: Revitalising Pluralistic Democracy
This priority includes work that:
- Protects young people’s freedom to assemble.
- Supports the right to form, join and participate in associations.
- Expands civic space for youth organisations.
- Removes barriers to youth participation in political processes.
- Strengthens youth involvement in public decision-making.
- Develops young people’s understanding of artificial intelligence and its democratic effects.
- Supports youth participation in artificial-intelligence and internet-governance processes.
- Builds the capacity of youth organisations to involve young people in local decision-making.
- Gives particular attention to rural youth, minorities and vulnerable groups.
- Examines the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on young people and democracy.
- Advances young people’s right to a healthy environment.
A democracy-focused proposal should move beyond general civic education. It should identify a genuine barrier to participation or democratic life and explain how young people will analyse, challenge or help remove it.
Priority Two: Young People’s Access to Rights
Projects under this priority may focus on:
- Human rights education with and for young people.
- Media literacy for children and young people.
- Awareness of legal, civic and social rights.
- Advocacy for implementing Council of Europe standards on young people’s access to rights.
- Social rights for young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
- Practical action enabling marginalised groups to exercise rights that formally exist but remain difficult to access.
- Access to information about rights and available services.
- Capacity building for young rights advocates.
Strong proposals should identify the difference between recognising a right in principle and enabling young people to exercise that right in practice.
Priority Three: Living Together in Peaceful and Inclusive Societies
This priority covers initiatives addressing:
- Discrimination, racism and exclusion, including structural discrimination.
- Roma youth participation and antigypsyism.
- Inclusion of young refugees and their transition to adulthood.
- Multiple discrimination and intersectionality.
- Gender equality.
- Sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Disability inclusion.
- Intercultural dialogue.
- Peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
- Cooperation with neighbouring countries and other world regions.
- Participation and inclusion of young people in rural communities.
- Mental health and well-being.
- Personal development for young refugees and young people affected by war.
- Inclusion of young people facing multiple forms of discrimination.
Projects should centre the participation, leadership and agency of the young people concerned rather than treating them solely as passive beneficiaries.
Priority Four: Youth Work
The youth-work priority includes:
- Advocacy for recognition and support of youth work.
- Action connected to Council of Europe standards on youth work.
- Improving the quality and recognition of non-formal education.
- Improving non-formal learning practices.
- Strengthening capacity-building methodologies.
- Developing the skills of youth workers.
- Building the institutional capacity of youth organisations.
- Supporting youth work in war zones and conflict-affected areas.
Applicants should explain how their methods reflect youth participation, non-formal education, intercultural learning and human rights education.
Activities That Can Be Funded
This is a long-term project grant, so an application should present a connected sequence of activities contributing to shared objectives.
Eligible formats may include:
- International youth meetings
- Training courses
- Seminars and workshops
- Youth exchanges or structured learning meetings that are not school exchanges
- Campaigns
- Advocacy initiatives
- Research and evidence gathering
- Production of educational materials
- Toolkits and manuals
- Policy outputs
- Local follow-up activities
- Regional initiatives
- Community engagement
- Awareness-raising actions
- Digital multiplier activities
- In-person multiplier activities
- Evaluation and dissemination work
The project should not consist of a loose list of unrelated events. Each activity should contribute logically to the proposed objectives, results and longer-term impact.
Mandatory Four-Day International Meeting
At least one project activity must be an international meeting of young people lasting at least four programme days.
The EYF’s August 2026 questions and answers clarify that this four-day programme must be conducted in person.
Online preparation, follow-up and evaluation can form part of the broader project cycle. However, online sessions do not replace the compulsory in-person international programme.
The meeting must involve participants residing in at least seven Council of Europe member states.
The Q&A also clarifies that the seven-country requirement refers to participants’ countries of residence. Those countries do not all need to be represented by formal partner organisations.
Participant Requirements
For the majority of relevant project activities, participants must meet the following conditions:
- Participants must reside in at least seven Council of Europe member states.
- Country representation must be adequate and reasonably balanced.
- At least 75% of counted participants must be aged 30 or younger.
- The project must pay attention to the inclusion of young people with disabilities.
- Gender equality must be incorporated into the project.
- The social inclusion of young people must be actively considered.
These are mandatory conditions. Applications that fail to comply will not be considered.
The official Q&A provides several important interpretations:
- Balanced geographical representation is preferred.
- If a few countries have considerably larger groups, the project design should justify the imbalance.
- A similar number of participants from each country is presented as a useful rule of thumb.
- Balanced participation should support meaningful follow-up in each national context.
- Project-team members, trainers and facilitators do not count toward the seven-country requirement.
- Team members, trainers and facilitators do not count when calculating whether 75% of participants are aged 30 or younger.
- The project team must still be multicultural.
- A multicultural project team is generally expected to include members from at least four countries.
- Participants from non-member states may be included when justified.
- Non-member-state participants do not count toward the required seven Council of Europe countries.
- The Q&A does not impose a specific percentage cap on participants from non-member countries.
- The applicant must explain why non-member-country participants are relevant in the participant-profile section.
Project activities should, as a general rule, take place in one or more of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states.
Project Duration and Implementation Period
Projects must begin between January 1 and March 31, 2027.
The maximum project duration is 18 months, and the latest permitted end date is September 30, 2028.
The application should include the complete project implementation period, covering:
- The official project start
- Preparation
- Delivery of activities
- Follow-up
- Evaluation
- Multiplier work
- Completion of project expenditure
A project completed before the application is submitted will be automatically excluded under the non-retroactivity principle.
Final narrative and financial reports must be submitted within two months after the project ends and no later than November 30, 2028.
Grant Amount and Available Budget
An eligible applicant may request up to €60,000.
The budget must be:
- Consistent with the narrative proposal
- Accurate
- Clear
- Complete
- Cost-effective
- Proportionate to planned activities
- Connected to expected results
The indicative total budget for the call is €600,000.
The EYF intends to select approximately 10 projects at a maximum of €60,000 each. It retains discretion over the final number of projects and the distribution of available funds.
Co-Financing Requirement
Every successful organisation must contribute to its project through its own resources or contributions from third parties.
Co-financing may include:
- Direct financial contributions
- Staff time
- Volunteer time
- Donated services
- Use of premises
- Organisational resources
- Other properly valued in-kind contributions
The official Q&A states that there is no minimum co-financing percentage.
In-kind contributions are accepted based on a declaration of honour. Nevertheless, applicants should present co-financing transparently and avoid inflated or unsupported valuations.
Projects must also avoid double funding. The same cost, staff time or activity period cannot be charged simultaneously to the EYF and another donor.
Where staff time is included, the Q&A suggests a calculation such as:
Gross salary divided by the number of working days, multiplied by the number of days worked on the project.
Grantee organisations may be audited based on the declarations contained in their applications and reports.
How the Grant Is Paid
The grant is scheduled to be distributed in two stages:
- Initial payment: 80% after the grant agreement between the successful organisation and the European Youth Foundation is signed.
- Final payment: the remaining balance after the Council of Europe accepts the final narrative and financial reports.
The final grant amount remains subject to satisfactory implementation and reporting. Unsupported, ineligible or improperly documented expenditure may not be accepted.
Because 20% is retained until reporting is approved, applicants should consider whether they have sufficient cash flow to complete the project.
General Eligible-Cost Principles
The EYF grant guide explains that eligible costs should:
- Appear in the approved estimated budget.
- Be incurred by the grantee during the official implementation period.
- Be necessary for the project.
- Be identifiable and verifiable.
- Be recorded in the organisation’s accounts.
- Comply with applicable tax and social-security legislation.
- Be reasonable and justified.
- Follow sound financial-management principles.
- Demonstrate value for money.
- Be supported by original documents or certified copies where required.
The general guide permits indirect eligible costs under applicable project-grant rules. It also describes separate arrangements for disability-related accessibility expenditure through the Equal Access Fund.
Applicants should follow the budget template issued specifically for call 2027.C6.B and confirm any additional accessibility-funding mechanism before relying on it.
The guide requires organisations to retain original financial and project evidence for at least 10 years because grants may be audited during or after implementation.
Ineligible Activities
The following activities are expressly excluded:
- Commercial or profit-making operations
- Purchase of land or buildings
- Construction of buildings
- Renovation of buildings
- Purchase of fixed equipment for buildings
- Tourism activities
- Scholarships
- Sports events and competitions
- School exchanges
- Activities forming part of a school curriculum
- Activities forming part of a university programme
- Activities with a strictly vocational character
- Projects unrelated to Council of Europe priorities, standards, approaches or resources
- Statutory meetings of youth organisations
The Q&A clarifies that voluntary extracurricular work involving secondary-school student parliaments may be eligible. Projects may also train young people to mentor such student parliaments.
The important distinction is that participation must remain voluntary and extracurricular rather than being part of a formal school programme.
A project may also build upon the methodology, results or network of an existing Erasmus+ initiative if it:
- Demonstrates additional value for EYF priorities.
- Introduces complementary activities.
- Does not duplicate costs.
- Does not charge the same work to two donors.
Organisations That Can Apply
Direct applications are restricted to organisations registered with the EYF as:
- An international non-governmental youth organisation; or
- An international network of non-governmental youth organisations.
Individuals, national NGOs, local NGOs, informal groups and universities cannot apply as lead applicants under call 2027.C6.B.
The updated Q&A expressly confirms that a national NGO cannot serve as the lead applicant.
A formal partnership is not compulsory. An eligible international organisation or network can implement the project itself.
Other institutions may be included as partners where relevant, including:
- National youth NGOs
- Local organisations
- Universities
- Public authorities
- Research institutions
- Civil society organisations
- Specialist service providers
Their role must be clearly explained. Participation as a partner does not make an otherwise ineligible organisation eligible to submit the lead application.
Organisational Requirements
An applicant must:
- Be registered and validated in the EYF online grant-management system under an eligible international category.
- Have a bank account capable of receiving euros.
- Have stable and sufficient financial resources.
- Be able to maintain its activities throughout the grant period.
- Contribute financial, human or in-kind resources.
- Possess sufficient operational and professional capacity.
- Have appropriate staff and volunteers.
- Demonstrate the ability to manage an international project.
The EYF grant guide further explains that a youth organisation seeking registration should generally:
- Be non-governmental.
- Operate on a non-profit basis.
- Have its own statute and governance rules.
- Demonstrate democratic governance.
- Provide meaningful opportunities for youth participation.
- Focus primarily on youth-related activities.
- Work for and with young people.
- Be youth-led in relation to programmes and budgets.
- Include people aged 15-30 as the vast majority of its members.
- Work in accordance with Council of Europe principles and values.
- Be established in a country participating in the European Youth Foundation.
An international youth NGO should normally:
- Have legal personality defining its international nature.
- Be established in an EYF member country.
- Have at least seven member or affiliated youth organisations.
- Have those members located in at least seven EYF member countries.
- Carry out activities primarily of a multilateral nature.
- Work actively and substantially with its members.
- Demonstrate that members participate in governance, strategy and project implementation.
An international network may lack separate legal personality. However, it should:
- Have a statute or explicit agreement among members.
- Have credible governance arrangements.
- Have at least seven member or affiliated youth organisations.
- Cover at least seven EYF member countries.
- Designate a headquarters organisation.
- Conduct primarily multilateral activities.
- Demonstrate sustained cooperation.
- Show shared strategies, resources or funding among members.
Registration Is Required Before Applying
Only organisations registered and validated by the EYF can submit a proposal.
Unregistered organisations must create an account and submit an organisation-registration request through the Support4Youth grant-management system.
The call warns that registration may take up to two weeks.
More importantly, the EYF Secretariat must validate the registration by the application deadline. Merely submitting a registration request before October 1 is insufficient if validation has not been completed.
An unregistered but otherwise eligible organisation should begin registration immediately. Waiting until the final two weeks creates a serious risk that validation will not be completed before the call closes.
Documents Required for Application
A complete proposal must include:
- A completed narrative application form.
- A completed budget form covering costs requested from the EYF and costs financed from other sources.
Applications must be prepared in English or French.
Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Narrative Application Form
The official narrative application form requests detailed information about the following areas.
Project Contact and Identity
Applicants must provide:
- Contact person’s name
- Email address
- Telephone number with country code
- Project title
- Complete project start and end dates
Proposal Overview
The proposal overview has a maximum length of 3,600 characters.
It should explain:
- The project idea
- Main activity formats
- Youth dimension
- European dimension
- Needs, issues or aspirations being addressed
- Why the organisation is proposing the project
- How the project differs from previous work, where applicable
- How it contributes to Council of Europe youth-sector priorities
- How it responds to the objectives of the call
Aim, Objectives and Results
This section has a 3,000-character limit.
Applicants should present:
- The overall aim
- Main objectives
- Expected results for participants
- Results for communities
- Results for participating organisations
- Benefits for other groups
- Planned outputs
- How outputs will be used
Potential outputs may include publications, websites, e-learning platforms, videos, podcasts or similar resources.
Overview of Activities
The activity overview has a maximum length of 1,800 characters.
It should describe the project from beginning to completion and briefly explain what will happen during each major activity.
Activity names should remain consistent throughout the application.
Preparatory and evaluation meetings should generally be presented as parts of the main activity to which they relate rather than being listed as disconnected activities.
Methodological Approach
Within a limit of 1,800 characters, the applicant should explain:
- The methods that will be used
- How young people will participate meaningfully
- How the project will remain open and inclusive
- How gender equality will be incorporated
- How human-rights and value-based considerations will shape implementation
- How non-formal education will be used
- How intercultural learning will be promoted
- How youth participation will be incorporated
Multicultural Project Team
The 1,800-character team section should describe:
- Team members
- Countries of residence
- Gender and age information
- Organisational and project roles
- Relevant international-project experience
- Coordinators
- Facilitators
- Trainers
- Experts
- The person responsible for financial management
- Controls for proper management of the grant
Project Partners
Where applicable, the form asks for each partner’s:
- Name
- Contact person
- Email address
- Project role
- Planned actions
The description of each partner’s role is limited to 600 characters.
Information About Every Activity
For each activity, applicants must provide:
- Activity name
- Start and end dates
- Venue
- Country
- Format
- Duration
- Target group
- Content
- Expected results
- Programme outline
- Number of participants from each country
- Participant age breakdown
- Participant profile
- Recruitment criteria
- Selection procedure
The form requires applicants to distinguish participants from project-team members.
For international meetings, the figures must demonstrate compliance with the seven-member-state and 75%-under-30 requirements.
Applicants must also complete the official budget application template.
How to Apply Step by Step
Step 1: Confirm the Organisation’s EYF Registration Category
Verify that the organisation is registered specifically as an international youth NGO or international network.
Registration as a national or local organisation does not establish eligibility for this particular call.
Step 2: Begin Registration Immediately if Necessary
Create an account and submit the organisation-registration request through Support4Youth. Allow at least two weeks while recognising that processing times may vary.
Step 3: Identify the Youth Need
Use evidence, consultation and organisational experience to define the challenge. The project should respond to an actual need, issue or aspiration expressed by young people.
Step 4: Align the Project With EYF Priorities
Select the most relevant thematic priority and identify the Council of Europe standards, policy objectives and educational resources that will inform the project.
Step 5: Build a Coherent Long-Term Project
Develop a connected sequence of activities, including the mandatory in-person international meeting.
Explain how preparation, delivery, follow-up, multiplier actions, local implementation and evaluation reinforce one another.
Step 6: Verify Participant Compliance
Confirm representation from at least seven Council of Europe member states and calculate the age distribution carefully.
Do not count team members, trainers or facilitators as participants.
Step 7: Develop a Realistic Budget
Connect each cost to a project activity or identified need.
Include co-financing, explain calculation methods, prevent duplicated funding and demonstrate value for money.
Step 8: Complete the Narrative and Budget Forms
Respect all character limits, use consistent activity names, explain expected results and present credible project-management and financial-control arrangements.
Step 9: Submit Through Support4Youth
Registered applicants must submit the final proposal through the Support4Youth platform before the deadline.
Multiple applications for the same proposal are prohibited and will result in all duplicate applications being excluded.
Step 10: Monitor the Platform
The EYF may contact applicants between the deadline and completion of the technical assessment.
Requests for clarification or adjustment will be communicated through the online grant-management system. Applicants should monitor their accounts and respond within the stated timeframe.
Questions and Applicant Support
Questions must be submitted in English or French no later than one week before the deadline.
They should be sent exclusively to eyf@coe.int with this exact subject line:
Question about EYF call 2027.C6.B
One week before October 1 is September 24, 2026. Applicants should send questions earlier rather than relying on last-minute interpretation.
The EYF call page also advertises Digital Open Desk sessions during September 2026 for youth organisations seeking guidance on applications, project implementation, reporting and finances.
Applicants should confirm the current session link and time on the official page.
Assessment and Selection Criteria
The EYF Secretariat will assess proposals and prepare a report for the Programming Committee on Youth. The Programming Committee makes the final grant decisions.
Applications will be scored using four weighted criteria:
| Assessment criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Relevance and added value in relation to the call objective | 40% |
| Quality, clarity and completeness of the proposal | 32% |
| Cost-effectiveness and completeness of the budget | 16% |
| Expertise and experience of the organisation, partners and project team | 12% |
Relevance and added value account for the largest share of the score.
A technically complete proposal with weak alignment to the purpose and priorities of the call is therefore unlikely to be competitive.
The selection process follows principles including:
- Transparency
- Equal treatment
- Non-discrimination
- Non-retroactivity
- Non-cumulative awards
- Prevention of double funding
- Not-for-profit implementation
- Co-financing
Exclusion Conditions
An applicant may be excluded when it:
- Has received a final judgment relating to participation in a criminal organisation.
- Has been convicted of corruption or fraud.
- Has been involved in money laundering or terrorist financing.
- Has committed terrorist offences.
- Has been involved in child labour or human trafficking.
- Is bankrupt, insolvent or in liquidation.
- Is terminating its activities.
- Is subject to a comparable legal procedure.
- Has committed serious professional misconduct.
- Has an offence affecting professional integrity.
- Has not complied with tax or social-security obligations.
- Is an empty-shell entity created to avoid legal, tax or social obligations.
- Has created or is creating such an entity.
- Has mismanaged Council of Europe or other public funds.
- Has an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest that cannot be managed satisfactorily.
Applicants must submit a declaration of honour concerning these conditions. The Council of Europe may request additional supporting documents later.
Indicative Selection and Implementation Timeline
| Stage | Indicative date |
|---|---|
| Publication of the call | August 17, 2026 |
| Application deadline | October 1, 2026, at 23:59 |
| Assessment and dialogue | October 2-November 15, 2026 |
| Programming Committee decision meeting | December 14-15, 2026 |
| Applicants notified | December 16-18, 2026 |
| Grant agreements signed | Early January 2027 |
| Permitted project start | January 1-March 31, 2027 |
| Maximum implementation period | 18 months |
| Latest project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Final report deadline | Within two months of completion and no later than November 30, 2028 |
Dates other than the final application deadline are indicative and may change.
Tips for Preparing a Competitive Proposal
Make Relevance Unmistakable
Relevance and added value account for 40% of the total score.
The application should consistently connect the identified youth need, activities, results and follow-up with the selected EYF priorities.
Demonstrate a Genuine Long-Term Process
Do not present a four-day meeting with minimal preparation and describe it as a long-term project.
The proposal should demonstrate a connected process involving learning, practical action, follow-up, multiplier work and organisational development.
Demonstrate Youth Leadership
Young people should influence:
- Problem identification
- Project design
- Governance
- Activity delivery
- Evaluation
- Follow-up
- Communication of results
Youth participation should be substantive rather than symbolic.
Integrate Inclusion Into the Entire Project
Accessibility, gender equality and social inclusion should appear in:
- Recruitment procedures
- Venue selection
- Communication methods
- Facilitation
- Safeguarding
- Participant support
- Budget planning
- Monitoring and evaluation
Define Measurable Results
Applicants should distinguish between:
- Activities
- Outputs
- Results
- Longer-term impact
Explain what will change, who will experience that change, how progress will be measured and what evidence will be collected.
Explain Country Representation
Provide a credible recruitment plan involving at least seven member states.
If participation is uneven, explain the reason and demonstrate how meaningful follow-up will take place in all represented countries.
Prevent Double Funding
Map each requested and co-financed cost to its funding source.
Staff time, travel, venue costs, services and activities must never be charged twice.
Assess Cash-Flow Capacity
Because 20% of the grant is retained until reporting is accepted, the organisation should consider whether it can manage project cash flow and any delayed reimbursement.
Complete Registration First
An excellent proposal cannot be submitted if the organisation’s registration has not been validated.
Registration should be treated as the first operational deadline.
Submit Early
Early submission reduces the risks associated with:
- Platform problems
- Registration delays
- Missing attachments
- Incomplete forms
- Internal approvals
- The official CET and CEST discrepancy
Applicants should not plan to upload their applications during the final hours.
Common Reasons an Application May Fail
- The lead applicant is a national or local NGO.
- The applicant is not an eligible international organisation or network.
- The organisation is not registered and validated before the deadline.
- The project does not include the mandatory four-day in-person international meeting.
- Fewer than seven member-state countries are represented.
- The participant age profile does not meet the 75% requirement.
- Team members are incorrectly counted as participants.
- Activities are disconnected.
- The project resembles a one-off event rather than a long-term process.
- Alignment with Council of Europe priorities is weak.
- The budget is incomplete or unrealistic.
- The budget conflicts with the narrative.
- Co-financing is omitted.
- The same costs are assigned to multiple donors.
- The proposed project is commercial or profit-making.
- Activities are tourism-focused, curricular or strictly vocational.
- The application is incomplete.
- Duplicate versions of the same proposal are submitted.
- The application is submitted after the deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum grant?
Eligible organisations may request up to €60,000 for one project.
How many projects are expected to receive funding?
The EYF intends to award approximately 10 grants from an indicative €600,000 budget. It may change the number or distribution of awards.
Can an individual apply?
No. The applicant must be an eligible international youth NGO or international network registered with the EYF.
Can a national NGO apply as the lead?
No. National NGOs cannot apply as lead applicants under this call. They may participate as partners in a project led by an eligible international organisation or network.
Are formal partner organisations required in all seven countries?
No. The seven-country test concerns participants’ countries of residence. Each country does not require a formal partner organisation.
Can participants from outside Council of Europe member states join?
Yes, if their participation is justified.
However, those countries do not count toward the minimum seven member states. The Q&A establishes no specific percentage cap but requires the applicant to explain their participation.
What percentage of participants must be young people?
At least 75% of counted participants must be aged 30 or younger.
Project-team members, trainers and facilitators are excluded from this calculation.
Can the four-day international meeting be held online?
No. The required four-day programme must be conducted in person.
Online preparation, follow-up and evaluation may form part of the wider project.
Is co-financing compulsory?
Yes. However, the Q&A does not establish a minimum percentage.
Financial contributions, staff time, volunteer support and in-kind resources may be used.
Can the project build upon an Erasmus+ initiative?
Potentially. It must demonstrate added value for EYF priorities and cannot duplicate activities or costs already financed by Erasmus+ or another donor.
In which languages can the application be submitted?
Applications must be submitted in English or French.
What is the deadline?
Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2026, at 23:59.
Because the official materials inconsistently use CET and CEST, applicants should use 23:59 CEST as the safer interpretation and submit earlier.
Conclusion
The Council of Europe European Youth Foundation call for international long-term youth cooperation projects offers significant assistance to youth-led organisations seeking to strengthen democracy, human rights, inclusion, peace and youth work across borders.
With funding of up to €60,000 and a possible 18-month implementation period, the programme can support considerably more than a single international meeting. It is designed for connected projects that build organisational capacity, develop partnerships, equip young people with knowledge and skills, produce useful resources and extend their impact through advocacy, education and multiplier action.
The opportunity is also highly structured. Only eligible international youth organisations and international networks registered with the EYF can apply directly.
Projects must include an in-person international meeting lasting at least four programme days, involve participants residing in at least seven Council of Europe member states, and ensure that at least 75% of counted participants are aged 30 or younger.
Applicants must also present a realistic budget, provide co-financing, prevent double funding and maintain adequate administrative and financial controls.
Organisations should begin by verifying their EYF registration category, confirming that their bank accounts can accept euros, and assessing their ability to manage an international project and its reporting obligations.
They should then build their proposals around a demonstrated youth need, meaningful youth leadership, clear results and strong alignment with the Council of Europe’s youth-sector priorities.
The application deadline is October 1, 2026, at 23:59. Because registration can take up to two weeks and the official documents contain a CET and CEST inconsistency, waiting until the deadline creates unnecessary risk.
Eligible organisations should register, clarify uncertainties and submit their narrative and budget documents as early as possible.
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