UN-HABITAT’s Youth Fund for NGOs and CBOs

UN-HABITAT adopted a resolution in 2007 to establish the UN-HABITAT Youth Fund to mobilize young people for advocating for youth-related policy formulation; support governmental and non-governmental agencies to respond to youth concerns; support youth information networks; implement new ideas on employment, governance, adequate shelter and secure tenure; share best practices; promote vocation training for entrepreneurship and employment; and promote gender mainstreaming in all urban youth matters. The Fund was officially launched as the Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-Led Development on 4 November 2008 at the fourth sessions of the World Urban Youth Forum in Nanjing, China.

NGOs and community-based nonprofit organizations led by young people aged 15-32 years in developing countries can apply for this Fund (This can also mean that if the governing or management board of an NGO has an active representation of one or more young persons between 15-32 years, it can still apply for this Fund – partnerships between adults and young persons are also encouraged). Applicant organizations should be based in cities or towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants and they must be legally registered for at least one year and should have a valid bank account. If small applicant organizations do not have legal registration but still fulfill the eligibility criteria, they can apply in partnership with another legally registered organization which can facilitate the grantmaking process.

Proposals can be submitted in English, French or Spanish. The application form can be downloaded from the UN-HABITAT website. Supporting documents need to be submitted along with the completed application form. Submissions can be made by email. However, there are different emails for different regions. Budgetary limitations have been specified: small projects can request up to $5000 while larger projects can receive grants of up to $25,000. Proposed projects should schedule the starting date of implementation six months after the submission deadline and should last for less than 12 months.

Applications will be evaluated thoroughly and objectively and the judges’ decision on the rating will be final. The winners will be notified by email and projects receiving support will also be listed on UN-HABITAT’s website. The selection process can take up to 5 months after the deadline. The last date to submit applications is 15 April 2010. For more information, visit this link.

For Small NGOs: Useful Information on completing the application form for UN-HABITAT’s Youth Fund (CLICK HERE)