Info Day promotes financial stability for European youth organisations

This week (13th-14th November) the European Youth Forum held its Info Day on EU Funding for Youth Organisations in cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture (DGEAC) and the Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency (EACEA).

The Info Day aimed to promote and support youth organisations in accessing EU funding. The day and a half of presentations and discussions covered information on operating grants and funding programmes with speakers from EACEA and the European Commission. The event also provided space for conversation between youth organisations and the European Commission on a number of EU funding programmes, as well for networking for youth organisations.

Many youth organisations struggle to access EU funding programmes because of both a lack of knowledge and the various technical and financial requirements. By exploring new EU funding possibilities, youth organisations can diversify project funding and improve their ability to work alongside other stakeholders and decision-makers, ultimately leading to better work and stronger action.

Antonios Kosmopoulos, the head of Sport, Youth and EU Aid Volunteers Unit for EACEA, noted in his introduction to the Info Day that operating grants for Erasmus+ are still available thanks to the work of organisations like the Youth Forum.

On 15th-16th November, the Working Group on Funding had its last meeting of its 2 years mandate in Brussels. The meeting aimed at finalising important fundraising tools that will be shared shortly with the members of the Youth Forum.

In order to guarantee the financial stability of youth organisations, the Youth Forum, with the support of the Working Group on Funding, works to ensure that youth organisations have access to diverse sources of income. This helps to reinforce the organisations’ capacity and independence.