Leading Funding Opportunities for Young People and Youth-Led Initiatives

[September 2026] Discover leading funding opportunities for young people and youth-led initiatives in September 2026. This listing features grants, fellowships, scholarships, awards, and other opportunities for young leaders, innovators, researchers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and youth-led organizations.

Open Call: Creatives For Our Future Programme

Deadline: 09-November-2026

The Creatives For Our Future Programme supports young creatives from around the world to develop projects that use creativity, innovation, technology, and design to advance sustainable development…[more] Submit Entries for 9th Edition Freedom Prize 2027

Deadline: 12-January-2027

The Freedom Prize invites young people aged 15 to 25 from France and around the world to nominate an inspiring person or organisation whose work represents an exemplary commitment to freedom…[more]

Apply Now: Billion Acts Fellowship for Young Peacebuilders

Deadline: 28-September-2026

The Billion Acts Fellowship Program is inviting applications from young leaders who are advancing peace, justice, equity, or social change in their communities…[more]

Fifth Cohort: Mental Health Outcomes Financing Accelerator

Deadline: 02-October-2026

The Outcomes Accelerator supports organisations and consortia developing outcomes-based financing (OBF) models that improve mental health outcomes, particularly for young people…[more] Global Youth Awards Song Competition 2026 for Young Musicians

Deadline: 01-October-2026

The Global Youth Awards Song Competition 2026 is accepting applications from young musicians, songwriters, lyricists, and creative groups aged 11–25 years worldwide…[more]

CFAs: Empowering Young Agripreneurs to Turn Ideas into Growth

Deadline: 30-October-2026

The Business Growth Awards Grant Program is supporting young and emerging agripreneurs in OACPS member states who complete a climate-smart agribusiness e-learning pathway and submit innovative business ideas in selected agricultural value chains…[more] Applications open for Fourth Global Innovation Challenge

Deadline: 06-October-2026

The Citi Foundation Fourth Global Innovation Challenge is offering grants to nonprofit organizations developing innovative solutions that prepare low-income youth for employment in an increasingly AI-driven global economy…[more] 2026 Leading Scholarship for One Young World Summit

Deadline: 31-October-2026

The Leading Scholarship 2026 is the flagship scholarship offered by One Young World to support outstanding young leaders from around the world to attend the One Young World Summit in Cape Town…[more]

Request for Applications: zivik Funding Programme

Deadline: 01-October-2026

The zivik Funding Programme provides grants of up to €400,000 to support civil society organizations working on crisis prevention, conflict management, peacebuilding, democracy-building, and youth participation in conflict-affected regions worldwide…[more] Open Call for Sony World Photography Youth Competition

Deadline: 05-January-2027

The Sony World Photography Youth Competition is a global, free-to-enter photography contest for young photographers aged 19 and under…[more] Funding Available for Youth Projects

Deadline: 01-October-2026

The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation invites applications from institutions seeking support for musical projects designed for children and young people…[more] Applications open for InnovateHERs Scholarship Challenge

Deadline: 29-September-2026

The InnovateHERs Scholarship Challenge supports female-identifying high school students interested in business and entrepreneurship through scholarships awarded for innovative business plan submissions…[more] UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowships Programme

Deadline: 30-September-2026

The UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowships Programme 2026 offers 10 fellowships for outstanding young researchers from Africa, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Ukraine, and Türkiye to undertake postgraduate research in Japan…[more] UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for Young Scientists in STEM

Deadline: 30-November-2026

The UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize recognizes young scientists under 40 who have made significant contributions to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics…[more]

Call for Proposals: AU-EU Youth Lab Innovation Grants

Deadline: 23-September-2026

The AU-EU Youth Lab Innovation Grants provide €42,000 per organisation to youth-led non-profit organisations in 12 eligible African countries to implement innovative solutions addressing global challenges in their communities…[more] Apply for TEEEM Foundation Community Impact Grant Program

Deadline: 01-November-2026

The TEEEM Foundation Community Impact Grant Program provides grants of $5,000 to $30,000 to nonprofit organizations developing sustainable, community-driven solutions…[more]

Submissions Open: Carnegie Challenge for Civic Leadership

Deadline: 17-November-2026

The Carnegie Challenge for Civic Leadership provides seed funding, awards, training, peer feedback, and capacity-building opportunities for young changemakers aged 20 or younger in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, and U.S. territories…[more] TWAS-SISSA-Lincei Research Cooperation Visits Programme

Deadline: 31-October-2026

The TWAS-SISSA-Lincei Research Cooperation Visits Programme supports promising early-career scientists from least developed countries (LDCs) through three-month collaborative research visits to selected institutions in Italy…[more]

CIPHER Research Grants: Up to $140,000 for Paediatric and Adolescent HIV Research

Deadline: 30-September-2026

The CIPHER Research Grant Programme supports early-stage investigators from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) conducting research on paediatric and adolescent HIV prevention and co-morbidities…[more] FIGHT KIDS CANCER Competitive Call for Paediatric Cancer Research

Deadline: 13-October-2026

FIGHT KIDS CANCER is inviting proposals for clinical and translational research projects designed to improve outcomes for