Open Call for Nordic 0–30 Cooperation Projects

Deadline: 02-Oct-2026

The Nordic 0–30 program provides grants for cooperation projects that empower children and young people up to the age of 30 to participate in cultural, social, and political activities across the Nordic region. Established by the Nordic Committee on Children and Youth, the program aims to strengthen young people’s participation and influence in society while promoting Nordic cooperation and long-term relationships between young people across the region. Projects should give children and young people an active role in shaping their communities and societies and should involve them throughout the project, from planning through evaluation. Purpose of the Nordic 0–30 Program Nordic 0–30 is designed to strengthen the participation and influence of children and young people in Nordic societies.

The program supports projects that:

- Encourage children and young people to participate in democratic processes. - Strengthen young people’s cultural, social, and political engagement. - Give young people opportunities to influence issues that affect their lives. - Build relationships and cooperation between young people across Nordic countries. - Increase young people’s knowledge of their rights and opportunities. - Create long-term Nordic networks and partnerships. The program places particular importance on ensuring that young people are not simply participants but are actively involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating projects. Who Can Benefit From Nordic 0–30 Grants? The program focuses on children and young people up to the age of 30. Projects can address cultural, social, or political issues and should create meaningful opportunities for young people to participate and exercise influence.

Potential areas include:

- Democracy and civic participation. - Youth rights. - Cultural engagement. - Social issues. - Political participation. - Youth networks. - Nordic cooperation. - Knowledge sharing. - Digital participation and communication. Youth Participation Must Cover the Entire Project An important requirement is that children and young people must be involved in all stages of the project.

This includes:

- Planning. - Development. - Implementation. - Evaluation. Applicants should therefore demonstrate how young people will have genuine responsibility and influence rather than simply attending activities organized by adults. A strong proposal should explain how young participants will contribute to decision-making and how their perspectives will shape the project’s outcomes. Eligible Project Activities Nordic 0–30 can support a wide range of cooperation activities.

Examples include:

- Networking events. - Conferences. - Workshops. - Youth camps. - Courses. - Campaigns. - Reports. - Digital content. - Artwork. - Knowledge-sharing activities. Activities should contribute to young people’s knowledge, participation, rights, influence, or opportunities to become active members of society. Democracy and Participation Projects Projects can focus on strengthening democracy and young people’s ability to participate in society. For example, a project could bring together young people from several Nordic countries to discuss democratic participation and develop recommendations for increasing youth influence in decision-making. Cultural Cooperation Projects Cultural projects can also be eligible when they strengthen Nordic youth cooperation and participation. Possible activities could involve young people collaboratively creating artwork, organizing cultural events, developing digital cultural content, or exploring cultural issues across Nordic countries. Social and Political Projects Projects addressing social or political issues can provide young people with opportunities to discuss challenges, exchange experiences, develop campaigns, or produce recommendations and reports. The project should demonstrate how young participants will gain knowledge and influence through the cooperation. Nordic Cooperation Requirement Nordic cooperation is a central requirement of the program. Projects must involve cooperation between Nordic countries. For cooperation involving three or more Nordic countries, grants of up to €50,000 are available. For cooperation involving two Nordic countries, grants of up to €10,000 are available. However, when only two Nordic countries participate, one of them must be Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, or Åland.

Participation of Non-Nordic Partners

Partners from the Baltic countries and other regions may participate in Nordic 0–30 projects. However, costs associated with non-Nordic partners are not covered by the program. Applicants should therefore clearly distinguish between eligible Nordic project expenditure and costs relating to partners from outside the Nordic region. Who Can Apply? Eligible applicants include organizations and institutions registered in the Nordic countries.

Applicants can include:

- Organizations. - Municipalities. - Institutions. - Associations. - Networks. The applicant must have a business registration number. The applicant does not need to be a young person.

However, the organization must either:

- Represent an activity consisting of children and young people, or - Have experience in involving children and young people in its activities. Youth Organizations and Experienced Applicants The program recognizes that young people do not necessarily need to submit applications themselves. An established organization can apply when it has the appropriate experience and capacity to involve children and young people meaningfully. The important consideration is whether the proposed project genuinely empowers young participants and provides them with opportunities to influence the project. Funding Available Nordic 0–30 offers different maximum grant amounts depending on the number of Nordic countries involved.

- Three or more Nordic countries: up to €50,000.

- Two Nordic countries: up to €10,000.

The grant should be based on the scale and ne