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Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF)

Youth Leadership Development Fund 2026

Call for Individual and Development Grant Applications

Youth Leadership Development Funds

The Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) seeks grant applications from qualified organizations for the 2026 Youth Leadership Development Funds. The grant aims to strengthen, support and promote youth ecosystem building in the country. The grants will be awarded to organizations that can serve as regional hubs, working in line with the thematic areas of interest.  

About the NYFF

The Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) is a five-year collaborative programme of LEAP Africa, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Luminate Group that seeks to strengthen youth leadership in Nigeria through outcomes-driven policy engagements and inclusive resourcing that help youth shape the future long-term development plans of the country. The NYFF is anchored on three core components which include: 

1. An Imaginative Futures Working Group at the national and regional levels to mainstream youth ideas within the long-term planning process 

2. Youth Leadership Program: This pillar seeks to build the capacity of young leaders and youth-led organizations while also providing grants for young people/organizations working on the identified thematic areas.  

3. Online and Media engagement: The fund seeks to strengthen the voices of the young Nigerian through policy advocacy, debates, online campaign, etc. toward the realization of  #theNigeriaWeWant. 

Grant Thematic Areas

The Youth Leadership Development Fund seeks proposals that promote good governance and address fundamental national issues. The following thematic areas will be prioritised:  

1. Policy and Advocacy: Target projects and interventions that promote and strengthen structured youth engagement in public policy processes at national and subnational levels. Priority areas will include:

• Open Government Partnership (OGP) engagement and public sector reform initiatives
• Interventions targeting Review, Domestication and Implementation of National/State Youth Policies
• Legislative engagement and regulatory reform efforts
• Policy research, policy performance tracking, and issue-based advocacy campaigns

2. Electoral Engagement and Democratic Participation: As a build-up to the general elections in 2027, initiatives that strengthen youth participation in electoral and democratic processes beyond voter mobilisation. This includes, but is not limited to:

   • Leadership development for aspiring young leaders

   • Election-related initiatives that promote informed participation and issue-based politics;

   • Advocacy for Electoral Reforms

   • Manifesto analysis and voter education initiatives that simplify and assess party and candidate policy positions;

   • Candidate debates, town halls and issue-based dialogues that create platforms for engagement between young people, candidates, and elected officials;

   • Post-election accountability initiatives that track campaign promises and governance commitments.

3. Accountability and Transparency: This thematic area promotes responsible governance, institutional integrity, and efficient public service delivery. Priority areas include:

   • Strengthening accountability and transparency mechanisms in public institutions

   • Monitoring public expenditure and budget tracking initiatives

   • Promoting efficient and autonomous local government administration following the Supreme Court's affirmations of financial autonomy

   • Community-based governance scorecards and social accountability tools

4. Social Inclusion: NYFF seeks proposals on youth development projects that address Gender Equality and inclusion for People With Disabilities (PWDs) and marginalized groups. Priority areas include:

   • Gender Equality: Gender equality ensures equal consideration and participation of both genders in all activities. It allows for unbiased treatment of all genders and provides equal opportunities and chances for contributions to society. Considering the myriad of concerns about gender inequality and social exclusion across various systems, such as sexual and gender-based violence in private and public institutions, and gender bias in access to health, education and other social amenities, etc., NYFF seeks to support youth initiatives that address the issues of gender inequality in the community, government system and structures. 

   • Implementation of the Disability Act: The Disability Act seeks to ensure people with disabilities are not discriminated against on the grounds of their disability by any person or institution in any manner or circumstance. The Act, which was passed on March 28, 2018, criminalizes discrimination against people with disabilities. The Act also seeks to fully integrate persons with disabilities into society by establishing their right to social amenities such as education, health, accommodation and emergencies, infrastructural systems and so on. The Act also provides a five-year transitional plan for public buildings, infrastructures and automobiles to be suitably modified for people with disabilities. However, the Act has not been fully domesticated or implemented across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The NYFF seeks to support youth initiatives that would aid the domestication of the Disability Act, as well as its proper adoption and adaptation into various systems at local, state and national levels. 

5. National Cohesion, Peace and Security: Proposals that align with the following subthemes will be prioritised:

   • Conflict prevention and early warning mechanisms

   • Community-based peacebuilding initiatives

   • Youth engagement in security sector accountability and community dialogue

   • Violence prevention and mediation frameworks

   • Strengthening civic-security trust relationships

Cross-Cutting Priority: Innovation, Technology, Media and Creative Expressions

NYFF strongly encourages applicants across all thematic areas to leverage Technology, Media, Art, Entertainment, and Creativity as strategic tools for advancing youth-led social change. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Digital platforms and civic tech solutions

• Data visualization and open-data tools

• Multimedia storytelling and documentary production

• Social media advocacy campaigns

• Creative arts for civic education (film, theatre, music, spoken word, visual arts)

• Gamification and interactive civic engagement tools

• Edutainment approaches that translate complex governance or policy issues into accessible formats

Applicants should clearly demonstrate how the use of technology or creative methods enhances reach, inclusion, sustainability, and measurable impact, rather than serving as a superficial add-on.

Note: 

• PWDs and PWD-focused proposals are encouraged.

• Applications from organizations or individuals that have accessed NYFF funding more than twice will not be prioritized.

Grant Structure

Eligibility criteria

Individual-level 

• The beneficiary must be a Young Change Maker (aged 18- 35 years) with a proven track record of working on a sustainable solution that directly addresses any of the thematic areas. 

• The beneficiary must demonstrate a good understanding and experience of youth activism, strategic planning and project management.

• The beneficiary must demonstrate experience and knowledge of community or team building following principles of honesty and integrity.

• The beneficiary must demonstrate talent and passion for new ways of behaving, norms, actions, love for creative arts and imagination -

• The beneficiary must have genuine means of identification and/or must be attached to an institution. 

• The beneficiary must provide two (2) reputable referees. 

Organization Level

• Any organization applying must be a formally registered organization with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria or any other state-level relevant registration. Otherwise, unregistered organizations can form a cluster and apply through a registered organization. 

• Any organization applying must be a youth-driven civic and transformation organization working on sustainable solutions that directly addresses any of the thematic areas.

• The organization must have good antecedents and proper track records. 

• The organization must have a SCUML certificate and any other relevant documents that certify its legal operations.  

• The organization must have a physical office address and a corporate account. 

• The organization must have a good reach within the proposed state of Implementation.

• The organization must provide financial records with good financial standing

• The organization must provide 2 reputable referees. 

Guideline for Application Submission

Please click apply or Login (for existing users) at the top right position of this page to apply for the grant. The application steps consist of the following: 

• Filling of Pre-application questions

• Proposal Submission: Applicants should submit a concept note/proposal, not more than 3000 words, following the stated guidelines and proposal template. Click here for Individual/Development Grant Proposal Template

• The proposal templates are divided into three sections:

  • Section A: This consists of the Individual/organization background, challenges identified, initiatives to be implemented, and scope of work

  • Section B: This section consists of the Monitoring and Evaluation framework showing the expected inputs, outputs, outcome and impacts of the project

  • Sections C: This section consists of the project work plan, showing the activities to be performed, timeline and the budget for each line items 

• Submission of organization/individual identification document:

  • Small/Individual Grant: NIN certificate or equivalent.

  • Organization Grant (Development & Catalyst Grant): CAC registration, Organizational document, and other documents such as certificate of recognition by previous funders, SCUML, etc., in a single PDF. 

• Filling of the Referees’ information: Name, Organization and portfolio, Phone Number, and email address

FAQ, Disclaimer, Ethics and Conduct

FAQ 

What is the age range of the applicant?

The age range of the applicant is 18 to 35 years. 

What is the age range of the implementation scope?

The grantee must be implementing projects targeting young people within the age range of 18 - 35 years

What is the duration of the grant cycle? 

The cycle will run from May 2026 to December 2026.

Who funds this grant?

This grant is co-funded by MacArthur, Ford Foundation and Luminate Group.

Can my organization apply for more than one category of grant?

Yes, but you will only be granted one. 

How will the selection be performed?

The selection will go through three selection rounds: First stage assesses compliance with the application procedures, the second stage assesses suitability of an application with the help of an assessment rubric, and the last stage is due diligence, where the NYFF team verifies the details provided in the application. 

How will the grant be disbursed?

The grants will be disbursed in two tranches: 

• Small and development grants (First tranche: 50% and second tranche: 50%) 

• Catalyst grant  (First tranche: 50% and second tranche: 50%) 

The second tranche will be conditioned on the milestone achieved at the midterm of the project. 

Disclaimer 

The NYFF project is co-funded by MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation and Luminate Group, the implementing organization is LEAP Africa. Only the link provided by the implementer in this document should be used to submit the application, applicants should not submit elsewhere. The application is free of charge; the applicant should not give any amount to anyone for the application process. NYFF has zero tolerance for corruption.

Data Privacy

By continuing with this application, you are giving consent to use your data within the scope of the NYFF project. LEAP Africa is committed to safeguarding your personal data. Your details are protected in line with the General Data Protection Regulation standards. Learn more about our privacy policy here.

Ethics and Conduct 

a) Absence of conflict of interest: The applicant should be free of any conflict of interest. 

b) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery: The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. Any attempt by an applicant to influence any of the application process or engage in unlawful agreement will lead to the rejection of its application. For the purpose of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded. 

c) Respect for human rights and country regulations: The applicant must comply with the National rules and regulations in line with the grants and implementation processes. 

d) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud: NYFF Secretariat reserves the right to suspend or abort the procedure, where any misconduct is observed either breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If breaches of obligations, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract, the contract may be terminated and the project beneficiary might be blacklisted in the civil society community.

For enquiries and more information, please reach out to nyff@leapafrica.org 

To apply, kindly click on the sign-up or log-in button displayed at the top right corner of this page