Application Deadline: 15 August 2025, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time in New York.
Applications are now open for the 2025/2026 United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Youth Solidarity Fund. The Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF) provides seed funding to youth-led organizations dedicated to fostering peaceful and inclusive societies. YSF supports projects, designed and developed for and by young people, that demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to intercultural or interfaith dialogue. In addition, YSF offers capacity-building and mentorship support to strengthen project implementation and enhance organizational development.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible, applying youth organizations need to fulfill every one of the following criteria:
- Be youth-led: a majority of the positions and decision-making roles within the organization are held by women and men between the ages of 18 and 35;
- Be a non-profit, non-governmental organization (except for national youth councils) registered in the country of operation as a charity, trust, foundation, or association;
- Be officially registered and operational for a minimum of two years prior to the deadline for applications with funding base and project implementation (operating in June 2023 or earlier);
- Be registered and operate in one of the aforementioned countries;
- Have a democratic governance structure and decision-making mechanism, including consultative processes in formulating priorities and policies;
- Have an ability to demonstrate proper and consistent monitoring, evaluation, and record-keeping of their activities, including project evaluation reports and financial accounts;
- Have a gender perspective/balance reflected in their staff, beneficiaries, and activities;
- Have no adherence to or affiliations with violent ideologies or antagonism against any particular country, culture, religion or belief system, ethnic group, gender, etc.; and
- Did not receive funding under past editions of YSF or did not receive support through the Intercultural Innovation Hub.
Note: If you applied for YSF in the past but were not selected, you can apply for YSF again.
Type of projects:
Youth Solidarity Fund provides seed funding to outstanding projects promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue. It awards grants of up to USD 25,000 for the implementation of selected projects that demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to intercultural and/or interfaith dialogue and advance the mission of UNAOC. Proposals linked to implementation of the following frameworks/policies are particularly encouraged:
- Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020) on Youth, Peace and Security in connection to intercultural and interfaith dialogue;
- Projects that support the implementation of the Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and the ten subsequent Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security by enhancing women’s participation in conflict prevention and mediation processes.
- Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, and the Pilar I of the UN Counter-Terrorism Global Strategy (A/RES/60/288) by promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue as a prevention tool;
- Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites by promoting respect for other religions and cultures, the right of human beings to practice their faith in safety and peace, and efforts to combat extremist ideologies and narratives;
- Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech by addressing the issues and their impact on young people.
- Projects that support implementation of the General Assembly resolution 66/167 as well as Action 18 (c) of the Pact for the Future by combating racism and eliminating discrimination, xenophobia and religious intolerance, and all forms of intolerance and discrimination from our societies and promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
Application Procedure:
Interested organizations can apply through the form below. To view the form, you will need to register for an account.
To be considered complete and valid, the application package must include the following and be submitted through the online application system available below.
- The application form, completed and certified by the applicant’s organization;
- A copy of the registration certificate of the applicant’s organization;
- A copy of the statutes/by-laws of the applicant’s organization;
- An organizational chart depicting the ages of key decision-makers within the organization;
- A biography of the current Executive/Managing Director, showing the date of birth (one page maximum);
- The resume/CV of the project coordinator (two pages maximum);
- A picture or scan of the project coordinator’s passport identification page. If the project coordinator does not have a passport, upload his or her national identification card.
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