Youth Action Fund small grants
The purpose of the Youth Action Fund is to identify, inspire, and
support small groups of dedicated young people who can mobilize and
influence large numbers of their peers to promote open society ideals.
OSI created this fund as a flexible way to provide small grants and
other support to encourage progressive, youth-driven initiatives that
are aligned with OSI’s mission.
Eligibility
All grant proposals must be related to the Open Society Institute’s
mission of supporting programs in the areas of educational, social,
and
legal reform, and of encouraging alternative approaches to complex and
often controversial issues.
• All applicants must be between the ages of 15-29.
• Youth may partner with a local NGO, but OSI will not accept
proposals from NGOs on behalf of youth.
• The maximum amount of funding that can be requested is
$12,000; there is no minimum amount.
• Applicants must currently reside in one of the following
countries: Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Nepal, Serbia, or
Uganda.
Grantmaking Priorities
Strong preference will be given to collaborative projects in which
grantees reach out to engage their peers and other groups in civil
society. Cross-border activity will be possible, but the primary focus
will be on projects that serve a local constituency. Projects which
can
become self-sustaining or that will continue after the funding has
ended
are encouraged.
While we are very much open to innovative ideas, here are a few
samples
of the types of projects we would support:
• Online projects such as the creation of open-source tools,
civic-minded games, virtual forums;
• Events such as BarCamps-open, participatory workshop events,
whose content is provided by participants;
• New media related projects aimed at increasing the flow of
information or uncovering issues not addressed in the mainstream
media;
• Activism aimed to raise awareness and address open society
issues;
• Grassroots environmental projects.
Ineligible Projects
• Travel grants or fees for individuals to attend conferences,
workshops, etc;
• Additional degrees, courses, or certificates for an
individual;
• Organizations or adults applying for grants on behalf of
youth.
To Apply
Fill out the online application at https://oas.soros.org/oas/
address, etc.), applicants will be asked to answer the following
questions:
• What is your idea?
• How will you do it?
• What do you need?
• Who will it help?
• Is there anyone you want to work with?
• What is your budget?
Candidates will also be given the option to upload a separate
application proposal, budget, CV, and letters of recommendation.
Deadlines
Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis so there are currently no
deadlines.
Funding Decisions
Grant applications will be reviewed by staff at OSI-Budapest. In cases
where minor changes are needed or any part of the application is
unclear, applicants may be asked to resubmit.
Complete applications will be forwarded to a three-person panel made
up
of one representative from the applicant’s home country, one
representative of the OSI Youth Intiative, and one representative of
OSI-Budapest. The panel must unanimously approve the grant for the
candidate to receive funding. Proposals can be nominated for partial
funding, in which case the panel will state items for funding.
Grants will not be renewable. However, successful projects may be
eligible for additional funding through other initiatives of the Soros
foundations network. It is expected that some of the projects may have
an entrepreneurial component that could allow them to become
self-sustaining.
Click here to read a list of Frequently Asked Questions
