Are you a young change-maker looking to make a positive impact in your community? The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is pleased to invite youth-led organizations to apply for the 2023 edition of its Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF). The call is open to organizations from eligible countries whose work seeks to promote peace and social inclusion through improved understanding, respect, and collaboration across borders, cultures, faiths, and beliefs.Through a competitive evaluation process, YSF will award seed funding of up to USD 25,000 for the implementation of outstanding and impactful projects that use intercultural and interfaith dialogue and are aligned with the mandate and mission of UNAOC. YSF only supports projects that are entirely developed and managed by youth, for the benefit of the whole society, especially youth.
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:
o 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;
o Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Secretary General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism by promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue as a prevention tool;
o Projects that support the implementation of the United Nations Comprehensive Response to COVID-19 by addressing the increased stigma and discrimination of young people and their communities exacerbated by the pandemic;
o 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;
o 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.
Benefits
- Through a competitive evaluation process, YSF will award seed funding of up to USD 25,000 for the implementation of outstanding and impactful projects that use intercultural and interfaith dialogue and are aligned with the mandate and mission of UNAOC.
- YSF only supports projects that are entirely developed and managed by youth, for the benefit of the whole society, especially youth.
- It contributes to the implementation of several global policy frameworks by engaging young people in building peaceful and inclusive societies.
Eligibilities
- 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 April 2021
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 recordkeeping 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.
Application Process
- Interested organizations can apply at the following link: http://apply.unaoc.org/.
To be considered complete and valid, the application package must include the following and
be submitted through the online application system available at http://apply.unaoc.org/.
● 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. - The word/character limit for each question in the application form needs to be respected. The
application system automatically counts words and characters.
Application Deadline: May 14, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
