RFPs: Accelerating Youth-Led Action in Addressing Climate Mobility in Africa

Deadline: 19-Jan-2026

The IOM Accelerating Youth-Led Action in Addressing Climate Mobility in Africa programme offers grants of up to USD 15,000 for youth-led civil society organisations across Africa. The initiative supports innovative, community-based solutions that help people adapt to, manage, or respond to climate-induced mobility.

Programme Overview

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is inviting applications from youth-led civil society organisations (CSOs) across Africa under the Accelerating Youth-Led Action in Addressing Climate Mobility in Africa programme.

This grant initiative is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and is designed to strengthen the role of young leaders in addressing climate-related migration challenges at the local level. The programme focuses on empowering youth-led organisations to design, implement, monitor, and communicate practical climate mobility interventions within their communities.

What Is Climate Mobility?

Climate mobility refers to the movement, displacement, or decision to remain in place by individuals or communities in response to environmental degradation, climate change, and disasters.

This includes:

• Migration driven by droughts, floods, or environmental degradation

• Planned relocation or adaptive strategies to stay safely in place

• Community-led solutions to manage climate-related displacement

The programme supports approaches that enable people to stay, move, or migrate safely and with dignity.

Objectives of the Grant Programme

The programme aims to:

• Strengthen the institutional and technical capacity of youth-led CSOs

• Support locally driven solutions to climate-induced mobility

• Enhance youth participation in climate and migration governance

• Promote alignment with regional and national climate mobility frameworks

Projects are expected to contribute to the implementation of existing policies, including the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change.

Grant Amount and Financial Support

Each selected youth-led CSO can receive:

• A grant of up to USD 15,000

• Funds converted into local currency using IOM’s monthly exchange rate

The grant is intended to support project implementation costs related to climate mobility interventions, community engagement, monitoring, and communication activities.

Who Is Eligible?

To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following criteria.

Organisational Eligibility

• Must be a youth-led civil society organisation

• Officially registered and operating in an African country

• Organisational leadership must be under the age of 35

• Must have 2–5 years of experience implementing environmental or social projects at the community level

Capacity Building Requirement

• At least one staff member from the CSO must have completed the IOM Capacity Building Initiative

• The training must have been completed between August and October 2025

Application Authority

• Applications must be submitted directly by the CSO

• Individual applications or third-party submissions are not eligible

What Types of Projects Are Supported?

Proposed projects must focus on climate mobility within a local or community context.

Supported project characteristics include:

• Innovative and practical solutions

• Scalable or replicable approaches

• Clear benefits for vulnerable or climate-affected populations

• Strong community engagement and local ownership

Projects may address adaptation, migration management, disaster response, or resilience-building linked to climate impacts.

Compliance and Safeguarding Requirements

All selected CSOs must demonstrate compliance with international humanitarian and ethical standards.

Key requirements include:

• Respect for human rights and protection principles

• Adherence to data protection and privacy standards

• Measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA)

• Ability to obtain necessary government approvals for project implementation

• Compliance with IOM visibility and branding requirements

• Ensuring personnel are trained in relevant humanitarian principles

Failure to meet these standards may result in disqualification or termination of funding.

How the Selection Process Works

Projects will be assessed based on their potential to create sustainable and meaningful impact at the local level.

Evaluation criteria include:

• Relevance to climate mobility challenges

• Organisational capacity and experience

• Feasibility and sustainability of the proposed intervention

• Innovation and scalability

• Alignment with national and regional climate mobility policies

Why This Grant Matters

Climate change is increasingly shaping migration patterns across Africa, disproportionately affecting young people and vulnerable communities.

This programme matters because it:

• Places youth-led organisations at the center of climate action

• Supports locally grounded and context-specific solutions

• Strengthens policy implementation through grassroots engagement

• Builds long-term leadership capacity among young changemakers

By funding youth-led CSOs, IOM reinforces the role of young people as agents of resilience and innovation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Submitting projects unrelated to climate mobility

• Failing to meet the youth-led leadership requirement

• Applying without completing the required IOM capacity-building initiative

• Proposing overly broad or unrealistic project activities

• Ignoring safeguarding, human rights, or compliance standards

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who can apply for this grant?

Youth-led civil society organisations that are officially registered and operating in Africa, with leadership under 35 years of age.

How much funding can a CSO receive?

Each selected CSO can receive up to USD 15,000, converted into local currency using IOM’s monthly exchange rate.

Is prior experience required?

Yes. Eligible organisations must have 2–5 years of experience implementing environmental or social projects at the community level.

Is participation in IOM training mandatory?

Yes. At least one staff member must have completed the IOM Capacity Building Initiative between August and October 2025.

What types of projects are not eligible?

Projects that do not address climate mobility, lack local relevance, or fail to meet humanitarian and safeguarding standards are not eligible.

Can individuals apply?

No. Applications must be submitted by registered youth-led CSOs only.

Do projects need government approval?

Yes. CSOs must be able to obtain all necessary government approvals required for project implementation.

Conclusion

The IOM Accelerating Youth-Led Action in Addressing Climate Mobility in Africa programme offers a strategic funding opportunity for youth-led organisations to address one of the continent’s most pressing challenges. With grants of up to USD 15,000, the initiative empowers young leaders to deliver locally driven, policy-aligned solutions that strengthen community resilience in the face of climate change and migration pressures.

For more information, visit International Organization for Migration.