As the new year begins, it also opens a renewed space for cooperation and joint work across the YMCA movement.
With this in mind, we gathered a selection of funding opportunities that we consider particularly relevant and promising for local and national YMCAs seeking to expand their capacity, activities, and areas of expertise.
Erasmus+ Programme 2026
The Erasmus+ programme fosters a sense of European citizenship, promotes lifelong learning, and addresses societal challenges through education and innovation. Through its various actions and initiatives, Erasmus+ aims to build a more inclusive, open, and interconnected European space for learning and cooperation.
Mobility Projects for Young People – ‘Youth Exchanges’
Youth Exchanges bring young people from different countries together to learn, share, and grow outside the classroom. Through non-formal learning, participants strengthen active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, and a stronger sense of being European, helping them to build life and professional skills. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 12 February 2026 & 01 October 2026
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Mobility Projects for Youth Workers
Youth worker mobility projects support professional growth through non-formal and informal learning. They help youth workers strengthen their skills, improve the quality of youth work, and create lasting impact at local, national, and European levels. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 12 February 2026 & 01 October 2026
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Erasmus Accreditation in the Field of Youth
Erasmus+ Youth Accreditation offers a simpler and more flexible way to access funding for multiple youth mobility projects under Key Action 1. Once accredited, organisations benefit from streamlined applications and annual funding opportunities. Each year, you submit a brief project plan to secure funding—using the same deadlines as standard calls. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 29 September, 2026
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Youth Participation Activities
Youth Participation Activities empower young people to engage in democratic life at local, national, and European levels. Through non-formal and informal learning, projects promote active citizenship, European values, and fundamental rights. Activities help young people build digital skills and media literacy to tackle disinformation. They also create opportunities for dialogue with decision-makers and contribute to the EU Youth Dialogue. Projects can be national or transnational. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 12 February 2026 & 01 October 2026
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Mobility Projects for Young People – “DiscoverEU Inclusion Action”
DiscoverEU offers young people the chance to explore Europe through short-term travel experiences. The Inclusion Action focuses on young people with fewer opportunities, helping bridge gaps and ensure equal access. The experience strengthens European belonging, life skills, and intercultural awareness. Projects support 1–5 young people from the same country and may include multiple travel groups over time. DiscoverEU targets 18-year-olds, while the Inclusion Action also includes young people aged 18–21. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 12 February 2026 – additional deadlines may be announced
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges connect young people from different countries online to learn, share ideas, and build skills—without travelling. Participants meet in small, moderated groups, guided by trained facilitators, making international learning more inclusive and accessible. Projects strengthen key skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and openness to diversity. Virtual Exchanges complement physical mobility and can also prepare young people for future in-person experiences. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 26 March, 2026
Where to apply:
Partnerships for Cooperation
Partnerships for Cooperation help organisations grow through international collaboration, share innovative practices, and produce high-quality results. Projects can be small or large, depending on your goals and the impact you want to make. From a YMCA perspective, the most relevant fields are youth and sport. Two types of partnerships are offered to organisations to work, learn and grow together:
Cooperation Partnerships in the field of Youth
This action is more focused on transnational collaboration, innovation, and network-building. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated with the possibility to include partners from other countries not associated to the Programme.
Deadlines: 05 March, 2026 – additional deadlines may be announced
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Cooperation Partnerships in the field of Sport
This action is more focused on transnational collaboration, innovation, and network-building. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated with the possibility to include partners from other countries not associated to the Programme.
Deadlines: 05 March, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
Small-Scale Partnerships in the field of Youth
These actions aim to fund flexible projects, more focused on grassroots and newcomers. These projects are shorter, simpler, and designed for less experienced organisations. It can include national and transnational activities. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 05 March, 2026 – additional deadlines may be announced
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Small-Scale Partnerships in the field of Sport
These actions aim to fund flexible projects, more focused on grassroots and newcomers. These projects are shorter, simpler, and designed for less experienced organisations. It can include national and transnational activities. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines: 05 March, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
Capacity Building in the Field of Youth
This action, through international cooperation, aims to strengthen youth organisations, promote socio-economic development, and improve well-being for young people. Activities can include exchanges, training, communication, and other collaborative initiatives. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries, third countries associated and in third countries not associated to the Programme.
Deadlines: 26 February, 2026
Where to apply:
Capacity Building in the Field of Sport
These projects use sport as a tool for education, social inclusion, and community building. They strengthen grassroots sport organisations, helping them operate more effectively, reach more people, and encourage participation in physical activity. Sport is also used to promote positive values and social cohesion. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries, third countries associated, and in third countries not associated to the Programme.
Deadlines: 05 March, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
Not-for-Profit European Sport Events
This action supports sport events with a European dimension that promote: Volunteering in sport, Social inclusion through sport, Fight against discrimination and gender inequality and/or Healthy lifestyles for all. These events aim to raise awareness of sport’s role in social inclusion, encourage participation, and foster equal opportunities. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadlines:
- Local (Type I & II) & European-Wide: 5 March, 2026
- Large-Scale: 22 January, 2026
Where to apply:
European Youth Together
European Youth Together supports transnational projects that build networks of regional youth partners, focusing on youth exchanges and training. This action aims to empower young people to lead joint projects, promoting the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027, European Youth Goals, policy engagement and cooperation with major stakeholders. A key goal is to create mobility opportunities for young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, ensuring diverse voices are heard. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Erasmus+ countries and third countries associated
Deadline: 26 February, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
European Solidarity Corps (ESC)
The European Solidarity Corps brings together young people aged 18–30 to engage in solidarity activities supporting vulnerable people and societal challenges across Europe and beyond. Some of their key objectives are active citizenship, inclusion and digital literacy, with a crucial focus in 2026 for societal preparedness for conflicts and disasters, supporting people with fewer opportunities and solidarity.
Volunteering projects
Volunteering projects offer full-time, unpaid volunteering for young people, lasting up to 12 months. Activities cover areas such as environmental protection, climate action, and social inclusion. Volunteering can be cross-border (abroad) or in-country (home country) for the participants. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: ESC countries and third countries associated
Deadline: 18 February 2026 – additional deadlines may be announced
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas
Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas are large-scale, high-impact volunteering projects bringing together young people from at least two countries to respond to shared European challenges. Projects must follow EU high-priority areas, and activities must be short-term and focus on solidarity-driven action. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Organisations legally established
Deadline: 3 March, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
Solidarity projects
These projects are youth-led initiatives where young people design and run their own projects to address local community challenges. Projects are managed by young people, focus on local impact, and highlight European added value. No international volunteering is involved. This is a strong non-formal learning experience that boosts personal, educational, social, and civic skills. Find more information here.
Eligible people to apply: Informal groups resident in the same country from ESC countries and third countries associated.
Deadline: 18 February 2026 & 1 October 2026 – additional deadlines may be announced
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Quality label for Volunteering for organisations established in ESC countries and third countries associated
The Quality Label certifies that an organisation can deliver high-quality solidarity activities in line with ESC principles and standards. It is a non-financial award and a mandatory prerequisite to take part in ESC volunteering actions. There are 3 types of Quality Label: Host role, Support role, and Lead role. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: ESC countries and third countries associated
Deadline: Open call — applications accepted year-round
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Quality label for Volunteering for organisations established in countries not associated to the Programme
The Quality Label certifies that an organisation can deliver high-quality solidarity activities in line with ESC principles and standards. It is a non-financial award and a mandatory prerequisite to take part in ESC volunteering actions. There are 3 types of Quality Label: Host role, Support role, and Lead role. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Third country not associated to the Programme
Deadline: Open call — applications accepted year-round
Where to apply:
- SALTO Resource Centres for South East Europe
- SALTO Resource Centres for Eastern Europe & Caucasus
- SALTO Resource Centres for EuroMed
Humanitarian Aid Volunteering projects
This volunteering is full-time, non-remunerated volunteering in third countries with ongoing humanitarian aid operations, and is open to young people aged 18–35, through short- or long-term placements. These projects support individual volunteering, volunteering teams and complementary activities. All actions must respect humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, independence, and “do not harm”. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: ESC countries and third countries associated with the possibility to include partners from third countries not associated to the Programme.
Deadline: 23 April, 2026
Where to apply: Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP)
Quality Label for Humanitarian Aid Volunteering
This Quality Label certifies that an organisation can deliver high-quality humanitarian volunteering activities in line with the principles and requirements of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps. It is a mandatory precondition to participate in humanitarian aid volunteering actions. There are 2 types of labels: Support role and Host role. Find more information here.
Eligible Organisations to Apply: Legally established in a country.
Deadline: Open call — applications accepted year-round
Where to apply: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps portal
Relevant links
Please note that this is a non-exhaustive overview of opportunities that may be of interest to local organisations and young people. If you plan to apply for any of these funding opportunities, it is strongly recommended to consult the official European Commission documents. Below you can find some useful links for your application:
- YMCA AI course with FounderZ and Microsoft for YMCA staff, leaders and volunteers to know how AI can support in daily work, and in this case, to write and improve project applications.
- Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026
- European Solidarity Corps Guide 2026 Call
- Centralised calls to submit proposals: Funding and Tender´s Portal (FTOP)
- National calls to submit proposals: Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps Application Portal
- Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps National Office Finder
- Eligible Erasmus+ countries and associated countries by regions, and ESC countries covered.
We encourage you to explore these possibilities and consider how they could support your organisational growth and youth empowerment goals. YMCA Europe is here to work alongside you—offering guidance, sharing information, and supporting collaboration—to help you make the most of these opportunities and maximise your impact with and for young people.
