The Youth Leadership Development Fund 2026 Grant Cycle under the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) is set to open very soon, with up to $50,000 in grants, offering fresh funding and support opportunities for young Nigerians working in leadership, advocacy and social change.
The application portal will host submissions once the process officially begins. The fund is designed to strengthen youth-led movements across the country by providing both technical and financial backing to help them scale their impact at national and sub-national levels.
Under the 2026 cycle, selected grantees will take part in a structured capacity building programme. The training will focus on advocacy, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, communications, and grass-root mobilization. Participants are expected to gain practical skills that will improve how they design, execute and measure the impact of their initiatives.
In addition to training, grantees will receive direct funding to support their advocacy projects. The grant categories include a $1,000 Individual Grant, a $10,000 Development Grant, and a $50,000 Catalyst Grant. The funding is structured to empower recipients with the resources needed to engage effectively and implement projects that address critical issues affecting young people and communities across Nigeria.
Beyond financial support, beneficiaries will be onboarded into the NYFF ecosystem. This network connects youth leaders and change-makers, giving them access to collaboration opportunities with like-minded individuals within the NYFF community. The platform is expected to strengthen peer learning and collective impact among youth-led initiatives.
Grantees who successfully implement their projects will also receive visibility by being spotlighted on NYFF platforms, helping to amplify their work and extend their reach to broader audiences.
The application portal, www.nigeriayouthfund.org, will go live shortly as applications open very soon.
The Nigeria Youth Futures Fund was established as a response to what it describes as an urgent need to provide technical and financial support to emerging youth-led movements in Nigeria. The goal is to sustain their work while creating opportunities for continuous learning and growth.
Seeded by the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation and Luminate Group, and implemented by LEAP Africa, NYFF states that its mission is to strengthen, support and enable youth in leadership, activism and social change. The fund focuses on outcome-driven policy engagements and inclusive resourcing aimed at helping young people shape and support medium and long-term national development.
