Skills and Entrepreneurship Call
Background
Youth Advocates is a youth-led organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty by raising an empowered, healthy, and resilient generation of adolescents and young people. Established in 2004, the organisation is committed to empowering underserved children, adolescents, and youth who are furthest from opportunity to achieve quality lives, good health, economic independence, resilience, and leadership. With over 15 years of experience in skills building, entrepreneurship, social behaviour change, and youth-led innovation, Youth Advocates has become a trusted leader in human-centred design and effective approaches. Backed by rigorous evidence, we are pioneering a solution that lifts young people out of extreme poverty, improves their well-being and resilience, and ensures a brighter future for generations to come, aligned with national development goals.
Call Overview
Youth Advocates is seeking proposals from Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in Zimbabwe to implement evidence-based, high-impact, and scalable interventions that support youth skills and entrepreneurship through the Youth Enterprise Graduation Model.
Funding Details
- Grant ceiling: USD 50,000 per year
- Grant duration: Up to 2 years (maximum total USD 100,000)
- Expected start date: 1 July 2025
Priority Areas
Proposals must focus on layered interventions that build social assets, skills and entrepreneurship, one or more of the following:
- Life and soft skills for employability and resilience
- Vocational or entrepreneurship training aligned to market needs
- Financial literacy and inclusion, including savings group formation
- Support for youth-led business incubation and mentorship
Eligibility Criteria
Applicant organizations must:
- Be legally registered and operating in Zimbabwe
- Have a minimum of 2 years of experience in youth development or livelihoods
- Be based in or working within rural or underserved communities
- Demonstrate capacity for financial and programmatic reporting
- Align with Youth Advocates’ safeguarding and child protection standards
Application Requirements
Submit the following in a single PDF:
- Concept (1 page)
- Technical Proposal (max 5 pages)
- Context and rationale
- Clear objectives and outcomes
- Description of activities and delivery strategy
- Youth and community engagement approach
- Risk and mitigation strategy
- Workplan and Timeline
- Detailed Budget (template provided)
- Organizational Profile
- Legal registration proof
- Summary of past relevant projects
- Key staff profile
- Monitoring & Evaluation Plan with clear indicators
- Safeguarding Policy or Statement
- Two References (preferably funders or technical partners)
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed based on:
- Relevance and clarity of intervention (30%)
- Evidence of impact and potential for scalability (20%)
- Organizational and financial capacity (20%)
- Market Driven approach (15%)
- Monitoring and evaluation framework (15%)
Safeguarding and Compliance
All grantees will undergo due diligence and must adhere to Youth Advocates’ safeguarding, anti-fraud, and accountability policies. Training and technical support will be provided where needed.
Submission Instructions
- Email all applications to grants@yadvocates.org
- Subject: RFP – Youth Skills & Entrepreneurship – [Organization Name]
- Alternatively fill in the form below and attach document for submission
- Deadline: 12 June 2025, 17:00 CAT
- Late or incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.
