From application to systemic impact: How we work
The information outlines the European Youth and Education Grant Area’s approach, including what applicants can expect during the application process and after an application is granted, as well as how our project approach achieves systemic impact.
This approach reflects a commitment to capacity building, communication, and collaboration, while also aligning with the foundation’s core values of courage, common sense, curiosity, and decency.
Open calls play an important role in ensuring that applicants have equal access to funding opportunities while also encouraging diverse applications that reflect the varied needs and ambitions of stakeholders. By doing so, the foundation gains continuous insights into what matters most for each project, increases knowledge on diverse areas, and builds capacity to tailor future calls in a way that addresses the specific needs of each context.
The assessment of applications is conducted by an international expert committee composed of professionals with up-to-date knowledge in the relevant areas. This ensures that the selected applications align with current promising practices and address pressing challenges effectively. In the assessment, transparency is important and we openly and respectfully communicate which projects are funded and why.
Site visits to funded projects are crucial for our ongoing engagement. They help build mutual trust, enhance project understanding, and foster collaboration, strengthening relationships with project teams. Observing projects in action also provides deeper insights into their realities and challenges.
Project reporting is concise and relevant to minimise bureaucracy and encourage clear communication. The biannual report focuses on progress, learnings, and facilitates adaptive project management. This enables projects to adjust to local contexts, respond to challenges, and increase impact.
Financial monitoring is conducted regularly to ensure that projects are on track. Grantees can use their own financial systems to minimise administrative procedures while still providing the foundation with the required transparency.
Annual auditing procedures are carried out by an external accounting firm to ensure transparency and accountability. These procedures ensure that financial practices comply with established standards of the foundation.
Organisational capacity building is central to our approach, tailored to each grantee's needs to ensure immediate project success and long-term sector impact. We help grantees maximise outcomes by providing tools for reflection, developing evaluation plans, and offering guidance on change management strategies.
Effective communication is our priority to ensure project learnings reach the right stakeholders. Through targeted communication plans, stakeholder mapping, and tailored messaging, we develop and share project insights throughout the project lifespan.
Knowledge dissemination is key during the project's implementation. We organise or join roundtables and conferences to share results and foster learning. These events help communicate successes, address challenges, and stay relevant. By engaging peer institutions, we ensure successful practices are shared and adapted, creating a broader network of impact.
Crosscutting evaluations are integral to our approach, with knowledge sharing at its core. By facilitating exchanges at multiple levels, we enhance the impact of individual projects and improve our support capabilities. These evaluations help us and our grantees build capacity, continuously learn what works, identify areas for improvement, and adjust our strategic direction.
With this approach:
- project learnings can be anchored in the organisation after the project period
- project learnings can be incorporated in legislation, institutions or practices
- project learnings can inspire new ways of thinking
- project learnings can be disseminated to peer organisations
