OpenAI launches EMEA €500k grant for youth | Keryc
The EMEA Youth & Wellbeing grant from OpenAI allocates €500,000 to support organizations that work with children, adolescents, families and educators — or that research how AI affects youth safety and wellbeing.
What the grant is and why it matters
This is a regional fund for Europe, the Middle East and Africa aimed at financing practical work and independent research on how to make AI safe and beneficial for young people. Why does this matter in practice? To design protection programs, boost digital literacy, evaluate safeguards and produce evidence that actually informs policy and product decisions.
The core idea is simple: when AI becomes part of young people’s learning, creativity and communication, we need evidence and tools that work in real life.
Who can apply and what is funded
Recipients: NGOs in operation, research institutions or coalitions with legal presence in an EMEA country. The applicant must be over 18 and capable of carrying out the project ethically.
Total fund: €500,000.
Typical grant size: between €25k-€100k. Multi-year awards will be considered for larger programs or networks.
Projects seeking funding (examples):
For NGOs: harm-prevention programs, AI literacy initiatives for young people, parents or educators, and practical tools to respond to AI-related risks.
For research institutions: studies on how AI can enrich education and youth development, research on child safety and adolescent wellbeing, and evaluations of safeguards in real-world settings.
The production of clear, usable outputs is encouraged: reports, toolkits, policy briefs or proven methods others can replicate.
Evaluation criteria (what they’re looking for)
Projects will be evaluated with emphasis on:
Presence in EMEA (required): the organization must be legally registered in a country in Europe, the Middle East or Africa.
Alignment with objectives (high): a clear contribution to safety, evaluation of safeguards or actionable evidence for policymakers and product teams.
Impact and scalability (high): potential to measurably improve youth wellbeing or safety and to influence policy or product design.
Methodological rigor and ethical design (high): sound research methods, child protection, consent processes and secure data handling.
Feasibility and capacity (high): operational capacity, realistic timeline, coherent budget and data governance.
Sustainability and amplification (medium): possibility for continuity after the grant or for building local capacity.
Dates, process and what you should prepare
Applications open: January 28, 2026.
Close: February 27, 2026.
Project start: second–third quarter of 2026 (final dates to be confirmed).
Review process:
Initial check for eligibility and completeness.
Review by a Council to assess technical, ethical and legal fit.
Final approvals and contracting (legal review and communications before award).
Activation and start of pilots/research.
Documents required (upload in the online form):
Project title.
Detailed proposal (max. 500 words): objectives, methods, timeline, deliverables and value for policy/products/NGOs.
Detailed budget and justification.
CVs of the team and institutional affiliation.
Ethics statement and data handling plan (if applicable).
Letters of support or partnership confirmation (if applicable).
Contact for questions: emea-youth-grants@openai.com. Note: there will be no status updates for applications not selected.
Practical tips to increase your chances
Want your proposal to stand out? Think about this:
Be concrete: deliver clear products (toolkits, guides, replicable reports) rather than broad promises.
Show capacity: evidence of prior work, a team with experience and a feasible timeline.
Prioritize ethics: describe child protection, consent and data governance in detail.
Explain scalable impact: how your result could be taken to other communities or influence policy.
Realistic budget: justify direct and indirect costs according to institutional policies.
Small example: a local NGO testing an AI literacy program in schools could request €40k to design the curriculum, train teachers and evaluate effects on skills and digital safety. That fits well with what they’re looking for.
Final reflection
This is a practical chance for organizations and academics to test, document and scale solutions that protect and empower young people facing AI. It’s not just money: it’s the opportunity to generate useful evidence that can shape policies and products.
