The Opportunity

The Comic Relief Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is proud to accept applications for the third year of Juntanza Fund grantmaking to youth-led social change campaigns and programs. Juntanza means a union to help each other and achieve a common goal and originates from the practices of Afro-descendant communities in Colombia.

This call for proposals invites youth-led organizations and projects to apply for a grant to address the issues of Health & Wellbeing, Technology, Art, and Narrative Change, and Climate and Sustainability while lifting up the intersections of gender and social equity, governance and transparency, disability justice, and youth power in these target regions through service projects or advocacy. More information on current YAC members can be found here.

Grant Amounts

The Juntanza Fund will make grants of $5,000-$10,000 USD for up to a one-year term to youth-led programs, organizations, and campaigns. Examples of what we fund can be found in the pages that follow.

Geographic Focus: Africa (Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Pakistan), Latin America (Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico), and North America (United States)

Funding Areas: (1) Health and Wellbeing, (2) Technology, Art, and Narrative Change, and (3) Climate and Sustainability.

Issue Areas and Guidelines

Health and Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing focuses on improving the physical, mental, and emotional health of young people, especially in the Global South, by addressing intersecting issues like poverty, adolescent pregnancy, inclusion of visible and non-visible disabilities, nutrition, and access to care. This area supports youth-led and youth-centered initiatives that strengthen community-based health systems, promote mental health literacy, and expand access to sexual and reproductive health services. It invests in innovations that connect schools, digital platforms, and public health systems to deliver inclusive, preventive, and youth-friendly care. By funding young leaders and collectives redefining wellbeing as a public and social good, this pillar aims to build healthier, more equitable, and resilient communities.

Technology, Art, and Narrative Change

Technology & Storytelling supports youth-led innovations that harness digital tools, creative media, and narrative power to advance justice and equality across the Global South. The digital divide, algorithmic bias, and inequitable access to technology and creative platforms often silence marginalized voices and limit participation in civic and cultural life. Young leaders are developing powerful software, hardware, and storytelling solutions that challenge misinformation, hate speech, and exclusion online while expanding digital resilience, creative freedom, and community expression. This funding area invests in youth who are reimagining technology and art as tools for inclusion, accountability, and social transformation.

Climate and Sustainability

Climate change is actively reshaping livelihoods, ecosystems, and opportunities, especially for communities whose survival depends on natural resources. Rural households face rising heat, erratic rainfall, flooding, and land degradation, putting agriculture and local economies at risk. As vulnerability increases, many resort to unsustainable practices just to survive, accelerating environmental loss and deepening poverty cycles. Young people are stepping up with science-based, technology-enabled, and community centered innovations, yet they often lack the support, financing, and networks to scale their solutions. This funding area will support youth-led models that strengthen climate adaptation, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods, while protecting ecosystems and economic dignity.

Intersections

We consider the issues of gender and social equity, governance and transparency, disability justice, and youth power to be critical in any strategy that seeks to address the above funding areas. Your proposal should demonstrate how your project understands and responds to these intersections within your community context.

We encourage approaches that center lived experience and promote equity across gender, governance, disability justice, and youth power. Examples include, but are not limited to, advancing health access in Indigenous communities, creating accessible and inclusive learning environments for youth with disabilities, or strengthening youth-led civic and social initiatives that drive community wellbeing.

Please see this link for a definition of intersectionality or view this short TED talk video with Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw, who coined this widely used term.

Eligibility

• Grant recipients must be a US-registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization or have a fiscal sponsor. If organizations are registered in their country of operation but do not have 501(c)(3) status, they may still apply to be considered for fiscal sponsorship with Comic Relief’s partner organization, Moore Impact.
• The organization or fiscal sponsor must have:

• An annual operating budget (showing income and expenses)
• A bank account that can accept funds from the United States
• Governance oversight with an Advisory Council, Board of Directors, or similar leadership group.
• A leadership and/or board composed of 50% or more of young people below the age of 25.
• A demonstrated commitment to the safeguarding of children, child protection policy, and vulnerable adults^[1] (see definition below)
• A demonstrated commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion^[2] (see definition below)

• Project teams should be a group of three or more young people (between 18 and 25 years old) who are leading programming in the following countries:

• Africa: Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia
• Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Pakistan
• Latin America: Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico
• North America: United States

• The program must focus on supporting youth from low-income backgrounds (as defined in the context of where the program is operating). For example, in the US, this might be for youth who are on free and reduced-price school lunches; internationally, it might be an established poverty level for that country (e.g., under $2/day).

Per CRUS grantmaking guidelines, the Juntanza Fund does not fund the following:

• Individuals, capital campaigns or building construction, scholarships.
• 501(c)(4) organizations, inclusive of lobbying or political activities
• Retroactive expenses (pre-dating application submission)
• For-profit companies and/or limited liability corporations  

If you feel this opportunity resonates with your profile, we highly encourage you to apply! If the Juntanza Fund is not exactly aligned with your path right now, please share it with someone who might benefit from it. You are our strongest community connectors. No one understands the needs and aspirations of fellow activists better than you.

Please click here to access the 2025 Juntanza Fund Application. 

Grant Process

• Use the checklist on the application form to confirm that you’re a good fit for the Fund. Please note that applications that do not meet all the criteria on the checklist cannot be considered for a grant.
• Mark the deadline on your calendar: Monday, December 8, 2025.
• Complete the application form here.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by Youth Advisory Council members.
• Selected grant recipients will be notified in mid-December.
• Funding will be provided to grant recipients within a month of signing the grant agreement or within a month of the start of their program.
• Project start dates are between January - December 2026.
• Plan to attend a midpoint Zoom check-in with YAC members and fellow grantees to talk about your progress.
• Plan to send a final report with a final accounting of how the grant funds were used at the end of the project period. This could be a general list of expenses or a budget form. We also request that you share photos, videos, or other digital content telling the story of your work and what you accomplished during the grant period.

Questions

Please contact us at yac@comicrelief.org.