Analyzing Donor Funding Trends and Strategic Priorities: Empowering Youth-Led Initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa through Advocacy

Background: Youth and adolescent-focused programs enhance growth, development, and potential of young people to become catalysts for positive change. Despite the recognized impact of these programs, youth are often overlooked in donor funding priorities. Previous efforts have aimed to address gaps in understanding the adolescents’ funding landscape, but this study goes further to understand this landscape from the youth-led perspective.  Objectives: This report aims to assess the funding landscape for youth and adolescent-focused programs in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, evaluate the extent to which donors prioritize funding youth-led organizations to implement youth-focused programming, understand the challenges for youth-led organizations in securing financial support, and develop actionable recommendations.  Methodology: We used a mixed-methods approach including a website review of 50 private foundations, an analysis of annual reports of 5 private foundations, and interviews with 11 key informants from donor and youth-led organizations.  Results: The analysis revealed that while 84% of the foundations funded youth-focused programs, only 24% supported youth- led organizations. There is a growing recognition among donors, of the importance of supporting youth-led initiatives, particularly in areas such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, education, and gender equality. However, our findings reveals that the funding landscape lacks transparency, shows donors’ limited trust in youth leadership, and demonstrates a disconnect between donor priorities and the needs of youth-led organizations. Recommendations for funders and youth-led organizations emphasize the need for improved transparency and accountability, meaningful youth engagement and representation, and investment in the organizational capacities and resilience of youth-led initiatives.  Conclusion: This report calls for collective action from all stakeholders to reshape the funding landscape and support young people as agents of change. By working together to address the identified challenges and leverage the opportunities, funders, youth- led organizations, researchers, advocates and policymakers can contribute to a more equitable, responsive, and impactful funding ecosystem.