Empowering youth leaders in Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region is home to approximately 1 billion young people (United Nations Population Fund). These youth have the power and potential to create social good. At Habitat for Humanity, we know this first-hand through the Young Leaders Build campaign. In the 13 years since the campaign was launched, more than 17 million supporters have partnered with almost 37,000 families to build strength and stability through shelter in Asia and the Pacific.
Despite the progress made, a staggering 2.8 billion people are living in inadequate housing globally. Around the world, housing markets are broken. As an organization with a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live, the housing crisis gives us a sense of urgency. To make significant progress, we must step up our impact by working with partners such as youth leaders to deliver people-centered, sustainable housing solutions.
Investing in youth-led solutions
In 2025, we will deepen our partnership with young leaders and enhance support for innovative, youth-led housing solutions through a three-strand youth engagement initiative in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Habitat Youth Solutions: we will provide up to 10 young individuals, youth groups or youth-led organizations in Asia-Pacific with US$4,000 to start, scale up, or replicate solutions to help families access adequate housing. Visit the webpage for information on eligibility, guidelines, criteria, and application process.
- Habitat Youth Assembly: Habitat for Humanity will host up to 40 shortlisted applicants at the Habitat Youth Assembly in the Philippines. They will network with experts in housing, urban development and project management, learn from the 2023 Habitat Youth Solutions grant winners, ideate with peers from across the region, and celebrate success with the winners of the 2025 Habitat Youth Solutions grant.
- Habitat Youth Learns: Winners of the 2025 grant will have mentorship opportunities with Habitat experts and thinkers and implementors from its network of volunteer leaders and development partners.
Habitat Youth Solutions
Habitat for Humanity will invest in youth-led innovative solutions to help families in need of access to adequate housing through the Habitat Youth Solutions grant. Such solutions are expected to benefit approximately 4,000 individuals in the region. Through this initiative, we aim to develop and nurture bright young leaders who will create sustainable solutions to stem the housing crisis in the Asia-Pacific region.
Application is open until 11:59 p.m. (GMT +8 hours) on April 13, 2025. Find out more about the guidelines. Join the live question-and-answer session for more information.
Act now!
Don’t miss the opportunity to win US$4,000 for your community-based housing solution.
Who can apply?
Habitat Youth Solutions is open to proposals from youth-led organizations, individuals, social enterprises operating in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Applicants must be a young individual or be a youth-led organization. Most of the positions and decision-making roles within the organization are held by people between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of application. The lead applicant must be directly involved in the implementation of the solution and is between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of application.
Should the proposal be selected as a finalist, the applicant or a core group member must be available to attend and accept the grant in person at the Habitat Youth Assembly in June 2025 in the Philippines.
Applicants and the group implementing the project must have no adherence to or affiliations with violent ideologies or antagonism against any particular country, culture, religion or belief system, ethnic group, gender, etc.
What kind of solutions are eligible?
We are looking for youth-led solutions that can meaningfully contribute to advancing affordable, decent, inclusive housing and sustainable communities, providing tangible benefits to at least 400 individuals. Proposed solutions must serve the wider community to improve the housing ecosystem in which the initiative is implemented. Solutions that can showcase how housing acts as a lever for other development issues such as climate change, gender equity, inclusion, and urbanization are preferred. The solution must have been written and developed by young people and is implemented and managed by youth.
Learn more about the guidelines for the Habitat Youth Solutions. Join our live Q&A session for more information.