The search for funding and financial management has been a challenge ever since organised youth activities began some 150 years ago. In Europe funding for youth activities has come from various sources over the years. Members of youth organisations and individuals have always been sources of financial and material support. Support from religious communities, political parties and the state flourished throughout the 20th century, though their respective roles changed dramatically as the century wore on. The latest change has been the re-definition of the state’s role since the end of the

Cold War division of Europe.

Since, the beginning of the 21st century the funding and financial management of youth activities in all parts of Europe have been characterised by three major trends: a European mix of funding sources, combined with growing diversification and increasingly influential international/transnational funding; financial management is developing increasingly away from the mere administration and disbursement of money into a complex system of relations with funders and donors, as well as with members, participants and young people; access to funding is increasingly competitive, the basic model being calls for projects in line with often rapidly changing political or organisational priorities.

With these trends in mind, this T-Kit has been divided into two main parts, one on funding sources and one on financial management. A third part contains a glossary and recommendations for further reading, on both paper and the Internet.

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