Programmes designed to promote the social inclusion of young people need to be accompanied by adequate funding. The EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 encourages Member States to use the full potential of EU funding and to develop synergies between funding sources at EU, national, regional and local levels.

Top-level authorities in all surveyed European countries have earmarked part of their overall budget for the implementation of targeted social inclusion programmes for young people. They may ensure state funding for the different programmes supporting the inclusion of young people and/or provide grants to youth associations or youth centres that work with vulnerable young people. They may also support associations and municipalities via public calls for programmes and projects promoting young people’s social inclusion (as in Belgium (Flemish Community), Croatia, Denmark, Slovenia and Iceland).

Across Europe, the top-level funding of social inclusion programmes for young people is frequently combined with EU funding, in particular the European Social Fund (ESF), but also other EU funding instruments such as Erasmus+ or the Regional Operational Programme of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF ROP).