Does your organisation have an innovative and creative approach to improve the health and wellbeing of young people in your community?
AstraZeneca’s Step Up! Grants Programme provides grants of up to US $10,000 to help small, innovative, youth-focused non-profits develop and deliver effective health promotion programmes – with an emphasis on under-resourced and marginalised communities in low- and middle-income countries.
About the Programme
This year, the YHP Step Up! Grants Programme is searching for projects that will improve the knowledge and capacity of future healthcare leaders (under 35 years old) on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention education. For example, in working with medical students, community health workers, caregivers or young people following a healthcare career pathway. Recognising that women are often underrepresented in positions of leadership, at least 50% of grants will be awarded to projects which are women-led.
Applicants selected to receive Step Up! Grants will be offered the opportunity to join AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme (YHP) Alumni Group once they have successfully completed CAF verification. The YHP Alumni Group offers learning and development opportunities and networking between Step Up! Grantees as well as young leaders who have received YHP Scholarships.
In the past, Alumni Members have been offered mini-MBA programmes, opportunities to share their work with global audiences, and masterclasses on fundraising and digital skills to build effective health-promotion programmes.
The project must also clearly demonstrate how it:
- Will improve the knowledge and capacity of future healthcare leaders (under 35 years old) on NCD prevention education. For example, in working with medical students, community health workers, caregivers or young people following a healthcare career pathway.
- Aims to prevent NCDs among young people
- Empowers young healthcare leaders to address the primary risk factors – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and exposure to air pollution - that contribute to NCDs
- Is diverse and inclusive
- Is sustainable (can be scaled up or implemented in other communities/settings)
- Is working to improve equitable access
- Strengthens health systems at the local or national level, with a preference for organisations with existing partnerships at the local level (with government, schools, community organisations, companies) to facilitate economic opportunities (such as employment and education prospects) for the young healthcare leaders.