Organizations close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government continue to secure a large share of European Union youth grants, according to a report by the BirGün news website.
The latest round of approvals under the Erasmus+ “Small-scale Partnerships in the Youth field (KA210-YOU)” includes €60,000 each for the Önder Alumni Association of Imam Hatip Schools (Önder İmam Hatipliler Derneği), an influential network that promotes Turkey’s Islamic religious high schools, and the İlim Yayma Society (İlim Yayma Cemiyeti), a conservative religious foundation with long-standing ties to the ruling party.
The Turkish National Agency, which operates under the EU Presidency of the Foreign Ministry, announced the results for the 2025/1 term on its official website. The agency has administered EU education, youth and sports programs in Turkey since 2006, following its establishment in 2003 as part of the country’s EU membership process.
The grants are designed to help smaller or less experienced organizations build cross-border partnerships. However, critics argue that the agency’s funding track record shows a recurring pattern in which conservative and pro-government organizations benefit disproportionately.
İlim Yayma’s approved project, titled “Civil Society Diplomacy,” and Önder’s “Social Entrepreneurship Bridge: I Have an Idea” each secured €60,000. Both groups have long-standing ties to the AKP’s political and religious networks.
A review of grant distributions from 2021 to 2024 shows that several other government-linked foundations have also received significant amounts. The Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), whose High Advisory Board includes Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan, obtained €711,212 across nine projects. The Service for Youth and Education Foundation of Turkey (TÜRGEV), whose board has included presidential family members and ruling party figures, received €420,237 in five projects.
The World Ethnosport Confederation, chaired by Bilal Erdoğan, secured €272,616 under youth programs, while the Turkey Diyanet Foundation received €45,870 in 2021. The pro-government think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) was awarded €291,020 for two projects, including €250,000 for a program on information and data security.
The foreign ministry responded to criticism in August 2024 by saying the grants were distributed in line with Erasmus+ rules and under the oversight of the European Commission. It did not dispute that pro-government foundations were among the recipients but stressed compliance with program criteria.
The allocations have nevertheless sparked political debate. Critics point out the contradiction between the government’s frequent accusations that independent media and civil society groups are “foreign-funded” and the repeated flow of EU money to pro-government organizations.