Youth Climate Action Grants

Empowering young people to tackle the climate crisis!  

Grants up to $5,000 Now Being Offered for Youth-Led Climate Action Projects

Partners for Climate Action has partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Youth Climate Action Fund to provide grants for young people, ages 15 – 24,  to design and implement urgent climate solutions.  Award amounts will range between $1,000 to $5,000. 

To be considered, submit an online application by June 30th, 2024 at 5:00pm ET.  All submissions will be carefully reviewed by our staff and advisory committee.   Award announcements for grants will be made in July.

This work was made possible through the support of the Youth Climate Action Fund, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with United  Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation (BCPI) at Johns Hopkins University.

We are committed to distributing at least 40% of our resources to projects situated in NYS Disadvantaged Communities; projects applying from these communities are especially encouraged. 

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

- Youth (ages 15-24) designed and led climate actions, strategies and/or solutions

- Creative, action-oriented projects that have clear impact on a climate challenge

- Energetic organizations or groups with great ideas and well-formed plans

- Projects with tangible, inspiring results that can be shared with our network

Project areas/structures could include, but are not limited to the following:

Awareness, Education, Research, Co-Development Initiatives:

  • Journalism and other communications efforts that inspire action in communities

  • Climate Education Programs

  • Climate Hackathons

  • Climate Surveys and Research

  • Public Art and Awareness Campaigns

Climate Mitigation and Adaptation:

  • Community Gardens, Tree Plantings, and Compost initiatives

  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Programs

  • Green Transportation Initiatives 

  • Climate Resilience Workshops and Disaster Preparedness initiatives

  • Green energy programs

Involvement in Governance of Local Climate Action Plans:

  • Climate Town Halls

  • Climate Data Monitoring

  • Community surveys and research

ELIGIBILITY

Projects must be conceived and led by people aged 15-24 working in conjunction with an organization located in Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Ulster, Putnam, or Orange Counties, that is one of the following:

  • A nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization (Projects with the support of a fiscal sponsor are also eligible)

  • A youth-led club or organization

  • A public or independent school, college, or university

  • A municipal or county-level government

  • A public library

Applications will be evaluated by a regional panel of experts and other community stakeholders using the following selection criteria:

PROJECT CONCEPTION AND INNOVATION

  • Application clearly articulates the goals and anticipated impacts of the project

  • Application demonstrates how project implements a mitigation or adaptation climate solution or communications strategy 

  • Application makes clear how the project can be documented so that it can serve as an inspiring example and, potentially, be replicated by others.

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

  • Application convincingly shows how the organization and key collaborators have the capacity to fully realize the project, and that the applicant has the financial capacity to complete the project.

ACCESSIBILITY AND IMPACT

  • Application describes the intended constituents, participants, and/or audiences, and describes the impact the proposed project is intended to have on a specific climate challenge and affected community.

  • Application makes clear how impact will be measured and evaluated.

  • Application describes outreach, promotion, and community engagement activities (if any) and attends to accessibility, such as disability access, language, and participant affordability.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

  • Application demonstrates the organization’s knowledge and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.  

QUESTIONS?

We want to make the process of seeking a grant from Partners for Climate Action as easy as possible.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help with anything.  

Please write grants@climateactionhv.org with any questions.