The Youth Climate Justice Fund is opening its 2026 application round to support youth-led climate justice groups worldwide. Learn about eligibility, grant sizes, and the participatory funding process.
As climate change and socio-environmental challenges continue to shape communities around the world, young people are increasingly at the forefront of movements demanding justice, accountability, and systemic change. Recognizing the critical role of youth leadership, the Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) exists to support emerging youth-led groups working for climate justice and socio-environmental equity at local and national levels.
With its 2026 application round opening soon, the Youth Climate Justice Fund is inviting eligible groups to prepare for an opportunity that combines financial support with a values-driven, participatory approach to grantmaking. Through this process, young people are not only recipients of funding but active decision-makers shaping how resources are distributed.
What Is the Youth Climate Justice Fund?
The Youth Climate Justice Fund provides direct funding to youth-led climate justice and socio-environmental groups around the world. What sets YCJF apart is its participatory decision-making model, which centers youth voices at every stage of the grantmaking process.
Rather than relying solely on traditional top-down funding decisions, YCJF empowers young leaders—particularly those from communities most affected by climate injustice—to define priorities, review applications, and collectively decide which groups receive funding. This approach reflects the fund’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and community power.
Funding Opportunities in the 2026 Cycle
In the upcoming 2026 application round, YCJF will offer grants designed to strengthen grassroots action at different scales:
- Up to USD 20,000 for local-level groups
- Up to USD 40,000 for national-level groups
These grants are intended to support organizing, advocacy, community engagement, and other activities that advance climate justice and socio-environmental change. Funding is flexible and responsive to the realities faced by youth-led movements, many of which operate with limited resources despite having deep community roots.
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
The Youth Climate Justice Fund prioritizes groups that are genuinely youth-led and grounded in community-based work. Groups are encouraged to apply if they meet the following criteria:
Youth-Led Leadership
Eligible groups, networks, or collectives must be led by young people aged 35 years and below. To qualify, the majority of leadership or individuals with decision-making power must fall within this age range.
Geographic Focus
Groups must be based in one of the following regions:
- East Asia and Pacific
- Middle East and North Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- South Asia
- Europe and Central Asia
- North America
Applicants from high-income countries are considered only if they belong to underrepresented or marginalized communities. Additionally, groups based in North America or Western Europe must be led by young people who experience discrimination or marginalization based on factors such as class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or background.
Community-Based Work
YCJF prioritizes groups working at local or national levels. Groups that focus solely on international engagements without any direct community-based work are not eligible to apply.
Values and Principles
Applying groups should demonstrate a strong commitment to:
- Inclusive organizing and collective action
- Intersectional movement building
- Non-partisan, non-violent, and legal approaches to change
YCJF is particularly interested in groups that are cultivating diverse leadership, raising ambition around climate and socio-environmental justice, and holding policymakers accountable while strengthening community power.
A Participatory Grantmaking Process
The Youth Climate Justice Fund follows a clear, transparent, and participatory process to ensure that funding decisions align with youth priorities and regional realities.
1. Call for Applications
The application call remains open for four weeks, inviting youth-led climate and environmental justice groups from around the world to apply. To reduce language barriers, applications are accepted in Arabic, English, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili.
2. Initial Screening
Regional Committees, supported by YCJF staff, conduct an initial screening to ensure that applications meet basic eligibility requirements and align with YCJF’s core objectives, values, and principles.
3. Regional Committee Review
Applications that pass initial screening are reviewed in depth by Regional Committees. These committees assess proposals based on regional priorities and may engage selected groups in follow-up conversations to better understand their work, context, and needs. A shortlist of aligned organizations is then developed.
4. Collective Decision-Making
Shortlisted proposals are shared with the Grants Committee for a joint review with Regional Committees. Together, they ensure alignment with YCJF values and regional priorities. Final grant decisions are made collectively, reinforcing the fund’s commitment to shared power and accountability.
5. Due Diligence
Once decisions are made, YCJF staff and Regional Committees support selected groups through a due diligence process to prepare them to receive funding.
6. Grants Awarded
YCJF works closely with partners to speed up the process, ensuring that funds reach selected groups as efficiently as possible.
7. Joining the YCJF Community
Funded groups are invited to join the YCJF community through a welcome call and are encouraged to co-develop capacity-strengthening resources. This step emphasizes that YCJF support goes beyond funding, fostering learning, connection, and long-term collaboration.
Staying Informed
As the 2026 application round approaches, interested groups are encouraged to sign up for the YCJF newsletter or follow YCJF on social media. These channels provide updates on application timelines, eligibility details, and future funding opportunities.
For youth-led movements working toward fair, inclusive, and community-rooted climate solutions, the Youth Climate Justice Fund represents not just a source of funding, but a shared commitment to justice, participation, and youth power in shaping a sustainable future.
APPLY HERE
Join our WhatsApp Channel: Click here to join
Join our Telegram Channel: Click here to join
