[March 2025]

Finding the right funding can be a game-changer for youth-led organizations striving to create impact. To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of five must-apply grants designed to support your initiatives, empower young leaders, and drive meaningful change. Don’t miss out on these opportunities!

UNESCO x NESTLÉ Global Youth Grant – $8,500 for Environmental & Climate Action

Deadline: 8-Apr-25

The Youth Impact: Because You Matter – For Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action is an initiative led by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in collaboration with Nestlé to support young people to help their communities through climate action and environmental sustainability initiatives by providing them with resources and skills necessary to implement their innovative projects.

Funding Information

Grant of USD 8,500 each.

Eligibility Criteria

The Initiative’s primary and direct beneficiaries are young individuals, youth-led organizations, enterprises, associations, or networks who:

• Are identified as “youth” in their respective countries or, in lack of a national definition, within the age range of 18-30 years old from the beginning to the end of the Initiative.
• Identify as women, men or as people of diverse gender identities.
• Engage in activism and change making initiatives, entrepreneurialism, either individually or as members of entities/associations.
• Youth-led organizations, enterprises, associations and networks seeking impact at grassroots level, with regional, national, local scope, or chapters of international organizations, and based in the country where their proposal will be implemented.

For more information, visit UNESCO.

Roots Invites Youth-Led Climate Justice Projects

Deadline: 14 April 2025

Applicants are now invited to submit applications for its Roots Micro-Grants Program to support youth-led projects, initiatives, research, or campaigns that advocate for climate justice through an intersectional lens, have strategies rooted in radical systemic change; and reach new, persuadable audiences, and create intergenerational ties.

Funding Information

The maximum grant amount available is $10,000 USD per initiative.

Eligibility Criteria

• They support initiatives from those who are aged between 18 and 35.
• At least 70% of the membership of your group should be made up of young people, and those responsible for making decisions in the group should also be between 18 to 35 years old.

For more information, visit Roots.

Youth4Climate Call for Solutions 2025 for Youth and Youth-led Organizations

Deadline: 26-May-25

Youth4Climate is accepting applications for its funding and learning opportunities, to fund new and existing youth-led solutions that are ready to implement or scale, and to support the further development of young people’s ideas and projects by providing relevant learning opportunities with the support of partners.

Funding Information

Applicants to the Call for Solutions can request up to USD 30,000 in seed funding.

Eligibility Criteria

Young Individuals aged 18 to 29 and who meet the remainder of the eligibility criteria
A legally registered, youth-led civil society organization (CSO), non-governmental organization (NGO), community-based organization (CBO), or company with the majority of the organization’s leadership being young people aged 18-29 years at the time of submitting the application. Please note that the project lead for the organization should be aged 18 to 29.

For more information, visit Y4C.

Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism Grant Program

Deadline: 9-May-25

The Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism (TPFM) is a grant initiative under the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective to empower youth-led organizations to develop projects that amplify marginalized voices, drive advocacy, and strengthen youth networks.

Funding Information

The grants will range from €1,000 to €10,000 per collective or youth-led initiative. There will be three categories: 10 small (€ 1,000), 10 medium (€5,000), and 10 large (€10,000) grants.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible, organizations must meet the following criteria:
  • Youth-led: Decision-makers must be aged 15-35 years, with at least 70% of staff/volunteers under 35.
  • Registered entity: Must be a youth-led NGO, association, trade union, collective, or alliance.
  • Operating in one of the 15 eligible countries: Belgium, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

For more information, visit Mechanism Grant.

Iris Prize 2025 Now Accepting Nominations

Deadline: 15-Apr-25

Are you aged 14-24? Do you have an idea or an established project protecting or restoring nature in your local community? If yes, then apply now for the Iris Prize.

Eligible Projects

• They specifically look for projects that are:
• Youth and locally-led initiatives operating in areas identified as significant by their local communities.
  • Eligibility for consideration includes ideas, small-scale projects, or existing initiatives with growth potential and replicability.

Eligibility Criteria

• You should only consider applying if:
  • Your project or organisation is led by young people aged 14 to 24. To be eligible for an Iris Prize, most of your leadership must be young people with project autonomy and decision-making power. Please do not apply if you are not within this age category.
  • You support the principle of protecting and restoring nature and the rights of those working to defend it.
  • They welcome projects that are either fiscally sponsored or associated with larger organisations, charities, or NGOs. However, it is essential that the young person leading the project retains complete autonomy and decision-making authority.

For more information, visit Iris Project.