[March 2024]
New Grants are available for organizations, researchers, and emerging scholars based in the Global South. These grants aim to support initiatives that foster empowerment, innovation, and sustainable development in underserved regions. Whether you’re working on community-driven projects, conducting research with local impact, or developing educational programs, these grants provide crucial funding and resources to bring your ideas to life. By investing in the talent and creativity of individuals and organizations in the Global South, these grants contribute to positive change and empower communities to thrive.
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2024 Iris Prize: Empowering Youth-Led Initiatives with Funding, Mentorship, and Capacity Building
Deadline: 30-Apr-24
Are you aged 14-24? Do you have an idea or an established project protecting or restoring nature in your local community? Apply now for the Iris Prize.
They recognise that nature restoration takes a variety of forms – from traditional land stewardship to innovative technological solutions. As such, The Iris Prize rewards new ideas and established projects, hoping to overcome the circumstantial barriers that too often prevent young people from being able to advocate for nature-related change.
Prize Categories
- The Seed Prize
- Prize Amount: $5,000
- Awarded to a young person or team with a groundbreaking idea to protect and/or restore nature in their local community. The age category for this prize is 14-24.
- The Stem Prize
- Prize Amount: $10,000
- Awarded to an existing project established recently and on a small scale. The age category for this prize is 16-24.
- The Iris Prize
- Prize Amount: $15,000
- Awarded to an established project with the potential to replicate and scale. The age category for this prize is 16-24.
Eligible Projects
- 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.
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Geographical and thematic diversity is key to their mission. They prioritise initiatives in the Global South, which disproportionately needs their support and where their support can have a more significant impact while still considering exceptional projects from the Global North.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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.
- They prioritise ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their prize participants. If you are a minor in your country, please know that they require collaboration with a local organisation or NGO to serve as a fiscal sponsor. This partner organisation will be responsible for managing the financial grant, holding the funds, and providing financial support to you throughout the process.
For more information, visit The Iris Project.