Youth Climate Action Fund
St. Louis has joined Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund!
The Youth Climate Action Fund provides capital and capacity to support young people ages 15–24 in designing and delivering solutions aligned with citywide priorities like creating public spaces, strengthening infrastructure, mitigating natural disasters, and building climate resiliency.
The City of St. Louis seeks proposals from young leaders who have ideas for projects that align with the St. Louis Sustainability and Climate Plan. The City will select the strongest proposals and fund them through micro-grants of $1,000 to $5,000.
Click “Follow” on this page to receive email updates such as notifications about upcoming webinars to help you workshop your proposal.
If you have any questions, please email Cecilia Boyers at boyersc@stlouis-mo.gov.
To watch recordings of the Informational Webinars from August, click here and here.
Phases
Apply for Funding for Your Climate Project
About the Youth Climate Action Fund
The Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) is an exciting opportunity for young people to turn their ideas into action. Through this program, the City of St. Louis will award microgrants of $1,000–$5,000 to support youth-led projects that address local climate and sustainability challenges. Whether your idea focuses on creating greener neighborhoods, reducing waste, educating others about climate issues, or another innovative solution, YCAF is designed to help young people make a meaningful impact in their communities.
To be eligible, projects must be proposed and led by at least two young people ages 15–24, align with one or more priorities of the St. Louis Sustainability Plan, and be completed by April 15, 2027. Projects should have a clear plan, a realistic budget, and measurable community impact. Because grant funds cannot be awarded directly to individuals, applicants must either be affiliated with an eligible nonprofit organization or, if selected for funding, be paired with a sponsor organization that will receive and administer the grant funds on the project's behalf.
Workshops will be offered throughout the application process where prospective applicants can learn more about the program, receive feedback on their proposals, and potentially be matched with an eligible sponsor organization if they are not already affiliated with one. The next virtual workshop will be held on September 3 at 12pm.
Click here to schedule a 30-minute 1:1 virtual meeting with City staff to walk through the application, ask questions, or workshop your project ideas.
Applications are due by September 30. Projects will be reviewed and selected by a committee comprised of St. Louis City staff and members of the St. Louis City Youth Council. Decisions about project awards will be decided in early Fall 2026. If you have any questions, please email Cecilia Boyers at boyersc@stlouis-mo.gov.
Ready to make a difference? Tell us about your idea and how your project will help create a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable St. Louis.
