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Global Youth Climate Action Fund
Global Youth Climate Action Fund
Financing Youth-led Climate Action
Grant Guidelines
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GYCAF Grant Guidelines

GYCAF Guidelines

Fund Background and Objectives

Fund Vision: GYCAF envisions a world where young people are given the resources to pursue green entrepreneurship and create a green economy with the goal of lowering carbon emissions and conserving the environment.

Fund Mission: To finance youth-led climate action in communities vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030

  • Financial goal to mobilize USD 100 billion and global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius by 2025

  • IPCC report indicating an uncertain future in the next decade

  • Need to create a means of implementation that creates an enabling environment for youth

Target Beneficiaries: The fund is aimed at youth-led organizations and networks looking for financial support for their projects and ventures. As such, GYCAF is launching the third cycle of its Microgrants program for young people aged 18 to 35.

Microgrants Funding Focus

Sustainable Agriculture: Smart agriculture to ensure food sustainability.

Clean Energy: Powering communities in need of light and renewable energy. 

Oceans: Protecting marine life and mitigating climate catastrophes.

Capacity Building: Empowering youth with entrepreneurship skills. 

Green Stewardship: Protecting biodiversity and influencing behavioral change.

Technology and Innovation: Breakthroughs that solve climate-related problems.

For a deeper insight into how we fund, kindly review our Grant Focus page and projects we have funded in previous years on the Youth Climate Projects page.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Youth-led organization (80 percent majority-owned; For 2025, the definition of youth adopted is 18 to 35 years of age)
  • Strong motivation on creating change or an impact in the community through grassroots activism
  • Conducting grassroots activism in their community
  • Seeking grants to kick-start or support already existing initiatives
  • Clear environment and socio-economic impacts of the project/initiative
  • Clear and sustainable plan for how the funds will be used, demonstrating how the grant will add long-term value and impact to the project
  • Demonstrates well-planned project, with well-developed strategy, timeline, budgeting, and team management

Scoring Cards

  1. Goal Alignment

  • Goal aligns with GYCAF vision of realizing youth projects in sustainability

  1. Functionality and Relevance

  • Understand the audience and relevance of the project to the intended audience

  • Determine how the project addresses a problem that is not currently or sufficiently being addressed

  1. Financial Planning

  • Great financial awareness with a clear idea of the project finances to be sustainable (including a clear budget/needs table)

  • A clear understanding of how the team plans to meet the financial needs of the project

  • Understanding long-term financial implications of the project (if relevant) 

  1. Team

  • Individuals who are motivated and committed to the project

  • Demonstrates cohesion and excellent group dynamics with a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities

  1. Implementability

  • Demonstrates clear impact with a focus on the community 

  • Have a clear timeline for implementation of the project

  • Understand the key barriers to the successful deployment of the project and how the team plans on overcoming them

Advancing Gender Equality

In line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), GYCAF encourages inclusive leadership and supports projects addressing gender equality in climate action. Special consideration will be given to proposals led or co-led by women, or those tackling gender-specific challenges.

General Considerations in Selection:

  • Projects promoting gender inclusivity and empowering women in sustainability.
  • Teams demonstrating balanced leadership and addressing gender-related barriers.
  • Initiatives with measurable impacts on gender equity in climate action.

Time Line

The 2025 Microgrants call will open for submissions on June 18th and will close on July 9th. During this period, participants are encouraged to submit their project proposals in accordance with the microgrant guidelines. After the submission deadline, applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges from the GYCAF core team. Selected projects will be announced in the first week of August, and implementation is expected to begin shortly thereafter.


Timeline and Report Submission

Funded projects are expected to be completed within 6 months. Grantees will submit two reports as follows:

Progress Report: Each grantee will be required to submit a progress report in the half mark of their project. This report will include a description of fund use and activities completed so far. Reports are expected to include photos or videos that demonstrate the current stage of the project.

Impact Report: This is also the completion report. Grantees are expected to submit the impact report in a timely manner. If more time is required, an extension request will be required to be submitted by contacting info@gycaf.org. Please ensure your impact report includes the challenges the project faced, how those challenges were overcome, or proposals to address said challenges, and the impact on climate and the community.

Grant Size

A total of 3 to 5 projects will be selected for this cycle. Each selected participant will be eligible for a grant ranging from $500 to $1,000.

For further inquiries please reach out to info@gycaf.org.
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