Young Black Climate Leaders (YBCL) Youth Futures Fund 2025

Application Deadline: March 27, 2025

Are you a young Black leader committed to climate justice and making a difference in your community? The People’s Climate Innovation Center is excited to open applications for the Young Black Climate Leaders (YBCL) Youth Futures Fund!

This initiative provides financial support and resources to emerging Black climate advocates who are driving change at the intersection of racial and climate justice. The fund is designed to help young leaders build capacity, strengthen local movements, and promote climate resilience and regeneration through creative and transformative solutions.

Funding Categories

The YBCL Youth Futures Fund offers grants at four different levels based on the stage and scale of the project:

Soil – $2,000: Seed funding for early-stage ideas that need initial support to develop and grow. This tier helps with mentorship, training, materials, and other resources to bring a concept to life.
Seed – $6,000: Support for projects that have moved beyond the idea phase but require funding for further development. This tier may assist in creating presentations, events, or artistic works.
Water – $8,000: Funding for well-established projects that have already demonstrated impact and are looking to expand their reach. This may cover training, project scaling, stipends, or vendor costs.
Grow – $10,000: Support for fully developed projects with a clear track record of success and scalability. This tier helps deepen impact through training, coaching, and capacity-building.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

Identify as Black, African, Afro-Latinx, or part of the Afro-Indigenous diaspora.
Be based in and implement their project in one of the following locations:
- United States (including Alaska and Hawaii)
- Puerto Rico
- Guam
- American Samoa
- Northern Mariana Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
Be 18 to 28 years old (must turn 18 by July 1, 2025, and no older than 28 during the project).
Be available for a virtual interview via Zoom between May 7 and May 16, 2025 (if required).

Commitments for Grant Recipients

Those awarded funding must:

Participate for one year as an active member of the program.
Sign an award agreement and submit a project reflection at the end of their project (this can be in the form of videos, music, blog posts, photo essays, art, or interviews).
Complete surveys and evaluations as part of the program.
Attend at least six virtual learning sessions, held every other month (up to three hours per month).
Join the virtual orientation on June 25, 2025.
Attend an in-person gathering for 3–4 days during the week of July 21, 2025.