The Emerging Climate Champions Award is a $25 million global Open Call sponsored by the Enlight Foundation and The Patchwork Collective that will provide flexible, multiyear gifts of $1 million each to youth-led organizations advancing climate solutions across the globe. Informed by feedback from young climate leaders around the world, the Emerging Climate Champions Award directly takes into account youth perspectives, as well as cultural and localized contexts for climate work.
Today’s young people will bear the burden of the adverse impacts of climate change, yet little funding goes to youth-led solutions. Global annual funding for climate change work represents less than 2% of total philanthropic giving, or about $16 billion. Support for youth-led climate initiatives is even more limited, with just $14.2 million in annual grants.
This Award seeks to shine a spotlight on climate organizations with youth leadership. For this Open Call, youth is defined as ages 15-35, and leadership pertains to youth who hold an executive staff position or a board member position in an organization. The Award invites applications from organizations with at least two years of operation (as of the registration deadline – August 15, 2025) that are community-led, and that have demonstrated experience, impact potential, and measurable results in advancing durable climate solutions in the communities they serve.
Organizations from all around the world are encouraged to apply, including those from historically under-resourced and/or under-represented communities, such as Indigenous-led organizations, women-led organizations, grassroots organizations, and others. The Award welcomes eligible organizations working across a full spectrum of climate issues and solutions, including but not limited to areas such as education, movement building, climate justice, science/technology, economic opportunity, community resilience, conservation, advocacy, sustainable agriculture, disaster preparedness, and others.
