Emerging Climate Champions Award Launches for Youth-Led Climate Organizations

Are you working towards a better future for the planet? Could you use $1 million to help you fulfill your mission? Well, good news! On June 26, 2025, Lever for Change, the Enlight Foundation, and The Patchwork Collective launched the Emerging Climate Champions Award, a $25 million open call offering $1 million each to youth-led climate organizations worldwide. Recognizing that even though today’s youth will bear the burden of the adverse effects of climate change while youth-driven climate solutions receive only a fraction of a fraction of global philanthropic giving, the Emerging Climate Champions Award will channel $25 million directly to 25 teams led by people under 35 years old.  

The Award welcomes applications from organizations that have operated for at least two years, ones that are “community-led, and that have demonstrated experience, impact potential, and measurable results in advancing durable climate solutions in the communities they serve,” states the Award announcement. By pairing $1 million in flexible funding with peer evaluation and mentorship, the Award accelerates community-rooted projects and ensures young innovators can respond rapidly to evolving challenges.

Candidates interested in the Emerging Climate Champions Award must first complete an online Organization Readiness Tool and review the Open Call Rules. Next, teams should register by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on August 15, 2025, and submit their full applications through the Submittable platform by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on September 22, 2025.

Valid applications will enter a participatory review phase in November and December 2025, during which four fellow applicants score each submission. Top-scoring teams then advance to an Evaluation Panel Review, where four independent reviewers adjust scores for fairness. Awardees will be announced in fall 2026.

Although all applications must be submitted in English, the Award provides a suite of translation resources, including free services and translated materials in Spanish, French, and Bahasa Indonesia. Webinars for applicants and evaluators will feature interpretation in at least French and Spanish, plus ASL, to ensure broader accessibility.

The Award is sponsored by the Enlight Foundation and The Patchwork Collective. The Enlight Foundation focuses on youth empowerment and educational equality across three pillars: youth mental well-being, youth-driven climate change solutions, and next-generation social change makers. The Patchwork Collective funds community-driven organizations working at the intersection of climate justice, social equity, and global health with the aim of empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable communities across the globe.  

By channeling flexible, catalytic capital and peer-driven support into youth-led initiatives, the Emerging Climate Champions Award aims to transform the climate-funding landscape and empower tomorrow’s problem solvers.  

Adam Abdelaziz is a science writer and communications strategist with a passion for digital storytelling. Holding a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver and an MSc in International Relations from Kingston University, Adam loves distilling complex research into clear articles and news features that will inform and, hopefully, inspire. As a trilingual communicator (English, Arabic, Portuguese), he leverages his background to contribute to RTE’s mission. When he’s not crafting accessible content on the promise of soil remineralization, Adam can be found volunteering with animal rescue teams or diving into classic literature.