Youth Climate Action Fund

Welcome to the City of Evanston’s Youth Climate Action Fund webpage! Here, you’ll find general information on this program, steps on how to apply, as well as an example application. 

General Information: The Youth Climate Action Fund is a grant program funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The City of Evanston is one of 300 cities globally that was awarded $50,000 to distribute via microgrants to youth ages 15-24 for climate resilience projects in Evanston. Between $1,000 and $5,000 will be awarded to successful youth applicants to partner with community organizations on a climate project of their choosing. Examples of potential projects include:

Some example projects include:

• Starting a community garden
• Creating a PSA campaign related to sustainable transportation
• Organizing a series of park clean ups
• Starting a composting initiative
• Building an outdoor learning space

Youth Applicant Information: To qualify for the application process to receive a microgrant, all youth applicants must:

1. Be an Evanston resident (ZIP 60201 or 60202)
2. Be age 15-24

Interested youth applicants may use this form to apply. Applications open July 15th. Round 1 applications are due by 11:59 PM on August 5, 2026. Round 2 applications are due by 11:59 PM on August 27, 2026. After review by a Selection Committee, youth applicants will be contacted if their application is successful. The City will partner all successful applicants with applicable community partners to assist with the project. All projects must be completed by April 2027. Please click here to view a sample application.

Community Sponsor Information: In addition to youth applicants, the City is also seeking local community organizations to work with youth grant recipients on the implementation of the projects. Each organization may partner with up to three youth recipients. In this partnership, the role of an organization would be to:

1. Receive upfront microgrant money from the City of Evanston 
2. Work with your youth applicant(s) to distribute the grant money to pay for necessary expenses. 
3. Serve as a mentor for the youth applicant(s), and offer guidance as they carry out their project. 

In order to qualify for this program, an organization must:

1. Be headquartered in Evanston
2. Have a bank account listed under the organization
3. Be a registered nonprofit organization (or compliant government entity, such as a school district)
4. Be a legally registered entity

Community organizations interested in partnering with the City for this program should fill out this form by August 1, 2026. 

For any questions regarding this program, please email owilsonthomas@cityofevanston.org.