Young People 
Climate Fund 2026

The link between the climate crisis and children’s lives has never been clearer to see, or more difficult to witness. In countries around the world including the UK, children from the poorest and most disadvantaged communities are being hit hardest, with Save the Children research showing that 3 in every 4 children in the UK were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the first half of 2026.  

Save the Children is committed to doing all we can to tackle the climate crisis, and the Young People Climate Fund is a part of this – providing small grants to directly support youth-led and climate-focused activities in London, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands, with support from QBE. 

The Fund aims to raise awareness of the impacts of the climate crisis, and its effects on children and young people in the UK and around the world. It also aims to amplify youth voice and youth leadership in tackling the climate crisis, with young people and children addressing issues that matter most to them, and actively involved in the design, organisation and delivery of the projects, with youth participation at the core of the programme.  

We’ve collaborated with the Save the Children Climate Advisory Board (a small group of climate-engaged young people aged 13-18) to agree the grant criteria that will be used to select successful applicants and the Climate Advisory Board will be involved in choosing the climate activities that they want us to support via this Climate Fund. 

In the past two years we have supported a range of projects, including youth-led advocacy and campaigning, creative pieces (music videos, documentaries, art exhibitions and fashion shows), community sports events (football sessions and skate-jams), climate education and wildlife and nature projects, such as improving green spaces and building community gardens. 

Each project must be focused on youth leadership and action, and must focus on one of these core themes:  

• Youth Involvement in Local Systems Change: support young people to challenge apathy, build awareness and influence the local decisions, policies and systems that shape climate action and their communities, ensuring their voices are heard and their priorities are reflected in decision-making. This can span from youth-led campaigns/advocacy, creative pieces and expression and community events.  

• Building Climate-Resilient Communities: Enable young people to protect and improve their local environment, connect communities with nature, and make neighbourhoods greener and better equipped to respond to climate change. This can include wildlife projects, community gardens, green-space improvements, and campaigns for greener neighbourhoods.  

When planning your activity, we recommend you consider the following: 

• Does your project directly involve young people throughout (those under 18yo)? 

• Does your project listen to or amplify the views of young people or empowers them to raise their voice? 

• Does your project create opportunities for young people to build skills by organising, presenting or leading the activities? 

• How can you project create lasting change in your community? 

• Who will be educated about climate change and environmental issues through your activity? 

• Does your project involve raising awareness or pushing for change with decision-makers? 

• Is your project focused on the impact of climate change in the UK/Europe or Worldwide (either approach are good but it might be worthwhile for you to consider your project aims) 

This year we are expanding the role of the programme as we look to support the creation of the next generation of youth climate leaders.  

Through the programme, we will aim to create a Youth Climate Action Network, spanning across the 3 regions the Fund work in, with each funded organisation identifying 2-3 emerging young leaders to participate in the programme and to connect local activity to a national scale supported by Save the Children.  

Save the Children will act as a convening organisation for these young leaders, providing training and creating opportunities for peer learning and connections across London, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. Through networking sessions, young people will be able to share challenges, successes, and learning from their communities while building relationships with peers facing similar issues elsewhere. With the objective of developing a cohort of young climate leaders with stronger confidence, leadership skills, community connections and the motivation to continue taking action beyond the life of the grant and culminating in a roundtable with the opportunity to share experiences and regional learning.   

We will require each organisation to identify 2-3 young people who would be interested in joining the programme.