Press-Telegram: Long Beach youth organizations can apply for grants to support climate change mitigation projects
Christina Merino, Press-Telegram
Long Beach youth organizations looking to start tree-planting, recycling or waste reduction initiatives, or other climate action projects can apply for a city grant to help make it possible.
The city will be launching its ClimateLB Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrant Program on Friday, June 28, to support youth ages 15 to 24 in designing, producing and overseeing climate change mitigation projects, which also further Long Beach’s climate action goals.
The program will award eight grants of $5,000 per project and prioritize proposals from youth-serving organizations that address climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in West Long Beach, environmental justice and equity, and that invest in youth and the green economy, according to a press release.
Other organizations in Long Beach can apply as well if they partner with local youth-serving organizations or Long Beach youth. For example, a climate or art nonprofit could apply if they partner with a local youth serving as a project lead.
“Engaging local youth is crucial to creating a more sustainable and climate-resilient Long Beach,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “Their innovative ideas deserve our support, and I am proud that the ClimateLB Program will allow us to fund projects that specifically center the perspective, involvement and benefit of young people.”
The project will aid in fulfilling the city’s West Side Promise Program, a proposed 10-year community investment plan for West Long Beach, an area that has been historically under-resourced. It also aligns with the goals of the Long Beach Climate Action Plan, Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults, and Racial Equity and Reconciliation Plan, officials said.
Selected projects must focus on one or more of the following themes:
Youth-led reforestation and tree-planting projects: Projects that mobilize youth volunteers to plant trees, improve urban green spaces, and increase urban canopy coverage for better air quality and climate resilience.
Youth-led climate education efforts: Educational initiatives led by youth that target local schools and communities to increase awareness and understanding of climate issues.
Youth climate ambassadors programs: Programs that engage youth to provide information on local climate and environmental resources to local businesses, nonprofits, and residents.
Youth-designed public art and awareness campaigns: Partnerships with youth artists to create public art installations and awareness campaigns that convey the urgency of climate action and the city’s climate goals.
The Youth Climate Action Fund is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at John Hopkins University and is administered by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Applications for the microgrant program will open on the ClimateLB webpage on Friday, June 28, and close at 11:59 p.m. on July 12.
For more details about the ClimateLB Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrant Program and updates regarding the grant award process, visit lbcity.info/climatelb or email the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability at climateaction@longbeach.gov.
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