Anchorage opens youth climate micro-grants, applications close Oct. 18

Anchorage residents between the ages of 15 and 24 can now apply for $1,000 to $5,000 to carry out local climate projects. The application window closes Oct. 18, with awards announced on or around Nov. 2. The Municipality of Anchorage opened applications Aug. 24.

The money is not municipal. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced the selection in a May 11 press release, which stated the Municipality would receive an initial $50,000, plus another $50,000 if it deploys the first tranche quickly. That first $50,000 covers funding and technical assistance together; $40,000 of it is the micro-grant pool. Anchorage is one of 300 communities worldwide selected in 2026 by Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund. The Youth Advisory Commission is helping oversee project selection, and funded projects run through April 2027.

Eligibility runs through the 2019 Anchorage Climate Action Plan: the roadmap the Anchorage Assembly adopted May 21, 2019 by Resolution 2019-158, which targets an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 levels by 2050. Proposals must align with one or more of four of its focus areas: energy for buildings and transportation, consumption and waste, food systems, and urban forests and watersheds. The plan itself also names equity, inclusion, and Indigenous knowledge as foundational, and recognizes the Native Village of Eklutna as a government partner.

One structural condition shapes who controls the money: awards can be disbursed only to eligible nonprofit organizations, so applicants must pair with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. Prior grant-writing experience is not required. The Alaska Conservation Foundation is co-sponsoring the program.

A Q&A session for applicants and prospective nonprofit sponsors is scheduled Sept. 17 from 6 to 7 p.m., with registration through the Municipality's Youth Climate Action Fund grants page. Questions go to Marie Husa in the Mayor's Office at [email protected].