What Connect4Climate does

Connect4Climate (C4C) is a non-profit global partnership initiative founded in 2011 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., hosted by the World Bank Group and supported by government funding from Italy's Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The organization operates as a knowledge partnership program connecting youth, private sector companies, academic institutions, multilateral organizations, creative industries, and CSOs across more than 87 countries, with a primary focus on youth aged 18-35 (majority young women, with Africa consistently the most represented region). It maintains an 11-50 person staff and engages a network of over 500 partners and 600+ young changemakers through digital-first platforms, campaigns, and storytelling.

Connect4Climate's core offerings are organized around three program areas — platforms, campaigns, and stories — built on web-based infrastructure, social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), and multimedia storytelling. Key products include the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program (a six-month online cohort of 150 ambassadors from 100+ countries, delivered with the World Bank's Youth2Youth community since 2021), the Youth4Climate Initiative (strategic partnership with the Government of Italy and UNDP since 2020), and the Youth4Innovation Platform (design-thinking workshops convening private sector, youth, and academia at Innovate4Climate conferences, including a 2025 edition in Sevilla). The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on flagship summits (Youth4Climate, Innovate4Climate, World Conservation Congress), ambassador cohort cycles, and organic social engagement rather than paid distribution.

The organization does not generate commercial revenue and operates as a free knowledge partnership platform with no products or services sold. Its operating budget is funded by grants and institutional support from the World Bank Group, Italy, and Germany; no pricing model, customer transactions, or revenue figures are disclosed. Notable scale signals include a potential reach of 1.4 billion people via the #Youth4Climate multimedia campaign at Pre-COP26 in Milan and over 1,000 community actions completed by prior Youth Ambassador cohorts.

Name

Connect4Climate

Legal name

Connect4Climate

Website

https://connect4climate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connect4Climate is a non-profit global partnership hosted by the World Bank Group that connects youth, governments, academia, and private sector across 87+ countries to drive climate action through digital platforms, campaigns, and intergenerational storytelling programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Action Partnerships and Communications

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environment, Climate & Sustainability Congresses (THAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Climate action partnerships
• Youth climate engagement
• Climate knowledge programs
• Climate storytelling media
• Intergenerational climate platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Partnership and Grant Funding: Connect4Climate is hosted by the World Bank Group and supported by government funding from Italy's Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The organization operates as a knowledge partnership program rather than a revenue-generating entity.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Connect4Climate is a global climate partnership that connects organizations and youth (ages 18-35) through intergenerational platforms, runs innovative campaigns to amplify climate solutions, and communicates climate knowledge through local multimedia stories. Operated as a World Bank Group-hosted non-profit initiative supported by Italy's Ministry of Environment and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, it convenes 500+ partners across 87+ countries and reaches an audience of approximately 1.4 billion people.

Product overview

Connect4Climate (C4C) is a global partnership platform for climate action that operates through interconnected programs, platforms, and engagement mechanisms. The core offerings include the Youth4Innovation Platform for private sector-youth collaboration, the Youth4Climate Initiative (co-led by Italy and UNDP) for youth leadership development, and the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program delivering six-month virtual cohorts of 150 ambassadors from 100+ countries. These are supported by Campaigns for solution amplification, Stories for knowledge communication, and Intergenerational Platforms for coalition-building. Together, these components create a comprehensive ecosystem connecting youth changemakers with transformative knowledge and real-world climate solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth4Innovation Platform A platform that supports youth-driven climate innovation initiatives. Targeted at youth changemakers and partner organizations collaborating on climate solutions.
• Youth4Climate Initiative An initiative engaging youth (ages 18-35) in climate action, learning, and advocacy. Targeted at young climate changemakers and partner organizations.
• Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program A youth ambassador program that recruits and trains young climate leaders to amplify climate solutions and storytelling. Targeted at youth climate changemakers aged 18-35.
• Intergenerational Platforms A program pillar that connects organizations and youth (ages 18-35) through intergenerational collaboration structures. Targeted at youth organizations, private sector partners, academic institutions, creative industries, and multilateral organizations.
• Climate Action Campaigns A program pillar focused on creating and amplifying innovative campaigns around climate solutions. Targeted at partner organizations and the broader public reached through partner media channels.
• Climate Storytelling A program pillar that communicates climate knowledge and local experiences through multimedia stories. Targeted at the global public reached through Connect4Climate's network of 500+ partners across 87+ countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.4 billion potential reach through #Youth4Climate campaign
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnect4Climate is hosted by the World Bank Group, which provides institutional backing, global reach, and integration with World Bank climate and development initiatives. The partnership enables C4C to connect youth with World Bank experts and resources.
• Youth4Climate Initiative (Government of Italy and UNDP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2020, C4C has been a strategic partner on the global Youth4Climate initiative, which is co-led by the Government of Italy and UNDP. C4C supports hundreds of young climate leaders with capacity-building activities, mentorship opportunities, and small grants.
• World Bank Youth2Youth (Y2Y) CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2021, C4C has collaborated with World Bank's Youth2Youth community to deliver the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program, honoring Max Thabiso Edkins' legacy of youth empowerment in global climate action.
• Innovate4Climate (I4C)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerC4C and I4C have partnered over multiple years on the Young Climate Innovators platform to highlight youth-led innovation on the global stage, including workshops at the annual Innovate4Climate conference.
• Youth4Climate Summit (Pre-COP26 Milan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe strategic #Youth4Climate multimedia campaign implemented around the inaugural Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition summit during Pre-COP26 in Milan, Italy achieved a potential reach of 1.4 billion people worldwide.
• C4C Knowledge Partnership Program (500+ Partners)coreOthersConnect4Climate builds creative collaborations with a trusted network of over 500 partners worldwide through the C4C Knowledge Partnership Program. This diverse roster represents more than 87 countries and includes: youth organizations, creative sectors, private sector companies, CSOs/NGOs, academic institutions, media networks, multilateral organizations, film festivals, and more.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization working on climate, energy, and sustainability. Comparable as a long-tenured, Washington-based, institutionally-backed climate platform, but with a research/analytics focus rather than youth engagement.
• Global Citizen: International advocacy organization mobilizing action on global issues including climate. Comparable in its campaign-driven, multi-stakeholder partnership model and reach metrics, but operates across multiple cause areas beyond climate.

Direct peers

• Fridays for Future: Youth-led global climate strike movement. Comparable as a high-profile youth climate mobilization network with global reach, though more protest-driven versus C4C's partnership-driven engagement model.
• YOUNGO (UNFCCC Youth Constituency): The official youth constituency of the UNFCCC. Directly comparable as a global, UN-affiliated youth climate engagement network that mobilizes young changemakers into climate policy negotiations, including at COPs and Pre-COP events where C4C also operates.
• 350.org: Global grassroots climate movement operating across 188 countries. Comparable in mobilizing distributed networks for climate campaigns, but more activism-driven versus C4C's intergenerational partnership and communications focus.
• The Climate Group: International NGO working with governments and businesses on climate action. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder climate partnership platform with similar convening role between government, corporate, and civil society actors.
• Climate Reality Project: Global climate communications and leadership training organization founded by Al Gore. Comparable as a multi-country climate engagement platform that trains climate communicators and amplifies climate storytelling at scale.
• UNDP Climate Promise: UNDP's flagship climate initiative and co-lead of the Youth4Climate initiative alongside Italy. Operates as a global multilateral climate engagement platform with similar government-backed, multi-country partnership model.

Emerging players

• Earth Uprising: Youth-led climate organization providing education and organizing tools. Comparable in targeting the same youth climate changemaker segment with educational and capacity-building programming.
• Climate Cardinals: Youth-led climate education nonprofit focused on translating climate research. Comparable as a digitally native, youth-driven climate engagement organization with similar community-building approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Connect4Climate
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Connect4Climate
• Facebookfacebook.com/Connect4Climate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connect4climate
• Instagraminstagram.com/connect4climate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connect4Climate