Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends

What Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends does

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends (YCCD) is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in December 2019 by Kiera O'Brien alongside 25-30 current and former chairs and vice-chairs of College Republican State Federations. The organization mobilizes young conservative leaders, ages roughly 18-40, in support of the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan, a revenue-neutral carbon fee paired with per-capita dividend rebates, regulatory rollback, and border carbon adjustments. It is the youth-facing mobilization arm of the broader Carbon Dividends movement championed by the Climate Leadership Council, and it positions free-market carbon pricing as an alternative to progressive climate proposals such as the Green New Deal. YCCD does not sell products or services; it is funded through donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and organizations aligned with the carbon dividends framework.

YCCD's go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, anchored on the conservative conference circuit (CPAC, TPUSA Student Action Summit, Young Republican National Convention, AmericaFest), a national Campus Director program at US colleges and universities, a Regional/State Director organizing layer in key states and congressional districts, op-eds in national and regional publications, and broadcast appearances on Fox News, NPR, BBC, CNN, and other outlets. It also runs a Summer Fellowship Program with master-class seminars and a Summer Associate internship pipeline. Underlying technology is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website (yccdaction.org) and standard digital communications tools; there is no proprietary software, app, or data platform. The organization operates with a very small core staff (approximately 5 employees) supplemented by a distributed organizer network of Campus Directors, Regional Directors, and fellows.

Leadership transitioned in March 2021 when founder Kiera O'Brien moved to Senator Dan Sullivan's office; George Behrakis, who had served as Vice President since founding, became President, with Morgan Chrisman promoted to Digital Director and Alex Crispin joining from the RNC/Trump Campaign as Senior Communications Associate. The organization continues to operate as of early 2023, with no disclosed financial information, no parent company, and no funding rounds on record.

Name

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends

Legal name

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends

Website

https://yccdaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends (YCCD) is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that mobilizes young conservative leaders, primarily College Republicans and Young Republicans, in support of the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan and free-market climate policy alternatives to progressive proposals like the Green New Deal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Climate policy advocacy
• Political advocacy campaigns
• Conservative organizing
• Carbon dividends plan
• Nonprofit advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Donations and Advocacy Funding: As a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, YCCD is funded primarily through donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting free-market climate solutions. No products or services are sold.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends (YCCD) is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that mobilizes young conservative leaders in support of the pro-growth, pro-innovation Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan. It runs policy advocacy campaigns and structured programs (Summer Fellowship, Campus Director Program, Regional/State Director Program, Summer Associate Internship) to engage young Republicans, College Republicans, and conservative organizations across the United States. The organization does not sell products or services; its activities are funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends (YCCD) is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that operates advocacy campaigns and programs to promote the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan. The organization runs a Summer Fellowship Program featuring master class seminars with Republican leaders, a Campus Director Program engaging college campuses, a Regional/State Director Program for organizing at the state level, and a Summer Associate Internship for organizational support. These programs collectively mobilize young conservative leaders to champion free-market climate solutions and renew the GOP's environmental leadership legacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 57% reduction in US greenhouse gas emissions by 2035
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2021YCCD has been an official conference attendee and sponsor at CPAC multiple years (2020, 2021, 2022), organizing breakout sessions and maintaining exhibition booths to engage conservative leaders on climate and clean energy.
• Young Republican National FederationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2021YCCD engaged with YRNF at the Young Republican National Convention in Indianapolis, connecting with young Republican leaders ages 18-40 from across the country.
• Congressman John Curtis Conservative Climate CaucusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021YCCD advocates featured in NBC News story about Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) launching the Conservative Climate Caucus; YCCD coordinates with this caucus on conservative climate solutions.
• Miami Mayor Francis SuarezminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021YCCD Florida team met with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a national Republican leader on climate solutions, to discuss opportunities to accelerate GOP leadership on climate change and advance market-based solutions like Baker-Shultz.
• Maine Federation of College RepublicansminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2021Maine College Republicans Chairman Cody Porter published op-ed supporting Baker-Shultz Plan; Maine College Republican chapter quadrupled in size when highlighting conservative climate solutions.
• Turning Point USAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2021YCCD attended TPUSA events including Student Action Summit in Tampa and AmericaFest in Arizona, engaging thousands of young conservative students on free-market climate solutions.
• Climate Leadership CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019The Climate Leadership Council created the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan co-authored by former Reagan-era officials James Baker and George Shultz. YCCD was formed specifically to advocate for this plan and operates as part of the broader carbon dividends movement championed by CLC.
• College Republican National Committee (CRNC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019YCCD was co-founded by 30 top leaders from within the youth wing of the Republican Party, including current and former chairs and vice-chairs of College Republican State Federations. The organization emerged following a CRNC annual board meeting where an anti-carbon tax resolution was defeated.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Citizens' Climate Lobby: Bipartisan grassroots advocacy organization lobbying for carbon pricing with dividend rebates. Although nonpartisan, CCL's core policy ask (carbon fee + dividend) is functionally identical to YCCD's, and both organizations mobilize citizens to engage lawmakers.
• Climate Leadership Council: Think tank and advocacy coalition that created the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan that YCCD exists to promote. CLC provides the intellectual and policy infrastructure; YCCD mobilizes the youth conservative base for the same framework.
• Young Republican National Federation: National federation of state Young Republican organizations for ages 18-40. YCCD engages this constituency directly at conventions and shares overlapping leadership and target audience for conservative political mobilization.
• College Republican National Committee: National youth Republican organization whose state federation leaders co-founded YCCD. Operates in the same conservative youth political space and provides the institutional coalition backbone for YCCD's campus and state organizing.
• republicEn: Conservative climate advocacy organization founded by former Rep. Bob Inglis that promotes market-based climate solutions. Closely aligned with YCCD on free-market carbon dividend policy and the broader "conservative climate" positioning.
• American Conservation Coalition: Conservative-led nonprofit mobilizing young people for free-market environmental solutions. ACC targets a similar demographic and ideological lane as YCCD, often working the same campus and conference circuit.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Largest established conservative think tank in the U.S. Heritage addresses climate and energy policy within a much broader portfolio; YCCD's free-market climate advocacy intersects with its policy work but lacks its scale and institutional reach.
• Turning Point USA: Larger and more established conservative youth organization with a broader ideological and policy agenda. TPUSA hosts YCCD at Student Action Summit and AmericaFest, and overlaps significantly on the target demographic of college-age conservatives.

Emerging players

• Niskanen Center: Center-right policy organization promoting pragmatic, market-friendly approaches across multiple issues including climate. While broader in portfolio, Niskanen's intellectual posture on climate and free-market solutions is comparable to YCCD's positioning.
• R Street Institute: Center-right think tank advocating market-oriented climate and energy policy. Shares YCCD's preference for market mechanisms over regulation and operates in a similar pragmatic-conservative ideological lane, though from a think tank rather than advocacy base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-conservatives-for-carbon-dividends

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends