Youth Climate Justice Fund

Name

Youth Climate Justice Fund

Legal name

Youth Climate Justice Fund

Website

https://ycjf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Climate justice funding
• Participatory grantmaking
• Youth philanthropy
• Environmental justice grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: YCJF is funded entirely by individuals and philanthropies. The organization does not accept funding from private or listed companies that are not aligned with their principles and values. Revenue comes from grants and donations rather than product/service sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) is a philanthropic nonprofit that provides flexible, trust-based grants and capacity-strengthening support to youth-led climate justice and socio-environmental groups. Through a participatory grantmaking process involving Regional Committees and a Grants Committee, it disburses up to USD 20,000 to local groups and up to USD 40,000 to national groups, while also advising funders on how to effectively resource the youth climate justice movement.

Product overview

Youth Climate Justice Fund is a grantmaking organization, not a software product company. Its core offering is a trust-based, participatory funding program supporting youth-led climate justice groups globally. The main service is a flexible grantmaking program (up to USD 40,000 per grant) run through Regional Committees and a Grants Committee. Around this core, YCJF offers capacity strengthening (peer learning workshops, coaching, and convenings), a multilingual application process, and publishes research such as the 2025 Youth Climate Funding Study. No technology product, SaaS platform, or API-based offering is described.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flexible Grantmaking Program Trust-based funding for emerging youth-led climate justice and socio-environmental groups, with local groups eligible for up to USD 20,000 and national groups up to USD 40,000, allocated through a participatory decision-making process.
• Participative Grantmaking Process Youth-led participatory grantmaking process where Regional Committees and a Grants Committee jointly review applications and make final funding decisions, centering youth voices at every level and accepting applications in seven languages.
• Capacity Strengthening Program Support for youth-led climate leaders through peer learning on skills such as Campaigns and Communications, Management and Leadership, Financial Literacy and Fundraising, Administration and Operations, and Project Management, alongside convenings and coaching.
• Asia Youth Climate Convening In-person regional convening piloted in Nonthaburi, Thailand in late 2025, bringing together partners for community building, collaboration, capacity strengthening, and wellbeing, designed as a space for learning across the wider climate funding ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 115 initiatives supported across 51 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tara Climate FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Tara Climate Foundation partnered with YCJF to pilot the first in-person Asia Youth Climate Convening in Nonthaburi, Thailand in late 2025. This collaboration enabled bringing together partners from across the Asia region for capacity strengthening, community building, and peer exchange.
• Climate GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023YCJF was NY Climate Action Week's official environmental justice partner, being the first youth-led organisation to hold this role. The partnership involved promoting engagement with NY Climate Action Week and supporting youth-led and socio-environmental justice events during the week.
• Urban Movement Innovation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCJF partners with Urban Movement Innovation Fund to run quarterly online collaborative gatherings for donors and supporters to learn directly from youth organizers and impactful initiatives.
• ClimateWorks FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCJF and ClimateWorks Foundation jointly produced the 2025 Youth Climate Funding Study, which maps funding flows to youth-led climate organizations and identifies barriers to funding. This partnership provides authoritative research on the youth climate funding landscape.
• FRIDA (Young Feminist Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRIDA, a participatory fund leading the way for youth-led feminist giving, was showcased at YCJF's launch event. Both organizations represent youth-led participatory funds working to channel essential resources to youth-led climate justice collectives.
• Green Africa Youth OrganisationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Africa Youth Organisation, which has growing grant-making work in Africa focused on climate solutions, was highlighted at YCJF's launch as an aligned youth-led intermediary partner.
• The Youth HarbourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Youth Harbour, one of the largest youth-led climate justice funds in Canada, was showcased at YCJF's launch event as part of the network of youth-led participatory funds united to increase resources for youth climate justice work globally.
• Enlight FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnlight Foundation, along with The Patchwork Collective and Lever For Change, announced the $25 million Emerging Climate Champions Award - a bold global open call offering multi-year, flexible $1 million grants to youth-led organizations.
• The Patchwork CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Patchwork Collective co-launched the $25 million Emerging Climate Champions Award with Enlight Foundation and Lever For Change, providing substantial funding opportunities for youth-led climate organizations.
• Lever For ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLever For Change partnered with Enlight Foundation and The Patchwork Collective to manage the $25 million Emerging Climate Champions Award, offering $1 million grants to youth-led organizations advancing climate solutions worldwide.
• Goals HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYCJF partnered with Goals House to host a breakfast session for philanthropic institutions during NY Climate Action Week 2023, creating a space for new funders to learn about the transformative impact of youth-led climate justice movements.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lever For Change: Manages large open-call philanthropic competitions, including the $25M Emerging Climate Champions Award. Functions as both a peer and a channel for youth climate funding that competes with YCJF's smaller-grant model.

Direct peers

• The Youth Harbour: One of the largest youth-led climate justice funds in Canada, funding young climate organizers. Directly comparable as a youth-led, participatory climate justice fund showcased alongside YCJF at its launch.
• Green Africa Youth Organisation: Youth-led organization with growing grantmaking work in Africa focused on climate solutions. Aligned intermediary partner highlighted at YCJF's launch with overlapping mission and youth-led, region-specific grantmaking.
• 350.org: Global climate movement organization that builds and resources grassroots climate campaigns, including youth-led ones. Comparable in mobilizing youth climate leadership, though YCJF is a grantmaker and 350.org is primarily a campaign organization.
• FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund: Participatory fund led by and for young feminists, providing small, flexible grants to groups under25. Closest peer in participatory grantmaking structure, age-based eligibility model, and movement-led philosophy.
• Global Greengrants Fund: Global environmental grantmaker that channels resources to grassroots groups, including youth-led organizations. Highly comparable to YCJF in mission, participatory grantmaking ethos, and small-grant model; CEO Laura Garcia publicly endorsed YCJF's approach.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): Large philanthropic foundation with significant climate and youth programs. CEO Kate Hampton has publicly endorsed YCJF's role in resourcing youth climate movements, making CIFF a natural upstream peer.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Large climate philanthropy that co-produced the 2025 Youth Climate Funding Study with YCJF. Sits upstream as a major funder of climate advocacy, including the youth climate space where YCJF operates.
• Tara Climate Foundation: Climate-focused philanthropic foundation that partnered with YCJF to pilot the Asia Youth Climate Convening. Comparable as a peer funder in the youth climate ecosystem but with a much larger mandate.
• Enlight Foundation: Co-launcher of the $25M Emerging Climate Champions Award targeting youth-led climate organizations. Operates in the same youth climate funding space as YCJF but at much larger grant sizes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-climate-justice-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Youth Climate Justice Fund