The Iris Project

Name

The Iris Project

Legal name

The Iris Project

Website

https://theirisproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Environmental Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Youth environmental grants
• Climate capacity building
• Nonprofit conservation funding
• Youth-led climate action
• Environmental mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: The Iris Project is funded through donations from individuals and foundations. Initial setup costs were provided by Iris' family. The organization does not accept funds from private or listed companies. Most donations (60%) directly support the work of young people, with operational costs kept at 20% of annual budget. The organization is fiscally hosted by Global Fund for Children UK Trust, a registered UK charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Iris Project awards three tiers of annual grants (Iris Prize $15,000, Stem Prize $10,000, Seed Prize $5,000) to young environmental leaders aged 14-24, paired with mentorship, capacity-building programmes, climate communications support, and holistic security guidance. It is delivered as a prize-based nonprofit service supported by a global network of nominating partner organizations.

Product overview

The Iris Project is a youth-led environmental organization that operates as a unified platform supporting young changemakers (ages 14-24) in protecting and restoring nature. The core offering is The Iris Prize program—three tiers of annual awards (Iris Prize at $15,000, Stem Prize at $10,000, Seed Prize at $5,000)—which provides not just funding but a comprehensive capacity-building ecosystem. This ecosystem includes mentorship pairing winners with regional and thematic advisors, a Climate Communications Programme offering bespoke brand and digital support, the CoalitionWILD Excelerator Programme for leadership development, Holistic Security Support via Open Briefing for risk management, and the Youth Funding Toolkit providing open-access fundraising resources. Winners and applicants also gain access to The Iris Project Ecosystem, a private Slack community facilitating ongoing peer-to-peer support and collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Iris Prize (annual grant program) Flagship annual award program providing three tiers of grant funding plus mentorship and capacity-building support to young environmental leaders aged 16-24 (Seed Prize extends eligibility to ages 14-24): Iris Prize $15,000 for established projects with scaling potential, Stem Prize $10,000 for small-scale existing projects, and Seed Prize $5,000 for new ideas not yet established.
• Mentorship Programme Peer-to-peer mentorship initiative that pairs prize winners with two advisors—one from the same country or continent and one with thematic expertise—to provide guidance, networks, and knowledge-sharing for lasting impact.
• Climate Communications Programme Bespoke communications support for prize winners, including brand identity development, website creation, digital and social media training, and ongoing resources to help young climate leaders communicate their mission and grow their audience.
• Youth Funding Toolkit Free, open-access fundraising toolkit co-created with youth-led organizations, providing guidance on storytelling, budgets, grants, donor meetings, reporting, and templates. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili.
• The Iris Project Ecosystem (private community) Private Slack-channel community for all applicants who apply for Seed, Stem, or Iris Prize, providing ongoing funding and capacity-building opportunities, collaboration partners, and discussions on environmental and social issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 early-stage youth-led projects supported since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Fund for Children UK TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Iris Project is run in collaboration with and fiscally hosted by Global Fund for Children UK Trust, a registered UK charity (no. 1119544). GFC provides fundraising guidelines, charitable principles, and operational infrastructure. The Iris Project adheres to GFC's Fundraising Guidelines and does not accept funds from those who do not support the principles of The Iris Project.
• Open BriefingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2022, The Iris Project and Open Briefing have supported environmental leaders facing ecological and advocacy challenges. Through mentorship, scenario planning, and community-driven strategies, grantees build resilience, address safety concerns, and plan for sustainable growth. The Iris Project is a responsive assistance partner of Open Briefing.
• CoalitionWILDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CoalitionWILD's Excelerator Programme provides winners and runners-up with a 6-month Leadership Development and Capacity-Building program, including bi-monthly expert-led webinars on project management, fundraising, grant writing, and communication. Extra funding opportunities are also available through this partnership.
• MakerChange StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMakerChange Studio provides branding, website development, and design services for youth-led environmental projects supported through The Iris Project's Climate Communications Programme. They collaborated with projects including Sparsa, Liquify, Project Mila, Mudzi Cooking Project, and Youth Pawa.
• One Percent for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental partner listed on One Percent for the Planet directory. The Iris Project is recognized as part of the environmental giving network.
• Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published the report 'Ecologies of Empowerment: Why and how to fund youth-led biodiversity action' with GYBN, Synchronicity Earth, and Global Landscapes Forum in 2026. Research draws on responses from 161 youth-led biodiversity initiatives across 57 countries.
• Synchronicity EarthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published the 'Ecologies of Empowerment' report with Synchronicity Earth, GYBN, and Global Landscapes Forum focusing on funding youth-led biodiversity action.
• Global Landscapes ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published the 'Ecologies of Empowerment' report with Global Landscapes Forum, GYBN, and Synchronicity Earth. Collaborative research on youth-led biodiversity funding gaps.
• Nominating Partners Network (50+ organizations)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of environmental, youth, indigenous, and education-focused organizations and NGOs who help identify candidates for the annual Iris Prize. Includes Conservation International, WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Earthwatch Institute, IUCN, and others.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global Fund for Children: The Iris Project's fiscal host and operational parent; both organizations make grants and provide capacity-building support to youth-led initiatives globally through pooled and hosted fund structures. Directly comparable as the anchor grantmaking body that hosts The Iris Project.
• Open Briefing: A nonprofit providing holistic security and resilience support to environmental defenders and at-risk civil society organizations. The Iris Project is a responsive assistance partner of Open Briefing; comparable as a service provider to the same youth-environmental-defender beneficiary base.
• The Pollination Project: A global seed-grant charity that provides small ($1K+) grants and capacity-building to grassroots changemakers worldwide. Directly comparable to The Iris Project's Seed/Stem Prize model of early-stage, trust-based micro-grants for social/environmental impact.
• Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN): The official youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; co-publisher of 'Ecologies of Empowerment' with The Iris Project. Comparable as a youth-led biodiversity convening and advocacy organization with overlapping target beneficiaries.
• Youth Climate Justice Fund: A pooled fund that provides grants directly to young climate activists globally. Closely comparable to The Iris Project in mission (youth-led climate grantmaking) and beneficiary focus, but operating at a broader geographic and activist-oriented scope.
• CoalitionWILD: A global initiative supporting young conservation leaders through capacity-building programs (including the Excelerator Programme, which The Iris Project offers to its winners). Comparable as a youth-led environmental capacity-building peer.
• Synchronicity Earth: A grantmaking charity that funds under-resourced areas of biodiversity and conservation, including youth-led initiatives. Highly comparable to The Iris Project as a small, trust-based, conservation-focused grantmaker that co-published 'Ecologies of Empowerment' with the organization.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): One of the world's largest climate- and child-focused philanthropic foundations. Comparable as an institutional climate funder that increasingly channels capital into youth-led environmental action, representing a much larger counterpart in the same thematic space.
• One Percent for the Planet: A broad environmental giving network that connects businesses and individuals with vetted environmental nonprofits; The Iris Project is listed as an environmental partner. Comparable as a larger, broader-scale environmental fundraising/grantmaking channel.
• Global Landscapes Forum: The world's largest intersectoral platform on sustainable land use, co-publisher of 'Ecologies of Empowerment' with The Iris Project. Comparable as a convening and research partner rather than direct grantmaker, but operating in the same integrated youth-landscape funding narrative.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theiris-project

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 The Iris Project