Youth Climate Action Fund

Instructions for young people (ages 15 to 24): 

1. Learn about the program by reviewing this website and/or going to the City's Request for Proposals portal.
2. Form a team of more than one young adult ages 15 to 24.
3. Find a fiscal sponsor. Learn more in the Potential Fiscal Sponsors section.
4. Write the proposal using the Proposal Template.
5. Send your finalized proposal to your fiscal sponsor so they can upload it into Bonfire., the City's application platform. This is the final step to apply! Check the Key Dates section for next steps.

Instructions for organizations (fiscal sponsors): 

1. Go to the Bonfire portal and view this Request for Proposals (RFP).
   1. Create your Bonfire account to submit questions and the application. Please create your account at least 2 days before the submission deadline to ensure sufficient time. You will be in charge of submitting the application for your youth partners.
      1. Click Register in the upper right corner.
      2. Complete the Register as a Vendor form, then click Create account.
      3. Check your email and follow the instructions to finish setting up your account.
      4. Log in to Bonfire. You should now be able to submit questions and your team's application.
2. Check the Potential Fiscal Sponsors section to see if your organization qualifies to be a fiscal sponsor.
3. Connect with youth to become application partners.
   1. Help us spread the word to youth by sharing the flyer and attending at least one Co-Design Session.
   2. Become listed as a potential fiscal sponsor by emailing [email protected], asking to be listed on this webpage. For more eligibility information, see the Potential Fiscal Sponsors section below.
4. Help your youth partners by reviewing their application and providing feedback to help them create a clear, strong proposal. Keep in mind, the idea(s) need to come from the youth.
5. Upload and submit your proposal in Bonfire. This is the final step to apply! Check the Key Dates section for next steps.

Use the links below to access program materials and resources:

To have your organization listed in this table or to make a change to your listing, please email us at [email protected].

Disclaimer: The Sustainability Office neither publicizes nor endorses commercial entities and reserves the right to determine which nonprofit organizations are included in this list.

Who Can Be A Fiscal Sponsor?

Projects are led by young people, but funds must be disbursed to organizations who serve as fiscal sponsors.

Eligible recipient organizations include:

• Youth-led organizations (e.g., youth clubs or groups).
• Youth-serving organizations (adult-led organizations supporting young people).
• Sponsor organizations, such as city agencies, schools or other educational institutions, museums, or community organizations. This includes City Departments that are not involved in the program administration or project application review.

All organizations must:

• Be legally registered entities.
• Be recognized as a non-profit or charitable organization under local laws (unless a public entity).
• Have a bank account in the organization’s name.
• Be registered in Bonfire. To register, go to the  Bonfire website and click “Register” in the upper right-hand corner.
• Be registered as a City vendor. Learn how to become a vendor with the City.
• Pass through the funds to the young people who designed, are leading, and will be responsible for implementing the project. Up to 15% of the awarded microgrant can be allocated to administrative costs incurred by the sponsoring organization.

Ineligible organizations include:

• Private companies, individuals or political parties or party-affiliated organizations.

For compliance purposes:

• The City unit managing the program (i.e., the Sustainability Office) cannot act as a sponsor for a project.
• Sponsors cannot be partisan organizations or political parties.
• Microgrant recipients cannot be the subject of any applicable sanctions regime, which means that an individual or entity is not restricted by any financial, trade, or travel sanctions imposed by governments or international bodies.

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Explore the funding themes below to view project ideas that could be supported through YCAF:

Waste & Circularity

• Youth-led composting or waste reduction campaigns.
• Art celebrating how your community values food.
• Compost: cycle plants into the soil to grow more plants.
• Food preservation: skills for saving money long-term.

Mobility & Transportation

• Bike, transit, or walkability projects that improve access and safety.
• Evaluate active transportation conditions.
• Create an electric bike (e-bike) or electric scooter (e-scooter) lending library.
• Develop a walking school bus or bike bus program.
• Improve bicycle or e-scooter parking in a high-demand location.

Nature & Resilience

• Neighborhood tree planting or heat mitigation.
• Bosque Pollinator & Habitat Restoration Project.
• Harvest the Rain Community Demonstration Garden.
• Schoolyard Outdoor Learning Oasis.

Cross-Cutting

• Community art or media projects focused on any of the topics above.
• Climate education workshops or school-based outreach focused on any of the topics above.

Biodiversity: The biological diversity of flora and fauna species on Earth, a complex web of life that underpins the natural life processes on the planet. Human-caused environmental damage reduces biodiversity; creating a healthy, sustainable society requires increasing biodiversity.

Carsharing: A transportation service that provides short-term access to shared vehicles, allowing users to rent a vehicle as needed without the need to own or maintain one.

Circular Economy: A circular economy keeps materials from becoming waste for as long as possible. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.

Extreme Heat: Periods of unusually high temperatures and/or humidity that pose serious risks to human health, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, especially in urban areas with less shade tree cover.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI): A stormwater management method that uses living, natural systems to reduce and treat stormwater runoff before it reaches surface waters, while also providing other co-benefits such as increasing tree canopy, reducing urban heat, and creating wildlife habitat.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG): Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap and hold heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Much of human activity emits greenhouse gases, such as burning fossil fuels for energy and transport, farming land for food production, and deforestation.

Green Transportation (Alternative Transportation): Transportation methods that minimize environmental impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and energy consumption, including walking, biking, public transit, carpooling, electric vehicles, and other low-emission travel options.

Micromobility: Small, lightweight transportation modes used for short trips, such as bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, and other low-speed personal mobility devices.

Natural Solutions (Nature-Based Solutions): Actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human wellbeing, ecosystem preservation and resilience and biodiversity benefits.

Rainwater Harvesting: The collection and storage of rainwater from surfaces such as roofs or land for later use (e.g., irrigation, landscaping, or non-potable household use). This helps reduce water demand and manage stormwater runoff.

Resilient Communities: Communities that can anticipate, withstand, and recover from environmental, social, or economic disruptions (such as climate impacts) while maintaining essential functions and improving long-term well-being. Community resilience emphasizes adaptability, equity, and local capacity to respond to change.

Stewardship: The responsible care and management of natural resources to ensure their viability for current and future generations. Environmental stewardship emphasizes responsibility, conservation, and active participation in protecting ecosystems.

My friends and I want to apply with our project, but we are not sure who would be our fiscal sponsor. How do we find one?

Here are a few ideas: Ask a parent or teacher to help you connect with an organization, attend a workshop or office hours (see Key Dates for more details), or email [email protected] to request assistance.

I have a great idea, but I am only one person. How can I get connected with other youth to form a project group?

Here are a few ideas: Share the idea with your friends, ask a parent or teacher to help you connect with others, attend a workshop or office hours (see Key Dates for more details), or email [email protected] to request assistance.

I have an idea, but I don’t need $1,000 to complete it. Can I still apply?

No. Each project’s budget must be between $1,000 and $5,000. Consider ways to expand your project to meet the minimum requirements.

Can I apply for or participate in more than one project?

Yes. A youth team can submit more than one application, but the applications must be for totally different types of projects. Additionally, we ask that you limit the number of applications from the same youth team to two.

Does my project have to align with one of the example project ideas?

Applications must align with at least one of the three climate action focus areas: Waste & Circularity | Transportation & Mobility | Nature-based Solutions. But applications do not have to align with specific example projects. Those are just ideas to spark inspiration. We encourage you to get creative and propose project ideas that you think will have the greatest impact in our community.

Can City of Albuquerque staff review draft applications and provide guidance to youth teams before they submit their applications?

No, the City of Albuquerque cannot review your application for content, but we will provide virtual webinars + workshops and office hours where we can answer general questions and provide guidance for your application. We can also help pair you with a mentor and fiscal sponsor who can provide more support on your application.

What should my application form look like?

Applications must use the template provided. This ensures all required questions are answered and the project is set up for success if awarded. Download the Proposal Template here.

Can youth participate in another way besides applying for a microgrant?

Yes. Experienced graduate students can volunteer to be mentors to youth teams. Reach out to [email protected] if you’re interested.

Do all members of the youth team need to attend the meeting with the Mayor and/or the global announcement?

Youth are heavily encouraged to attend both; however, it is not strictly required. 

What reporting requirements are there for youth?

Youth will be required to attend monthly virtual cohort calls and submit an Individual Microgrant Report (template forthcoming) to the City on or before April 12, 2027. The Microgrant Report will detail the impact of the project (such as the number of youth involved and other program metrics included in the application), photographs of the project, and a learning summary.

Who can be a fiscal sponsor?

Fiscal sponsors can be non-profit or public organizations. They must be legally registered entities and have a bank account in the organization’s name (so that they can receive the microgrant award on behalf of their youth team). Fiscal sponsors CANNOT be individuals or for-profit businesses/entities. For more information, view the Potential Fiscal Sponsors section.

Our organization wants to be a fiscal sponsor, but we are concerned about staff time. What are the requirements for a fiscal sponsor?

Fiscal sponsors are expected to support and collaborate with their youth team on application development and project execution. Fiscal sponsors also need to receive the microgrant funds on behalf of their youth team and expend the funds in support of project implementation. Finally, fiscal sponsors should support and collaborate with their youth team on a final project report as well as participate in a final microgrant program celebration in April 2027. Please note and account for within the project budget that fiscal sponsors can take up to 15% of the total microgrant award for their administrative costs.

Can a fiscal sponsor submit and receive multiple applications/awards for different youth teams?

Each youth fiscal sponsor can be awarded up to three microgrants (each microgrant will be $1k-$5k). Our selection committee will be responsible for choosing which projects get awarded. Fiscal sponsors can apply more than three times; however, the City will only award the top three applications.

Will youth be doing projects related to our organization’s mission?

Youth will be doing projects related to waste and circularity, transportation, or nature-based solutions. We suggest that Potential Fiscal Sponsors take on youth projects that relate to your organization's mission and/or area of expertise; however, this is not mandatory.

How do Fiscal Sponsors prove the project team is working on the project?

Youth and Fiscal Sponsors are encouraged to attend monthly cohort calls. Fiscal Sponsors are only required to track and report on project spending, but are encouraged to support youth through the project.

Will the City provide the funds up front, or would Fiscal Sponsors have to seek reimbursement?

The City will provide the funds up front. The grant application and budget submitted will act as an invoice. Fiscal Sponsors will then be expected to disburse funds in accordance with the project team’s proposal and their organization's policies. The Fiscal Sponsor will provide a financial report at the end of the project period.

How much funding would Fiscal Sponsors need to manage?

Fiscal Sponsors would only manage funds for winning applications. Each Fiscal Sponsor will be awarded no more than three projects. Therefore, the maximum dollars any Fiscal Sponsor could manage on behalf of the youth in this program is $15,000 (this assumes all three applications are selected and all ask for $5,000). Note: Potential Fiscal Sponsors can submit more than three applications, but no more than three can be selected per organization. 

How many youth would Fiscal Sponsors be working with?

Each application must have at least 2 youth aged 15-24. There is no limit to the number of youth per application.

If awarded, how long would Fiscal Sponsors be managing this program?

For selected applications, projects will begin on November 13, 2026, and will close on Monday, April 12, 2027. A global announcement will be held on April 22, 2027, reporting final outcomes. Note: the length of youth projects may vary, but must start and end within this 5-month window. 

What reporting requirements are there for Fiscal Sponsors during the project?

Fiscal Sponsors are required to track project spending and submit receipts to the City upon request. Fiscal Sponsors are encouraged to support their youth in capturing photos and details of the impact of each project, including the number of youth volunteers involved, and the outputs and outcomes achieved.

What are the final deliverables for the Fiscal Sponsor?

Final deliverables for the Fiscal Sponsor include a financial report documenting project spending. Fiscal Sponsors are encouraged to support youth with their final deliverable: a 2-5 page project summary, reporting final program metrics, outcomes, photos, and lessons learned.

Will the City review deliverables?

The City of Albuquerque Sustainability Staff will be reviewing deliverables and may ask for revisions or clarifications to ensure the City has adequate proof of the distribution and spending of the microgrant funds.

Are Fiscal Sponsors required to be at the global announcement?

No, they are not, but it is encouraged to celebrate the efforts of our youth awardees.