Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrants

About the fund

Bloomberg Philanthropies has selected the City of Minnetonka to participate in the 2026-27 Youth Climate Action Fund cohort, which mobilizes young people ages 15 to 24 to develop and implement climate action solutions in their communities. Minnetonka has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Bloomberg, which will be redistributed as microgrants to youth-led projects in fall 2026.

Funding amount

Microgrants of $1000-$5000 will be redistributed to teams led by at least two young people aged 15-24 and their sponsor organization.

Application process

1. Review all program materials. Complete a thorough review of all program materials and rules on this page before starting your application, including all appendices included in the application packet.
2. Sign up for program notifications.
3. Attend support workshops and info booths (optional but recommended). Attend an in-person or online application support event to receive help forming a team, creating a project, or completing an application. See the application support events section below for event dates.
4. Assemble a project team. Assemble a project team before starting your application. If you need help assembling a team, submit an interest survey and the city will help.
5. Pick your project. The project ideas are endless, but should support sustainable transportation, recycling and reuse, renewable energy or climate resiliency. See the eligible project ideas section below for ideas. If you need help creating a project idea, submit an interest survey and the city will help.
6. Start your application. Once you have a project team of two youth leads (ages 15-24) and at least one supporting organization assembled, you can begin your application. Download the application packet here. The application should be completed collaboratively by the youth leads and supporting organization.
7. Submit a draft application by Oct. 5 (optional but recommended). Submit a draft application by Oct. 5 to receive application feedback from city staff by Oct. 12. You will have an additional week to make changes and submit a final application by Oct. 19. This process is optional but is recommended to strengthen your application. Submit your draft application at the Submit Application link below.
8. Submit your final application by Oct. 19. Submit a final application by Oct. 19 for your project to be considered for a microgrant. Submit your final application at the Submit Application link below.

Who is eligible

Project teams must include:

• At least two youth leads. Each project must have at least two youth leads who are 15 to 24 years old and live or attend a school located in Minnetonka. Youth leads must propose, design and lead the project. Additional youth ages 15 to 24 are encouraged to be part of the team.
• One supporting organization. Each project must have one supporting organization that receives the funds on behalf of the project. The supporting organization must be a legally registered entity, must have a bank account in the organization's name, and must be recognized as a non-profit, charitable organization or public entity under local law. Some examples include: Youth groups and high school clubs, organizations supporting youth, schools and educational institutions, environmental organizations, community groups, museums, and faith organizations.

Eligible projects

Projects must benefit the Minnetonka community. Climate action projects can relate to sustainable transportation, building energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction and recycling, and climate resiliency. View a list of eligible expenses. Note, the project implementation phase will occur mid-Nov. 2026 through early April 2027. Example eligible projects include:

• Local food gardening projects: Such as starting a shared food garden, creating a hydroponic system for year-round local food, or assembling beginner planting kits.
• Waste reduction and recycling projects: Such as creating a community food rescue pantry room, hosting a reusable item donation event, hosting an organics recycling workshop, or hosting an item swap event.
• Sustainable transportation projects: Such as creating a bike share program, hosting a free bike tune up/repair events, hosting a bike-to-school challenge, identifying high-priority areas for public electric vehicle charging stations, encouraging carpooling, or hosting a no-idling campaign.
• Climate education and awareness projects: Such as hosting community education courses, experiences, and workshops, creating and showing a documentary, or storytelling through an art display.
• Research and data collection projects: Such as mapping urban heat islands or sharing data trends in extreme weather events such as extreme heat, hail, or drought.
• Climate resilience projects for people, buildings or the natural environment: Such as giving out extreme weather survival kits, hosting workshops on creating a pollinator garden or rain garden, or hosting a climate and weather-ready education campaign.
• Building energy efficiency and renewable energy-related projects: Such as implementing a solar energy education campaign in your neighborhood, a smart thermostat awareness campaign, or a home weatherization awareness campaign.

Get inspired

Need more project inspiration? Learn about the city's sustainability initiatives at Sustainable Minnetonka and climate priorities in the city's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Find examples of previously funded Youth Climate Action Fund projects designed and led by youth around the world on the websites below. If you still need help picking a project idea, submit an interest survey to request help.

• Allentown, Pennsylvania
• La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Columbus, Ohio
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• The Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada

Application Support Events

Join an application support opportunity to learn more, ask questions and get help with an application. Additional events will be added to this list.

• Virtual program information sessions: The city will present an overview of the program. Registration required. Email asutherland@minnetonkamn.gov.
  • 9/9, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
  • 9/30, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Virtual open office hours: Drop in to ask questions about the program or your application. Registration required. Email asutherland@minnetonkamn.gov.
  • 9/11, 12-4:30 p.m.
  • 9/16, 12-4:30 p.m.
• In-person application support at Minnetonka High School: MHS students can stop by to learn more and get help with an application.
  • 9/29, 11:15 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. Info booth during lunch period.
  • 10/7, 2:40-3:40 p.m. Application support meeting.
  • 10/14, 2:40-3:40 p.m. Application support meeting.

Questions

Email questions to Ally Sutherland at asutherland@minnetonkamn.gov.