PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA — The City of Long Beach is launching the ClimateLB Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrant Program (Program) to support youth ages 15-24 in designing, producing and overseeing urgent climate solutions that further the City’s climate action goals. The Program will aid in fulfilling the City’s 10-year community investment plan, the West Side Promise, and also aligns with the goals of the Long Beach Climate Action Plan, Strategic Plan for Youth and Emerging Adults and Racial Equity and Reconciliation Plan.

“Engaging local youth is crucial to creating a more sustainable and climate-resilient Long Beach,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “Their innovative ideas deserve our support, and I am proud that the ClimateLB Program will allow us to fund projects that specifically center the perspective, involvement and benefit of young people.”

The Program will award eight grants of $5,000 per project and prioritize proposals from youth-serving organizations that address climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in West Long Beach, environmental justice, and equity, and that invest in youth and the green economy. Selected projects must focus on one or more of the following themes:

1. Youth-Led Reforestation and Tree-Planting Projects: Projects that mobilize youth volunteers to plant trees, improve urban green spaces, and increase urban canopy coverage for better air quality and climate resilience.
2. Youth-Led Climate Education Efforts: Educational initiatives led by youth that target local schools and communities to increase awareness and understanding of climate issues.
3. Youth Climate Ambassadors Programs: Programs that engage youth to provide information on local climate and environmental resources to local businesses, nonprofits, and residents.
4. Youth-Designed Public Art and Awareness Campaigns: Partnerships with youth artists to create public art installations and awareness campaigns that convey the urgency of climate action and the City’s climate goals.

The application period will run from Friday, June 28, 2024, to Friday, July 12, 2024. Funds will be administered to grant awardees by Sept. 30, 2024, and the full grant award must be expended by Dec. 31, 2024.

The Youth Climate Action Fund is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and is administered by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

For more details about the ClimateLB Youth Climate Action Fund Microgrant Program and updates regarding the grant award process, visit the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability website at lbcity.info/climatelb.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability is available at longbeach.gov/sustainability and on Facebook and Instagram.