Lincoln has joined Omaha as part of a youth-focused sustainability grant program.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird on Thursday announced the launch of the Youth Climate Action Fund.
Using a $50,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the fund will award microgrants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to young people ages 15-24 to help them complete sustainability projects.
“One of the greatest strengths of our community is our youth,” Chief Sustainability Officer Kim Morrow said at a news conference. “The Youth Climate Action Fund gives us a clear path to engage young people, meet them where they are, to invest in their ideas and to harness their energy and ingenuity into the work of building a more sustainable Lincoln.”
Gaylor Baird said Lincoln applied for the grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to further the mission of the Resilient Lincoln initiative, which was created to turn climate risks into opportunities for innovation and job creation.
“Through this initiative, the city is investing in our future by investing in the young people who are driving action today,” Gaylor Baird said.
To receive a microgrant, applicants must propose and lead projects that address one of the four themes of Lincoln’s Climate Action Plan: climate resilience, local food, waste reduction and transportation.
Applications will open on Aug. 26 and close on Oct. 7. Grants will be awarded in early November, and projects must be completed by April 15, in time for their results to be announced on Earth Day, April 22.
About 300 cities worldwide have received a grant, including Omaha, which announced its grant earlier this month.