THE TOOLS
Resource Detail
The case for funding youth-led climate initiatives
Article
ClimateWorks Foundation. Authors Jon Cracknell, Harriet Williams, Nathan Méténier and Helene Desanlis
PART 1: The Purposeful Investor
Your Worth And Power of the Collective
Highlights the significant impact and potential of underfunded youth-led climate initiatives, and how strategic investments can amplify their effectiveness in driving climate action and justice.

This ClimateWorks Foundation article (Cracknell, Williams, Méténier, Desanlis; Feb 17, 2023) is included because it documents how youth action has driven climate urgency yet remains dramatically underfunded (just 0.76% of major foundation climate mitigation grants), highlights concrete wins (e.g., Europe’s Green Wave, the Sunrise Movement’s influence in the U.S.), and surfaces barriers to sustained youth participation (burnout, lack of paid roles, security risks) alongside recommendations for flexible, youth-centred funding and re-granting. I reviewed the linked article, confirmed the authors, date and key findings, and distilled its evidence and recommendations to show how it directly supports Part 1 — “Your Worth and the Power of the Collective” by illustrating individual agency amplified by collective action and the need for funder support to sustain and diversify youth-led climate engagement.
