Office of Environment & Sustainability

Thank you for your interest in the GCP Seeds of Change Youth Climate Action Grant Program! Online applications are encouraged, but paper or email submissions will also be accepted using this downloadable document template. The template can also be used to prepare content for online submissions. Complete applications must be submitted by September 25th, 2026, at 11:59 pm.  Incomplete applications or applications arriving after the submission deadline may not be considered. 

 

Submission Checklist 

Application (Organization Information, Project Description, Narrative)         Downloadable Application Document
Project Budget Spreadsheet
Vendor Setup and W-9 Submission
Memorandum of Understanding with Fiscal Sponsor (if applicable)

 

The Program Overview Packet is a great place to start and contains all the grant program details. All are encouraged to attend the Info Session August 25th or the Idea Jams (Transportations& Neighborhoods Idea Jam September 3rd) (Zero Waste Idea Jam September 12th) to workshop ideas. OES team members will be available for drop-in office hours Mondays 10AM-12PM and Wednesdays 2PM-4PM to help answer questions and provide additional support. If questions remain unanswered or you need assistance to apply, please reach out to OES@cincinnati-oh.gov and a team member will get back to you as soon as possible. 

 

APPLY TODAY

 

 

 

Step	Date
Applications OPEN	August 19th, 2026 Apply Today
Virtual Info Session	Tuesday, August 25th, 2026  5:30PM – 6:30 PM  Click here to watch the recording.
Drop-In Virtual Office Hours	Open August 24-September 25!  Mondays 10AM-12PM (join here) and Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (join here)
Transportation & Neighborhoods Idea Jam	Thursday September 3rd 2026 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Village Green Foundation Community Room - Click here to RSVP
Zero Waste Idea Jam	Saturday, September 12th 2026 10:30am-12:30pm Walnut Hills Branch Library - Click here to RSVP
Application DUE	September 25th 2026 by 11:59 PM Apply Here
Application Review/Approval	October 1st – October 13th, 2026
Award/Decline Notification	October 23rd, 2026
Implementation Timeframe	October 23rd 2026– April 15th, 2027
Grant Reports DUE	April 15th, 2027

 

8-15 grants will be awarded from $1,000 to $5,000 each, for a total of $40,000. Projects that match the following priorities will be the strongest: 

• The project will benefit communities most impacted by climate change (heat, flooding, poor air quality). Check out the Climate Equity Indicators Report to find climate equity indicator information and priorities for each neighborhood. 

• Youth from communities most impacted by climate change (heat, flooding, poor air quality) are leading or have contributed to the project’s design 

• The group applying for the grant can carry out the project 

• Alignment with at least one of the Green Cincinnati Plan strategies

 

A group of 6-8 youth community members will review the applications and make decisions based on these priorities.  Interested in being on the review committee? Fill out the short interest form HERE by September 9th.  The commitment will involve approximately 10 hours of your time between September-October 2026. This commitment will be volunteer. Many thanks for your interest! 

After being selected for a grant, the grant recipient will be notified by email and the project will be eligible to begin implementation. If the grant is given to a nonprofit organization other than the one carrying out the project, a written fiscal sponsorship agreement must be made between the two organizations and submitted with the initial application. You will find a fiscal sponsorship agreement template with the other resources below. The awarded organization will also need to register as a vendor of the city as part of the application process. This is a necessary step in order for the awarded organization to receive grant funds promptly following award. The organization must keep proof of payments in the form of receipts for final reporting. 

Grant recipients are asked to document the impact of funded efforts by photos, stories, numbers, and any other means desired. In January 2027, a mid-project update will be requested that maps out the project's progress so far. Final grant reporting is due April 15th, 2027. Templates for reporting will be provided. 

Contact the Youth Climate Action team at oes@cincinnati-oh.gov and we will reply as promptly as possible. 

Or drop in during Office Hours: Open August 24-September 25!  Mondays 10AM-12PM (join here) and Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (join here)