Tag Archives: UNICEF

UNICEF LEADING MINDS FELLOWSHIP ON CLIMATE EDUCATION

Application Deadline: December 31, 2025

LOCATION: USA

The UNICEF Leading Minds Fellowship on Climate Education is an 18-month initiative (February 2026 – July 2027) that empowers young people to drive systemic transformation in climate education. They frame climate education as both a fundamental right and a catalyst for intergenerational justice, supporting youth-led research, foresight, and advocacy to influence education policy and climate strategy globally. 

ELIGIBILITY:

Young people ages 10–30 who are: 

Leading or representing a climate education initiative; 

Passionate about climate action, climate education, and creating positive change; 

Ready to dedicate four to five hours a week from February 2026 to July 2027; and

Comfortable working in English (other UN languages are an asset). 

To learn more about eligibility and who can apply, download FAQs here or join our information session

UNICEF is selecting up to 12 young climate leaders (ages 10–30) who are strengthening climate education in their schools, communities, and countries in both formal and informal settings.  

A youth-led climate education initiative can include, for example:  

School system integration: curriculum development, educational networks, or school-based climate clubs; 

Government partnerships: collaborative models working with education authorities or policymakers; 

Rights-based and justice frameworks: initiatives linking climate education to equity, justice, and human rights; 

Community resilience and informal education: local projects, campaigns, or community-led learning; and 

Digital campaigns and media: online platforms, storytelling, or awareness-raising initiatives. 

If you’re helping others learn, adapt, engage, or act on the climate crisis—this fellowship is for you. 

BENEFIT:

Stipend for work and contributions during the fellowship period;  

Technical mentorship and collaboration with research partners;  

Visibility and speaking opportunities;  

Hands-on experience in child rights, foresight, youth engagement, and advocacy; and 

Leadership development and access to a global network of youth advocates and leaders. 

Each selected fellow will be eligible for up to $20,000 in grant support. 

APPLY

UNICEF CLIMATE INNOVATION TECH START-UPS CHALLENGE

Application Deadline: 21 October, 2025

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

UNICEF is launching a call for solutions from emerging markets in collaboration with India Health Fund (IHF), and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). To maximize impact, UNICEF will foster collaboration between early-stage frontier tech ventures and help scale proven climate adaptation solutions. This dual track approach seeks to drive impact and provide long-term sustainability. 

They also invite value-aligned partners to support innovation challenges, design sprints and deliver strategic technical assistance to build greater equity and trust across technological solutions. 

ELIGIBILITY:

Companies need to fulfil the following mandatory selection criteria to be considered:

be registered as a private for-profit company

be registered in a UNICEF programme country (See the list of eligible countries here)

have a working prototype or minimum viable product of the proposed solution, ideally, showing promising results

be open source or willing to be open source

have the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children

generate publicly exposed real-time data that is measurable 

BENEFIT:

The UNICEF Venture Fund has been specifically designed to finance early-stage, open-source technology that can benefit children. The core motivation of the UNICEF Venture Fund is to identify “clusters,” or portfolios of initiatives around emerging technology, so that UNICEF can both shape markets and learn about and guide these technologies for children. They invest in solutions clustered around $100 billion industries in frontier technology spaces such as blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, machine learning and AI.

APPLY