Backing for young people fighting biodiversity loss and climate change

The Nordic Youth Fund for Climate and Biodiversity – the result of a broad political agreement between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council – has been set up in collaboration with the Danish Youth Council (DUF), which will also manage it. 

It was important that the framework was devised along with young people, for them and on their terms.

“We are delighted to launch this fund with DUF as our partner. Supporting young people’s commitment to the climate and biodiversity agenda is extremely important. The Fund is also an example of involving young people in a meaningful way, which is a high priority in Nordic co-operation, so I would very much like to thank everyone involved,” says Dan Koivulaakso, Head of the Nordic Council of Ministers Department for Growth and Climate.

“DUF is pleased to partner with the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council on the new Nordic youth fund for the climate and biodiversity. We have spent the last five years promoting Nordic co-operation and partnerships led by young people. This fund will make it possible for young people to be involved in work on the climate and biodiversity, two of the most important issues for our generation. It will also form part of our ongoing and important efforts to create closer ties between young people throughout the Nordic Region,” says the DUF chair, Christine Ravn Lund. 

The proposal for the fund was drawn up by the Nordic Council’s Committee for a Sustainable Nordic Region along with the Nordic Youth Council and was adopted unanimously at the Session of the Nordic Council in Copenhagen in 2021. 

“After extensive involvement by representatives of Nordic youth organisations and movements in shaping the Fund, it is a great pleasure to see it launched today. The younger generations have plenty of good ideas and suggestions for tangible solutions to stem the loss of biodiversity and halt climate change. The Fund will allow even more of them to be implemented,” says Tove Elise Madland, chair of the Nordic Council’s Committee for a Sustainable Nordic Region.

The Fund will provide grants for a wide range of activities such as awareness campaigns, nature walks, seminars, role-playing and drawing up a Nordic climate policy. 

It was launched on 2 September 2024.

• The Fund supports activities and projects organised in the Nordic Region that revolve around climate and biodiversity issues and promote meetings between young people from around the Region.
• Applications are open to young people aged 15–30 from all of the Nordic countries. (Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland)
• Grants of DKK 25,000–250,000 are available. 
• The DKK 3,054,000 fund will be allocated over two rounds.
• The fund was launched on 2 September 2024.
• First application deadline: 27 October 2024

Read more about the work done by Nordic co-operation to make young people’s voices heard in international biodiversity negotiations here: 

The Nordic Council of Ministers has a number of resources to inspire and guide meaningful involvement by young people.