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Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced today that Anchorage has been selected to join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund, which will provide funding and capacity to support the MOA in mobilizing young residents, ages 15 to 24, to design and deliver solutions aligned with municipal priorities.

Anchorage joins the Youth Climate Action Fund alongside 300 cities as the program scales up and triples its reach. Since its launch in 2024, the Youth Climate Action Fund has delivered tangible results in 98 municipalities across 34 countries, developing trust and helping a new generation believe in government. As part of this program, the Municipality will receive $50,000 in funding and technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies to provide microgrants for youth-led projects across the Municipality. After inviting young people’s ideas and selecting the strongest proposals, the Municipality will then assign staff to support implementation from start to finish, helping young residents lead in carrying their plans through to completion.

Municipalities that move quickly to deploy their initial funding will receive an additional $50,000 to support more youth-driven projects and expand participation.

“This is an exciting opportunity for young people in Anchorage to help lead the way in building a more resilient community,” said Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. “These youth-led microgrants will allow our youngest residents to have a direct hand in securing Anchorage’s future. We are proud to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies and put these resources to work right here in our neighborhoods.”

“The Youth Climate Action Fund is helping city halls around the world work alongside hundreds of thousands of young people to take action on city climate challenges and improve their communities,” said Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “They are showing how local government can be a partner on issues youth and residents care deeply about – and they are building trust along the way. We look forward to expanding on these efforts and inspiring a new generation of civic leaders.”

Survey research of the program’s youth participants showed that their trust in local government leadership rose from 61% to 83%—a 22 percentage point increase—while confidence in their own ability to address environmental challenges increased from 65% to 90%. Nearly three in four youth said their city hall values their input on climate policy—one of the issues they care most about.

Participating local governments also changed how they work. More than half established new, formal structures—such as youth councils, advisory boards, and participatory budgeting processes—to sustain young people’s engagement. 43% embedded youth input into long-term strategies and policies, while roughly 40% created dedicated staff roles. Nearly all report plans to expand the effort.

To date, more than 300,000 young people across five continents have taken part in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund—working with their city halls to create over 1,600 green spaces, plant over 1.8 million plants and 235,000 trees, develop nearly 5,000 gardens, launch 268 composting stations, and collect more than 405,000 pounds of trash and recyclables—producing visible improvements in their communities and bettering quality of life for residents worldwide.

This press release has been shortened for this news article.

Contact Emily Goodykoontz at Emily.goodykoontz@anchorageak.gov for questions.