Deadline: 20-Jun-23

The International Baccalaureate is excited to launch a call for applications for the Global Youth Action Fund.

At the IB, they believe young people can positively change the world. They witness their commitment to make a meaningful impact every day, and their goal is to support their ideas. In 2019, the IB launched the Dr Siva Kumari MYP Student Innovators Grant which helped kickstart 88 MYP student projects around the world.

To expand the impact of the Dr Siva Kumari MYP Innovators’ Grant the IB has decided to launch the Global Youth Action Fund, an award open to any student or student group ages 12 through 19 who has a project or idea they believe will make an impact in their community.  Broadening the grant funding will shine a light on more impressive work young people are doing around the globe, both at IB World Schools and beyond.

Funding Information

• Selected students will receive:
  • Up to 3,000 USD in grant funding, dependent on project needs
  • 8-week online training on Social Entrepreneurship facilitated through the Sustainable Development Solutions Network
  • Mentorship and connection with leaders in social entrepreneurship and other student awardees

Eligibility Criteria

• Any secondary school student between the ages of 12 and 19 is eligible to apply.  Students are eligible to apply as individuals or groups, but they highly recommend students collaborate whenever possible. Students do not need to be enrolled at an IB World School but must be enrolled in a secondary school at time of the application deadline.

Application Requirements

• All applications must include the following items to be reviewed:
  • Application form-Students will need to submit a completed application form with the following documents attached:
    • Pitch Deck- Students should put together a pitch deck no more than 8 slides that includes an introduction to the student or students applying, the problem they are trying to solve and their proposed solution, business model (how you plan to use the funding and why it is the best way to use it)
    • Recorded Video Pitch- Students should record pitch no longer than 3 minutes that explains their project and why they should be chosen.  They are not required to use their pitch deck in the video.
    • Teacher recommendation- Students should have 1 teacher recommendation per project.

Selection Criteria

Each project must be aimed to support one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and will be reviewed on the following selection criteria:

• Impact- Does the project demonstrate a clear positive impact on one of the SDG goals? Preferences will be given to projects with the most impact.
• Stage of project- what stage of development is the project in (idea, in-development, scaling, established)? Preference will be given to projects that are further along in the development process and have the possibility of scaling.
• Collaboration- Does the project involve or have the capacity to involve other students? Preference will be given to projects that get more young people involved whenever possible.
• School Support- Applications will require one teacher recommendation form. Preferences will be given to students who have a teacher recommendation that demonstrates their support of the project in addition to their confidence in the students involved.

For more information, visit Global Youth Action Fund.