Youth Ocean Action Fund
Removing barriers for the next generation of ocean advocates.
*Next deadline for the Individual Grant is 9AM 11th August*
Got an idea for an ocean advocacy campaign or project that needs some money to get off the ground? Want to attend an event or training to develop your marine skills?
Our Youth Ocean Action Fund is designed to support young people with bold, innovative ideas for ocean advocacy and help make them a reality. Through this fund, we’re removing financial barriers to spark a fresh wave of youth-led ocean action.
The fund will support campaigns or other activities that advance youth-led ocean action and skills development related to tackling marine issues (e.g. pollution, fishing, aquaculture, climate change etc). Ideally, your activity will align with at least one of the following themes:
Marine policy advocacy & campaigning
Ocean literacy & public awareness
Connection to the sea & mental well-being
Art, creativity, story-telling and culture
Community-based organising
Skills development & capacity building
Please read through the information on this page carefully before applying.
What will the fund support?
Individual Grants
£25 to £150 available
This grant will support individuals living in Scotland with skills development, capacity building or training opportunities related to marine advocacy. This might include event ticket or transport costs, equipment costs, training courses, costs incurred as part of volunteering, or other accessibility needs etc.
Applications are currently OPEN.
Project & Campaign Grants
£100 to £500 available
This grant will support young people to get their marine advocacy projects or campaigns off the ground, whether that’s one-off events or start-up costs for an ongoing activity that is connected to advocacy. All activities must be conducted in Scotland.
Applications are currently CLOSED.
If you’re unsure which grant your idea fits into, we recommend reading the examples and FAQs provided on each grant page. Still have questions? Feel free to get in touch: contact@youthforseas.org
Key Information
Who is eligible to apply
Our grants are open to any young people (aged 16-25) currently living in Scotland. We particularly welcome applications from young people from marginalised backgrounds (including ethnic minorities, working-class, low-income background, those with disabilities/long-term health conditions) as well as young people from geographic areas currently underrepresented in YSCS – Highlands & Islands, Orkney, Shetland.
How the grants work
The aim of our grants is to remove financial barriers, not create them! That’s why once your application is successful, you’ll receive the full agreed amount directly into your bank account.
In order to do this, we will require you to read, sign and agree to the terms set out in a Grant Agreement. This is a legal document that confirms you’ll spend the money as outlined in your application and commit to providing YSCS with evidence of spend (i.e. receipts, invoices etc) by the end of the agreed period.
Online Q&A session
We recently hosted an online Q&A session where we walked through our two funding opportunities and explained how to apply. You can watch the most recent recording below.