Walking Softer Young Leaders Award Program 2025 [US and Canada]: Up to $50,000 and more: (Deadline 3 April, 2025)

Nominations are invited for the Walking Softer’s 2025 Young Leaders Award Program. Do you know a passionate young leader who is working on solutions for the betterment of our planet? The Young Leaders Award is seeking a well-rounded cohort with a mix of representation across geographies, backgrounds, and approaches to sustainability and regeneration.

The Young Leaders Award is an accelerator program for vision leaders in their 20s and 30s who are innovating for our planet. Recipients receive a cash award of up to $50,000 and a unique package of executive coaching, a cohort-based curriculum, and leadership retreats culminating in a multi-year organizational growth plan.

The Young Leaders Award aims to:

• Fund and support youth leadership while allowing awardees to pursue their environmental passions.
• Cultivate a community of Changemakers while amplifying their voices.
• Inspire the public to take action in the conservation and regeneration of our planet.

Award

The YLA is a six-month accelerator program designed to amplify and support emerging leaders advancing sustainability. Participants receive:

• Funding: Up to $50,000 USD for an early-stage regenerative project, organization, or business
• Leadership Development: A unique package of executive coaching, a cohort-based curriculum, and nature-based leadership retreats culminating in a multi-year organizational growth and impact plan
• Cohort Retreat: All expense paid to two in-person retreats with other Young Leader Awardees to collaborate and learn from business coaches and other Changemakers.

This is an opportunity to support deserving young leaders from your network. Each organization may nominate up to three candidates.

Eligibility

Walking Softer seeks to curate a well-rounded cohort with a mix of representation across geographies, problem-solving approaches to sustainability, and backgrounds.

These Young Leaders:

• Are in their 20s and 30s, including a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates, and young professionals.
• Can commit to developing an early-stage project, organization or business — either full-time or part-time (20 hours per week for active students) through Spring 2025.*
• Are based in the U.S. or Canada. Candidates will only be eligible if they are U.S. or Canada based. We hope to expand this opportunity in future years.

*Interested, but not exactly sure the Young Leaders Award is the right fit or that you’re eligible, reach out, let’s talk!

Nominations

Does your organization collaborate with young leaders focused on climate and environmental solutions? Would you like to nominate a young leader for the award? Please note that eligibility is limited to leaders in their 20s and 30s, and residing in the US and Canada. If you’re interested, please complete the form.

1. Verify in advance that the nominee is, in fact, eligible.
2. To nominate a candidate, please fill out this form.
3. Only the first 100 submissions that meet all requirements will be considered, so please don’t wait to submit a nomination.

Click here to nominate.

For more information, visit Walking Softer.