The IB is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Global Youth Action Fund, celebrating young changemakers from across the globe. This year, 110 projects representing 314 students from 43 countries have been awarded grants to bring their innovative, community-driven projects to life.
The Global Youth Action Fund, a key initiative of the IB’s Festival of Hope, recognises and empowers secondary school students – whether they attend an IB World School or not – who are taking bold steps to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were represented among the winning projects, showcasing the creativity and commitment of the next generation of global leaders.
Among the winning projects are:
- International Youth Model United Nations (Australia) – Empowers youth worldwide through accessible, student-led Model UN conferences, focusing on diplomacy, public speaking, and outreach to underserved communities.
- Green Horizons (Kenya) – Trains farmers and students in climate-smart agriculture to combat food insecurity and environmental degradation while promoting sustainable livelihoods.
- GAMMA Club (Mexico) – Offers free, student-led educational programmes to public school children in Mexico City, fostering academic growth and equality through peer teaching.
- Bags to Beds (Canada) – Converts plastic waste into sleeping mats for people experiencing homelessness, tackling environmental pollution and poverty with youth-led innovation.
Each winning team will receive up to USD 3,000 grant funding depending on project needs, to transform or develop further their powerful idea. Since the Fund’s launch, the IB has received 1,196 applications from passionate, action-oriented students worldwide. This year, 18 of the awarded projects come from non-IB schools, further demonstrating the IB’s commitment to expanding its transformative learning experiences and mission to a broader group of students.
Explore the full list of awardees and learn more about their projects.
