Application Insider: Inside The Iris Prize 2026 & Youth Funding Toolkit
The Iris Project is back for 2026!
We’re looking for youth-led environmental projects (age 14 - 24) to fund, support and amplify. Whether you’re restoring ecosystems, reducing waste, or protecting biodiversity, we provide the trust-based, flexible funding and mentorship to help you scale the impact of your work. This is an ask-us-anything session about The Iris Prize. We’ll explain the process from open call to selection, share practical advice on how to make your application clearer and stronger, and answer any questions you might have for us. We’ll also point you to our new Youth Funding Toolkit for extra support as you plan your next steps.
What’s on the Agenda?
The Iris Prize 2026: Everything you need to know about the new cycle, eligibility, and how we support youth-led initiatives.
A more human approach to fundraising: Get a first look at our Youth Funding Toolkit. Co-created with young leaders, it’s full of practical guidance, from shaping your story, making your ask clearer, to preparing for interviews and building relationships with funders.
Your Turn (20-Minute Q&A): If you’re preparing an application and want to sense-check anything, come along. We’ll share what tends to work, what doesn’t, and how to make your application clearer before you hit submit on your application. Fundraising can feel isolating. This won’t get you access to funding overnight we hope this helps you step into an application with confidence and find pathways that work for you.
About the Speaker:
Millie Edwards
Director, The Iris Project
"Working in the environmental and climate space can be heavy. You’re constantly surrounded by the science, the headlines, and the very real reality of what’s happening to our planet - and what has caused it. That part can feel overwhelming. What keeps me motivated is seeing how young people respond. They’re not waiting around or getting stuck in hopelessness - they’re building things, trying things, and leading action in their own communities.
The young leaders connected to The Iris Prize - our 28 grantees and Youth Advisors - are a huge source of motivation for me. They’re restoring ecosystems, redesigning local systems, advocating for change, and doing it all with a level of creativity and determination that’s genuinely hopeful to witness.
Over the past four years of running the Prize, one thing has become clear: the solutions, passion and innovation already exist. What’s missing is funding and the right kind of support - flexible, trust-based, and rooted in the understanding that young project leaders are the experts in their own work. Creating more of that support, and helping young people stay in the work long enough to see it grow, is what keeps me here."
What’s one piece of advice you’d give Bloom members attending this session?
"Don’t try to mould your work into what you think funders want to hear. The strongest applications are clear about what they’re actually doing, why it matters in their context, and what support they truly need. Clarity beats polish and perfection every time."
Is there a personal story or moment that connects you to this topic?
"Yes, and it actually goes back to my early 20s, before The Iris Project existed. I was living in Barcelona with a friend, and we used to swim in the sea most mornings. We kept noticing the same thing - tampons, condoms, plastic waste - just floating alongside us. It was impossible to ignore.
We didn’t really know what to do about it, so we started small. We created a project called Blue Dot Generation, using art to raise awareness about plastic pollution. We brought together our local community to clean the beach every week, and experimented with creative ways to help people engage with the issue. Later, when we moved back to London, we organised a five-day festival that brought together artists, filmmakers, scientists and musicians to inspire action for the ocean.
When I look back on that time, what stands out is that we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We’d never run workshops or organised events before. What we did have was a clear sense of purpose, shared values, and the motivation to try.
And that’s actually why this topic - and this session - matters so much to me. So many young leaders are in that same place: they have the energy and the idea, but they’re figuring things out as they go. The goal of this space is to make that journey a little less confusing - to share what we’ve learnt, be honest about what works and what doesn’t, and help people move forward without feeling like they have to have everything figured out first."
About The Bloom
The Bloom is the world’s go-to platform for social impact careers. In just three years, its newsletter, learning platform, and events have brought together a global community of over 40,000 impact leaders seeking meaningful connections, economic growth, and knowledge sharing. The Bloom exists to ensure access to social impact careers is no longer a “network privilege”—but a reality for changemakers everywhere, regardless of background or socioeconomic status.
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