Sport for Climate Action Challenge - up to £100K funding opportunity

If your initiative uses sport or physical activity to address the climate crisis, engage youth, build awareness, or enable sustainable participation in London – this Challenge is for you. Successful applicants will receive up to £100K in funding, expert support, and a chance to scale their impact.

The climate crisis is changing the way young people play, move, and connect – from extreme heat, polluted air, flooding, to rising energy costs and waste management costs, damaged and unplayable pitches, and unsafe spaces. In London, these conditions are already disrupting outdoor spaces, limiting safe opportunities for play, and putting pressure on the infrastructure keeping communities active. Beyond feeling the impact of climate change, physical activity and sport have the power to inspire, unite, and mobilise – making them powerful tools in the fight against it. This is what this Challenge is all about.

We are looking for initiatives that build climate awareness and drive meaningful action, or those that adapt the way physical activity is delivered to be more environmentally responsible and climate resilient. Whether it’s young leaders transforming local green spaces, community clubs piloting low‑carbon practices or forming local networks to better resource climate change priorities, or neighbourhood groups using play to spark climate conversations, we want to amplify solutions designed by and for the communities they serve. At its core, this Challenge is about harnessing the energy, reach, and collective spirit of sport and physical activity to build a healthier, more sustainable future for young people and the planet.

We are excited to invite bold, creative solutions that are harnessing the power of sport and physical activity to help young people, particularly those from underserved and vulnerable communities, respond to climate change. We especially welcome initiatives that are rooted in local communities and led by young people, recognising their unique power to reimagine the future, mobilise peers, and influence intergenerational change.

What we're looking for

We are particularly interested in initiatives that are leveraging the power of sports and physical activity by doing either of the below:

• Driving Climate action through awareness and engagement: Through this theme, we are looking for community‑led solutions that use sport and physical activity as a powerful platform to build climate awareness, shift attitudes, and inspire meaningful action. We welcome ideas that build skills for climate literacy & resilience, or use the collective spirit of sports and physical activity to drive community‑level climate action.
• Enabling climate‑resilient participation: Through this theme, we are looking for community‑led solutions that help sport and physical activity adapt to the realities of climate change, while also reducing their environmental impact. We welcome ideas that embed sustainability into sport settings, enabling participants and organisers to act responsibly without compromising access, safety, or enjoyment.

Funding and benefits – what's in it for you?

All eligible applicants will receive:

• Feedback from Ashoka and/or Go! London reviewers on their applications.
• A chance to connect with a community of changemakers through this challenge (through peer reviews and meeting them through community events).
• Access to self‑paced training opportunities to support you in your changemaking journey.

Up to 10 finalists will:

• Have the opportunity to participate in a 2‑month long capacity‑building programme designed to help you refine your solution, foster new collaborations, and scale your impact.
• Receive a grant of up to £10,000 to support your time and involvement in the programme, as well as the development of your idea. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details).
• Have the opportunity to refine their application based on the capacity‑building and feedback received.
• Be invited to interact with a panel of expert judges from Ashoka, Go! London, and our partners.

Finalists will be expected to be available from mid‑March to the end of April to attend the capacity‑building programme.

A total of 3 to 6 winners will be awarded a grant of at least £50,000 and up to £100,000. Grant amount will vary depending on the solution’s maturity, impact potential, and needs. In exceptional cases, Go! London may consider proposals for a higher level of funding where a compelling and well‑evidenced rationale is provided.

Please review the Eligibility Criteria and Terms & Conditions before starting your application:

Please note that, by submitting an application to this Challenge, it will be made publicly visible on this Challenge page (sections that are public are labelled on the application form). Please note that all eligible participants will be invited to take part in peer reviews: once the application phase closes, you will each be asked to review 5‑10 applications each. Doing so will give you access to exclusive feedback roundtables with the community.

Evaluation criteria

We are looking for innovative and creative ideas, which means your initiative could be in its first year of implementation or a fully baked one! Each of the below 4 criteria will be considered equally in the evaluation of each application.

• Your solution is new, resourceful and innovative in your approach. This might involve that you are doing something completely new, or applying an existing approach in new ways or to a new context. This might also mean that you are changing the status quo – changing the way individuals or groups think and behave; or changing rules/laws/processes to shift how things function in the long‑term.
• Community involvement: Your initiative meaningfully involves the young people and communities closest to the problem, giving them an opportunity to actively participate in the design and implementation of the solution.
• Potential for/ evidence of impact: Your solution is built for underserved or climate‑vulnerable groups and can make a clear case for the impact it has – whether your impact is focused on raising climate awareness and action, shifting behaviours, or reducing environmental impact or harm. Your application should either provide evidence of early impact or a credible path to achieving it over time.
• Viability and scalability: You have a clear plan and next steps to ensure this initiative can continue successfully over the long term, including funding, partnerships, and planning. Your solution has been designed with the potential to scale and/or inspire similar action in other communities, settings or regions.

About this partnership

Go! London is a multi‑year, £22.5m partnership between the Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation and Sport England, supported by London Marathon Events and London Sport. The Open Innovation Challenges are being delivered in partnership with Ashoka and Play Verto.