Applications are now open for the Global Landscapes Forum’s 2026 Restoration Stewards Program (EUR 5,000 grants available)

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Closing Date: 29 June 2025

Applications are now open for the Global Landscapes Forum’s 2026 Restoration Stewards Program (EUR 5,000 grants available)

Are you a young person dreaming of a world where people and landscapes thrive?

Global Landscapes Forum is now accepting applications for the 2026 Restoration Stewards program, and this is a chance to turn your dreams into action.

What is the Program About?

The Restoration Stewards program is a youth program rooted in care, landscape leadership, diversity, intersectionality and intergenerational equity. Launched in 2020 by the Global Landscapes Forum and the Youth in Landscapes Initiative, it aims to support the efforts of youth-led teams in holistically restoring their landscapes and seascapes while nurturing biocultural diversity. The program has four main pillars: funding, capacity development, mentorship and spotlighting at global events. Restoration Stewards and their teams are supported for one year to further develop their vision, deepen their impact and become ambassadors for restoration at global and local levels.

What’s in it for you?

The selected Restoration Stewards will receive mentorship from experts, as well as opportunities for professional and project development. They will also receive a grant of EUR 5,000 to further develop their restoration project while meeting the following objectives:

Set project-specific targets to be reached by the end of the year, with guidance from the mentors and GLF experts;
Seek and carry out training activities to deepen the understanding of the landscape approach and other relevant topics;
Run a minimum of one event to engage local communities;
Coordinate with the GLF team to promote their project via social media
Produce articles and other content for GLF platforms to deliver progress updates and showcase inspiring stories from their local landscape ;
Meet with the GLF team and the mentors on a regular basis to discuss the project’s progress.

The 2026 Restoration Stewards program will consider applications from anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who is leading or working on a youth-led restoration project in any of the following ecosystems: forest, mountains, oceans, wetlands, peatlands, drylands or rangelands. Applicants must understand and be willing to adhere to and model the GLF vision, pillars and values.

Priority will be given to projects that:

Are led by a young person or a group of young people (aged 18 to 35) who are either local, Indigenous, or nationals of African, Asian, Latin American or Caribbean countries and are running projects in these regions;
Have been running for a minimum of six months.

Please note that:

You do not have to create a new project from scratch to be eligible; candidates are invited to build on restoration programs or projects that are already running.
It would be beneficial if at least one person in your team is proficient in English, as many of the activities and opportunities provided through the program are currently in English.

The GLF and YIL would especially like to encourage young women, Indigenous youth, rural youth and other underrepresented groups and identities to apply for this program.