Challenge and Change Programme at The Blagrave Trust

Challenge and Change exists to centre young changemakers – individuals, collectives and movements who are not only imagining better futures but actively building them.

Young people are already doing the work, organising, resisting, repairing and building.

But too often, their work is underfunded.

Challenge and Change is for you if:

• You’re 18-25 years old and living in England.
• You’re using your lived experience to lead change.
• You’re an individual, or part of a collective or movement.
• You’re already involved in social justice work but lack resources.
• You’re ready to create the change you want to see and want to create positive lasting impact.

We’re funding 38 young leaders in 2025 with £10,000 grants over 12 months – supporting people working across a wide range of issues.

This year, we’re also backing climate justice!

Out of the 38 grants, 13 are reserved for work focused on climate justice. For Challenge and Change, we define climate justice as:

Climate justice means repairing the unequal harm caused by climate change – especially for communities who are most affected but least responsible. It’s about ensuring everyone has clean air, access to green spaces, healthy food, space to heal and a voice in shaping their future.

Climate justice recognises that solutions must be community-led and culturally rooted – not one-size-fits-all. It’s about land justice, food justice, and the right to nature, especially for those historically excluded or harmed.

Examples of climate justice in action:

• Campaigning for clean air in polluted neighbourhoods.
• Protecting and reclaiming public land for community use.
• Supporting Indigenous and local food systems (ways of farming and cooking that existed before colonisation of land).
• Taking young people from urban cities on trips to connect with land and culture.
• Creating space for frontline communities to lead climate solutions.
• Educating others to challenge harmful systems and mindsets

Climate justice is not just environmental – it’s social, cultural, and deeply human.