Student Mini Grants

Each mini-grant is $500. We will be awarding a total of 10 students with a total allocation of $5,000 USD in this round of mini-grants.

This program is more than just funding. It’s an opportunity to:

• Gain mentorship and guidance from both your chosen advisor and Algalita’s team
• Collaborate on social media coverage on Algalita’s social media channels
• Connect your work to a global community of youth leaders
• Turn your ideas into lasting action against plastic pollution

If you’re ready to take the next step in your journey as a changemaker, we encourage you to apply. Together, we are working toward a world where plastic pollution is unthinkable!

To be eligible to apply for a Wayfinder Society Student Mini-Grant, you need to:

• Be between the ages of 11-25 on the application deadline,
• Have an individual account (or student account through your teacher) on Wayfinder Society,
• Have successfully completed these 2 Actions before the application deadline: The Story of Plastic – Watch the Film and The Story of Plastic – System Mapping by following the instructions and completing the form at the bottom of the page, and
• Be dedicated to ending plastic pollution in your classroom, school, community, or beyond.

Our Student Mini-Grants are open to applicants anywhere in the world!   

We do not discriminate against its applicants based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Everyone’s contribution to ending plastic pollution is unique, so we encourage you to be true to yourself during this application process!  Our judges will look at the following criteria when reviewing your application:

You have participated in Wayfinder Society’s online program. You have completed and been awarded the Hours for the required Actions listed above. Your Hours must have been earned on an individual basis, not through a team account.  Also note, that while there are only 2 required Actions, your total Hours (you can find this in your Profile) at the time of your application will be considered as an indicator of your involvement in the program and may be used by judges for selection of finalists.

You have shown you are committed to continuing your work to prevent plastic pollution through furthering your education or conducting projects on a local, regional, national, or international scale.  Example areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

• Zero Waste
• Social Justice
• Environmental Justice
• Philosophy
• Social Science
• Marketing
• Business Communications
• Policy
• Chemistry
• Science
• We encourage you to apply no matter what your area of focus is, as long as you can relate it to ending plastic pollution!

You have explained why you should be a recipient of the award. The application will ask you to tell us about: 

• Why are you involved in the plastic pollution movement, what is your backstory?
• What have you learned and gained from participating in Wayfinder Society?
• How have you taken action on the issue of plastic pollution, and what’s next for you?
• How will you use the funds you receive from the award? We’ll ask the specific dollar amount you are applying for and an explanation of how it will be used. Documentation of how the funds are spent will be required from mini-grant awardees within a year of receiving the funds.

You have included the name, title and contact information for your chosen advisor:

• Your advisor should be an adult who has the capacity to provide support to your project throughout the school year. Examples of people who may be a good advisor include teachers, mentors, or youth program advisors (i.e. environmental club, sustainability club, Green Team, etc.) 
• Your family members cannot be listed as an advisor
• If selected as a finalist, we’ll schedule a Zoom call with the student and their advisor to learn more about the project, explore their vision, and discuss key details as we begin building this partnership.  

We created the Student Mini-Grant program to support you, your education, and your community projects as you help move us toward a world where plastic pollution is unthinkable. Here are some example scenarios to get your imagination going:

• Campus reuse systems (dishware programs, water refill stations)
• Fix-It Clinics or repair cafés to keep items in use
• Cleanup campaigns tied to data collection and storytelling
• Education workshops or peer-to-peer campaigns
• Policy advocacy projects (plastic bans, refill policies)
• Creative arts/communication projects that reframe the issue
• A school garden project that reduces cafeteria plastic waste
• Composting program that teaches about food packaging reduction
• Scholarships for students working on plastics-related or circular-economy projects
• Conference attendance that equips students to advocate for plastic reduction solutions

These are just a few ideas, the options are endless!

To increase your chances of being an award recipient, please provide as much detail as possible in the application, including your plans and any progress so far. For more guidance on how you could spend the award money, or if you have questions, please reach out to the Wayfinder Society team. 

** Please note: If you are selected as a recipient of a Student Mini-Grant, you will need to submit an expense report (see an example) by August 2026 how you’ve used the grant money.

• Everything included in your application is considered public information once submitted and you should not include private or privileged information.
• As an English-speaking team, we currently will only be able to review applications in English. Please let us know if you need assistance with translating this application, or your submission. We will work with you to find a solution!
• We will only accept one application per person.
• If you need to talk to us about your application for any reason, please contact us.

Please reach out to us if you have additional questions, need assistance, or to let us know how we can better accommodate your needs. Contact us here.