Pre-Approved Sponsor Organizations for Youth Climate Microgrant RFP

E. Administrative costs
VII. Standard Contract Terms
I. Introduction and Project Overview
A. Summary
The City of St. Louis was awarded the Youth Climate Action Fund grant from Bloomberg
Philanthropies in April 2026. The Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) provides $50,000 to
support youth-led climate action projects across the City of St. Louis. The program is designed to
strengthen youth participation in local policy and build trust between young residents and the
City by offering "microgrants" to youth to execute community-scale climate solutions aligned
with the priorities outlined in the St. Louis Sustainability Plan. Selected youth-led projects will
receive $1,000-$5,000 each, and the City will fund 8 - 50 projects depending on award sizes.
Grant funds cannot be dispersed directly to youth-led project applicants, so the City seeks
qualified nonprofit organizations to become part of a pre-approved list of organizations
who can sponsor youth-led projects once selected (Sponsor Organizations).
B. Youth-Led Projects
Projects must be proposed and led by at least two youth (age 15-24), aligned with one or more of
the priorities outlined in the St. Louis Sustainability Plan, and be completed by April 15, 2027.
These youth can be affiliated with a Sponsor Organization at time of application. There is no
limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by a youth or an affiliate Sponsor
Organization.
C. Examples of eligible projects include:
Community gardens/urban agriculture
Tree planting and green infrastructure
Climate education campaigns
Sustainable transportation initiatives
Recycling/waste reduction projects
Environmental justice efforts
Youth climate governance/civic engagement
Projects may not support partisan political activity, lobbying, or direct payments to individuals.
D. Sponsor Organizations

Grant funds cannot be awarded directly to individuals, so each selected project must be
sponsored by an eligible nonprofit that can receive and administer the funds on behalf of the
youth project leaders. This Request for Proposals seeks qualified nonprofit organizations to be
pre-approved to sponsor selected youth-led project proposals. Selection of organizations through
this Request for Proposal does not guarantee funding or obligate any organization to sponsor any
projects. Rather, it is designed to ensure that eligible organizations are in place and ready to
support youth-led projects once the microgrant application process opens.
II. Scope of Work
Selected nonprofit organizations ("Sponsor Organizations") must demonstrate the ability and
willingness to:
Receive and administer the funds on behalf of up to 3 selected youth-led projects;
Respond to relevant City staff, program participants, and youth leaders and participants
of selected youth-led projects in a timely manner;
Provide support to youth-led project teams that they are sponsoring.
III. Respondent Qualifications
Eligible sponsor organizations include:
Youth-led organizations (e.g. youth clubs or groups)
Youth-serving organizations (adult-led organizations supporting young people)
Sponsor organizations, such as city agencies, schools or other educational institutions,
museums, or community organizations
All sponsor organizations must:
Be legally registered entities;
Be recognized as a non-profit or charitable organization under local laws (unless a public
entity);
Have a bank account in the organization's name; and
Be located in or perform work in the City of St. Louis
For compliance purposes:
The city unit managing the program cannot act as a sponsor for a project
Sponsor organizations cannot be partisan organizations or political parties
Microgrant recipients cannot be the subject of any applicable sanctions regime
Private companies, individuals or political parties or party-affiliated organizations are
not eligible.
IV. Term of Agreement

Sponsor Organizations will remain on the pre-approved list from the time of selection until the
completion of the Youth Climate Action Fund Projects on April 15, 2027.
V. Payment Structure
No payment shall be made to Sponsor Organizations until Sponsor Organizations have been
matched with a selected youth-led project. No Sponsor Organization may sponsor more than
three selected youth-led projects. Each selected youth-led project will receive between $1,000 -
$5,000, which means Sponsor Organizations may receive up to $15,000, depending on the size
of the awards granted to youth-led projects and the number of youth-led projects they sponsor.
Payments to Sponsor Organizations may be made in lump sum format or by invoice after
youth-led microgrant projects are selected.
VI. Response for Proposals: Questions
A. Organization Background: Please provide a summary of your organization's
background and the work you perform, including relevant mission statements,
vision statements, and organizational structure.
B. Organization Involvement with Youth and/or Climate Issues: Please describe your
organization's involvement in youth programming and/or climate action, climate
resiliency, environmental justice, or similar work.
C. Capacity to Sponsor Youth: Please describe your organization's ability and
willingness to sponsor youth-led climate action projects in a timely and efficient
manner.
D. Proof of eligible organization status as outlined in Part III of this RFP
E. Fiscal agent fees or other administrative fees per project
VII. Standard Contract Terms
Any contract entered into pursuant to this RFP shall require the inclusion of the following, or
substantially similar, terms. By submitting qualifications in response to this RFP, Respondents
agree to adhere to such terms:
A. Recordkeeping & Audits
Successful organizations shall provide City monthly written programmatic updates in the manner
prescribed by the President of the Board of Aldermen, or her designee. The organization shall
maintain adequate records to establish that the funds provided herein are expended on eligible
costs. All records and documentation shall be made available to City and/or authorized agents to

the extent necessary to adequately permit evaluation and verification of the organization's full
compliance with contract documents. In those situations where the organization's records have
been generated from computerized data or records, in addition to hard copy (reports), it shall
provide such information on disk or in a suitable alternative electronic format. Financial records,
supporting documentation, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to this contract's
activities shall be retained by the organization for a period of at least five (5) years from the date
of final payment under any agreement, and for any longer period, if any, required by local, state
or federal agencies. The organization shall maintain such records and accounts, including
property, personnel and financial records, as are deemed necessary to assure a proper accounting
of all grant funds. Upon request by the President of the Board of Aldermen, the organization
shall allow City, by and through the President of the Board of Aldermen, to monitor the services
provided by the organization through site visits during normal business hours. The organization
shall make all records available for inspection by representatives of the President of the Board of
Aldermen during normal business hours.
The City, by and through the President of the Board of Aldermen reserves the right to audit the
organization's accounts relating to the agreement at any time. Any questioned costs that may
arise as a result of any audit can only be resolved in one of the following ways:
1. Introduction of the appropriate documentation.
2. Resolution of the questioned cost by the organization in a manner that is satisfactory to
City.
3. Repayment of questioned costs to the City.
B. Non-Discrimination Policy
The successful organization agrees that neither it nor anyone under its control will permit
discrimination against any business, employee, applicant, client or subscriber because of race,
creed, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national ancestry or origin. Further, the
successful organization shall comply with all applicable requirements and provisions of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
C. Public Records Law
The successful organization is hereby notified that the City, including the Office of the President
of the Board of Aldermen, is a "public governmental body" under and subject to the State of
Missouri's Sunshine Law (the "Act"), Revised Statute of Missouri 610.010 et seq. The City
will not give prior notice of receipt of a request under the Act for any record that has been

provided to it by the organization, nor of any record disclosed pursuant to the Act. Nothing in
any awarded agreement shall supersede, modify, or diminish in any respect whatsoever any of
the City's rights, obligations, and exceptions under the Act, nor will the City or any City office or
official, be held liable for any disclosure of records, including information that City determines
in its sole discretion is a public record subject to disclosure under the Act.
D. Unauthorized Aliens Affidavit
The successful organization shall follow the provisions of Missouri law in making agreement
with the President of the Board of Aldermen, and follow pursuant to the provisions of Section
285.525 through 285.555 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, as amended, by sworn affidavit
and provision of documentation, affirm its enrollment and participation in a federal work
authorization program with respect to the employees working in connection with any agreement,
as/if required. Respondent(s) shall also affirm that it does not knowingly employ any person who
is an unauthorized alien in connection with the agreement pursuant to the above-stated Statutes.
E. Independent Contractor
A successful organization is, and at all times hereunder, shall be and remain an independent
contractor, and nothing herein shall be interpreted to mean that Contractor or any of its
employees or agents is an employee or agent of the City of St. Louis.
F. Indemnification.
The successful organization will protect, defend, and hold the City, and its President of the Board
of Aldermen, Board of Aldermen, and its officers, employees, and agents completely harmless
from and against all liabilities, losses, suits, claims, judgments, and fines or demands arising by
reason of injury or death of any person or damage to any property, including all reasonable costs
for investigation and defense thereof (including but not limited to attorneys' fees, court costs, and
expert fees), of any nature whatsoever arising out of or incident to this Agreement and the use or
occupancy of the City' s premises and the acts or omissions of the organization's officers, agents,
employees, consultants, subcontractors, licensees, invitees, or independent consultants regardless
of where the injury, death, or damage may occur, unless and to the extent such injury, death or
damage is caused by the negligence of the City. The organization will also use counsel
reasonably acceptable to the City Counselor of the City, or his/her designee, in carrying out its
obligations hereunder. No alderman, director, commissioner, board member, officer, employee or
other agent of the City of St. Louis shall be personally liable under or in connection with this
Agreement. The Provisions of this section survive the expiration or early termination of this
Agreement.

G. Prohibition on Limitation of Liability Clauses
Any clause in an agreement resulting from this project interpreted to limit Contractor's liability
shall not be enforced to the extent that it acts as a limitation of Contractor's liability. Limitations
of liability include, but shall not be limited to:
1. Limitations, exclusions, or disclaimers of the City's right to bring a breach of
warranty or breach of contract claim under this Agreement;
2. Limitations, exclusions, or disclaimers of exemplary, special, or consequential
damages resulting from, relating to, or arising out of a breach of warranty or breach
of contract claim under this Agreement;
3. Limitations, exclusions, or disclaimers on the City's right to bring suit for losses,
damages, injuries, costs, or expenses.
H. Governing Law and Venue
This RFP, and any agreement with Respondent(s) that may result, shall be governed by the laws
of the State of Missouri and the City of St. Louis, and venue for any dispute regarding this RFP
or any subsequent contract shall be in the Circuit Court of the Twenty-Second Circuit, Missouri.