Are you a woman with a climate-related initiative you'd like to take to the next level?
If so, Toronto's city hall could offer mentorship help, as well as prize money, to put your plan into action.
The City of Toronto yesterday opened applications for the next cohort of its Women4ClimateTO mentorship program.
The program offers a combination of mentoring, networking and collaborative learning experiences to help local women move their climate projects forward.
Following the mentorship stage, applicants will enter a pitch competition. City officials will then identify three initiatives they'd like to support, with cash awards totalling $30,000.
“Every year, I am inspired by the bold new climate initiatives Women4ClimateTO participants bring to our city, and I can’t wait to meet our new 2025 cohort," said Selina Young, director of the city's Indigenous Affairs Office. "Programs like Women4ClimateTO are essential for helping create a sustainable city.”
Up to 12 women will be selected to join the 2025 cohort. Over six months, they will get to tap into the knowledge and skills of mentors from the business and public sectors, as well as various social agencies.
Applicants must be 18 or older, must live, study or work in Toronto and must have an established climate action project or start-up they would advance with the support of the program.
The city added women with disabilities, as well as those who are Indigenous, Black and from "other equity-deserving groups," are encouraged to apply.
Toronto has set a target to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040.
Programs like this one will help "develop innovative solutions to address the climate emergency in Toronto," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said.
Applications are open until Nov. 20 at www.toronto.ca/women4climate-mentorship-program.
