YouNG Malaysians keen on keeping the nation’s waterways clean can apply for the Spark Youth Water Grant offering a total of RM120,000 in seed funding.
The grant, developed by Spark Foundation in partnership with Global Environment Centre (GEC), provides funding and knowledge-sharing opportunities for youth-led solutions to Malaysia’s river and watershed challenges.
Spark Foundation trustee Renuka Indrarajah said the initiative aimed to empower the next generation of water changemakers to create meaningful impact in their communities.
Speaking at the launch of the grant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, she said in the initial stages in 2007, the foundation took about 18 months to educate the community surrounding the urban Sungai Way in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
“We had to make them understand that drinking water comes from rivers and that waterways cannot be treated like dustbins.
“The once-polluted Sungai Way, which had only bloodworms, was rehabilitated and now has fish.
“This river rehabilitation effort also evolved into a broader effort to safeguard the Sungai Selangor watershed.”
She said the foundation had also supported initiatives like the construction of a 305m clay dyke and 3ha reforestation at Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Selangor to restore degraded peatland.
Community-led programmes involving river rangers, community gardens, food security and rainwater harvesting systems have also been carried out to strengthen local resilience.
“Now we want to invest in youths, who are the next generation of water leaders and changemakers.
“The Spark Youth Water Grant provides young changemakers the support and opportunities to turn their ideas into meaningful action,” said Renuka.
GEC deputy director Dr Kalithasan Kailasam said the public was aware of water-related issues but it was time to focus on solutions.
“We recommend that youths focus on issues that impact them through the project.
“We are looking for ideas that respond to real challenges facing communities and rivers.
“Most importantly, we want to support young people who are passionate about creating lasting environmental and social impact.”
He said the four pillars of the grant were water quality, water quantity, water accessibility and river biodiversity.
Spark Foundation trustee Datuk Dr Lim Chow Hock said greater attention should also be given to river basins and development activities.
“We need to manage river basins as well as developments.
“Silt from unmanaged developments flows into rivers.
“There must be measures to prevent this.”
The grant offers funding in Tier 1 for university student groups, with RM3,000 to RM5,000 available per project.
Tier 2 is for startups and social enterprises, with RM5,000 to RM15,000 available per project.
Projects must be youth-led, implemented in Malaysia and have clear, measurable environmental and/or community outcomes.
Applications are open to eligible Malaysians aged 18 to 35 until Nov 30.
Shortlisted applicants will pitch their proposals in January 2027, with successful recipients to be announced in March.
For details, visit www.sparkyouthwatergrant.org/
