JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville is turning to its youngest residents for fresh ideas to build a greener future, launching an initiative competition promising to fund youth-led eco-friendly projects.
“Manatee Tank” invites local youth from ages 15 to 24 to pitch ideas for a more sustainable Jacksonville.
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Those ideas can include neighborhood cleanups, community gardens and other environmental solutions. The city received a $50,000 grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative. Jacksonville was one out of 300 cities worldwide to receive it.
The city is offering individuals awards up to $5000 for the best ideas.
The competition draws inspiration from the hit show Shark Tank. While smaller proposals will receive microfunding right away, larger projects will enter the manatee tank and propose their ideas.
The city will hold a workshop for interested people who can start applying on August 17.
“Take your ideas and work with professionals to make them the best they can possibly be and present them,” said Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, encouraging local youth to take advantage of the collaborative program.
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City officials emphasize that they are looking for practical, data-driven solutions.
“We would really like to see things with tangible, measurable output,” said Tiffany Bess, Sustainability Education and Outreach Specialist for the City of Jacksonville. “So if you do a cleanup, we want to know how many bags of trash you pull from the river.”
Local youth are already brainstorming creative submissions. Neora Varghese, a local student considering entering the competition, is focusing her efforts on urban infrastructure and climate resilience.
“Just reducing climate change more,” Varghese said of her goals. “Tree shade could even help, permeable sidewalks, things like that.”
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For young advocates like Varghese, the “Manatee Tank” competition represents more than just financial backing—it validates the role of youth in local government and civic action.
“I really feel like that inspired me not only to think of more ideas but just that my ideas that I’m thinking of, however small they may be, they can actually make a difference in our city,” Varghese said.
Applications will open on August 17th and close on September 28th. Finalists will be notified on October 9th. All projects must be completed by April 15th, 2027.
For more information about the program, including eligibility and application details, visit Jacksonville.gov/ManateeTank.
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