Youth Philanthropy Programs
YAPPERS (Youth Area Philanthropists)
The Youth Board consists of 16 students from the four Dubuque High Schools. The community service projects involve hundreds of high school students. One or two of the student board members attend the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Board meetings as youth advisory board members. We collaborate with the schools, the Chamber, the local colleges and area nonprofits.
Grant Application Process
The YAPPERS (Youth Area Philanthropists) involves a representative group of young people from area high schools who form a YAPPERS Board. The youth-run board engages in a full philanthropic process from community needs assessment to grant awards to project evaluation. Adult involvement is to act as a mentor and facilitator, assisting the members during the allocation of funds and in the development of volunteer and community service projects. The youth participants hold monthly meetings where they experience numerous skill-building activities, including relationship and team building, leadership training, public speaking, running an effective meeting, community needs assessment methods and grant making basics. Following training and a structured grant making process, the youth committee recommends funding of proposals submitted by nonprofit organizations.
Logistics of In Youth We Trust
There is no restriction on the number of members involved with this program. With a current active membership of 28, the full council meets about once per month during the school year with committee meetings scheduled as necessary. The group is led by an elected executive board, which sets priorities for the council, and committee chairs and vice-chairs of the following committees: grants, public relations, membership and social volunteer. This structure is designed to promote leadership development through real-life experiences.
SUMMARY: Membership in In Youth We Trust is open to high schools throughout Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties in Northern Illinois. The program began with a grant from the Ford Foundation in the summer of 1994 allowing the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois to bring together youth interested in partnering with other youth to improve their community. The first grants were made in 1995, and since then the In Youth We Trust Advisory Council has distributed 153 grants totaling nearly $240,000.
Grant Application Process
In Youth We Trust funds charitable programs that are planned and implemented by youth. The review process starts with two or three students looking at each grant and rating it according to In Youth We Trust’s funding criteria. The students then discuss and vote on the best applications. At times site visits are recommended if it will enhance understanding of the proposed project.
After the grantees have been chosen and approved by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’s Board of Trustees, the students organize a grant reception. Members design the agenda & program handout, serve as emcee and speakers, invite attendees, prepare the refreshments and perform all other planning duties. The ceremony honors the grantees and shares their efforts with the community. After six months, grantees must complete a final report that explains how the money was spent and how it benefited the community.
The students award a total of $20,000 per year with a maximum grant of $2500 and an average grant size of $1,500.
Other Activities
Since 2003, In Youth We Trust has organized a Youth Charity Jam that invites area youth bands to play for their friends and students from other schools. Last year 450 people attended, and the students raised $5,400 for the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Scholarship Fund.
This group also has implemented a community-wide youth survey to learn what issues are important to youth in Northern Illinois. The students are using the results to create a short documentary highlighting the findings. In Youth We Trust will use the information during their grant review process and share it with community leaders and organizations that work with youth.
Logistics of YouthInspire
This program meets once per month as entire board and each committee meets once per month to discuss their latest accomplishments and what needs to happen next. YouthInspire also has an executive board that takes care of logistical work and leadership. When the group began, Ben Corely from Indiana trained the youth in governance so that they could actively participate in running, structuring, and understanding a board.
SUMMARY: YouthInspire is a student-run organization based in Lincoln, NE. This segment of the entire Leadership Lincoln organization began with a $100,000 start-up. It was decided to put $25,000 towards an endowment and $75,000 towards everything else needed to begin a program. The students developed an entire organization based on general leadership skills, ethics, communication, and networking through the Youth Leadership Lincoln and Youth Leadership Academy, both important aspects of Leadership Lincoln.
Grant Application Process
Each year the YouthInspire holds two different grant cycles that are set-up by the students on the grants committee. The students have a total of $2,000 to give away each year and that money comes from a 5% interest made on the endowment that was set-up from the beginning.
Every organization that applies for grant money from this organization must be related to youth and show an immediate impact on students and children in Lincoln. The students also look to give money based on the needs assessment that they took so that the best organizations are getting the funds they need.
If the students are unable to fund a project, they are asked to actively give and volunteer with those that cannot get money. The students help with the projects or just volunteer their time.
Other Activities
YouthInspire applied for a received a grant of $200,000 from the Kellogg Foundation to help connect adults and youth so that the city of Lincoln is better served as needs are recognized and active philanthropy is done. The students are currently putting out a manual for youth and adult coalition so that they can serve on a board together. In the future, these students would like to create a philanthropic program for elementary school students.
The students are looking to find additional funds for the foundation by applying for grants and professional fundraising such as a community festival.
Logistics of Youth POWER
Students act as active philanthropists in Linn County by serving an August through May term. The students are given the opportunity to give $10,000 to programs dealing with youth. This year, Youth POWER had 22 applications asking for over $67,000!
SUMMARY: Youth POWER is made up of 15-20 students from high schools in Linn County Iowa. A donor-advised fund gave $10,000 for three years to help students give money to area non-profit programs. In addition, that same donor is willing to match every dollar raised up to $20,000, to encourage the Youth POWER students to raise an endowment.
Grant Application Process
The Youth POWER members have $10,000 to give and in order to narrow down their choices, the students implemented a rule that does not allow any grant to pay for the salary of a non-profit employee. The students look for good projects that will better the youth in the present and have enough resiliency to help youth well into the future.
The board asks a representative from prospective grantees to come to the Community Foundation for an interview and many decisions are made through face to face contact with someone who works with the program day in and day out.
This year they students gave $10,000 to nine organizations in Linn County with $5100 being the highest and $500 the lowest.
Other Activities
The members of Youth POWER are looking into the future. This group would like to find ways to improve their current grant making process and also begin actively volunteering in their community.
One example of this begins this year and is called the 10K project. A group of students are looking to begin a website that lists area non-profits organizations and the best ways to volunteer with them. This database will be a great resource to students who would like to get involved. Many of the students are looking at putting more hours into the community.
Logistics of Teens for Tomorrow
The students begin the year with a kick-off retreat that includes team building, introductions and community needs assessment. The students, along with their teen director are able to discuss their attendance policy for the year and also an overview of what is about to come. The students meet for two hours once per month at an area non-profit agency. This gives the students the opportunity to understand organizations better and learn about why giving of both time and money is so important.
SUMMARY: Teens for Tomorrow is made up of 25-30 students in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois. Each year the students give $5,000 to five or six organizations within the community from the Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund.
Grant Application Process
Each year the trustees are given the opportunity to decide what type of organizations will benefit from their grants through a community needs assessment
After the grant applications have been returned to the students by individual non-profit organizations, site visits begin.
During the next couple months, five-seven students group by school visit two or three non-profits armed with a list of questions and guidelines that must be answered by the organization. After this has been completed, each of the site visit groups must present the information gathered and make a recommendation on why to give or not to give to that particular program.
The students then decide on five or six groups by voting on the organizations they think deserve the money the most. After the students decide on the best candidates, they must present their choices to an advisory board for the Community Foundation. If the board member think they have made good choices, then the grantees are notified and the grants are given.
After the grantees are chosen, the students hold a press conference where area television and newspaper crews cover the results. One representative from each organization is given a check and after the students are allowed to network and discuss with a mingling/refreshment period.
Other Activities
The students a part of Teens for Tomorrow experience their philanthropy first hand through holding meetings at different non-profit sites, volunteering, and participating in site visits.
The students also invite area professionals to discuss leadership, values, decision-making, philanthropy, and volunteering.
Logistics of Teen Trust
The students are able to design the year as they see fit. For example at the beginning of the year during a kick-off retreat, the students discuss rules such as the attendance policy and also develop a new grant application that serves their specific needs. The students are also able to develop specific meeting times and days for the two meetings held per month.
SUMMARY: Teen Trust is open to students from the 10th through 12th grades in Black Hawk County, Northeastern Iowa. The students serve a one year term and then begin a student-led selection process of the next year’s board through application reviews and interviews. The Teen Trust grant $10,000 to area 501 (c) 3 organizations from the Youth Interest Funds Endowment.
Grant Application Process
Each year the Teen Trustees are given the opportunity to decide what type of organizations will benefit from their grants. One year, the trustees may decide to fund on youth-run organizations and another year they may open it up to any non-profit program in Black Hawk County.
The grant applications are due back in December and the trustees are given Christmas break to look over the grants and rank them according to a rubric.
During the next couple months, students discuss all of the applications and use discussion tools to decide what organizations should get grant money and how much they should receive. The Teen Trust members do not use a majority rules approach to choosing organizations, but would rather allow those who are passionate about a cause to change the ideas of an entire group.
After the grantees are chosen, the students design a fun way to give away money. This year, the students decided to use a “Grant Mobile” to give money. The students also gave out small gifts such as an S’mores kit to the Boy Scout camp to congratulate them.
This year they students gave $10,000 to eight organizations in Black Hawk County with $2100 being the highest and $710 the lowest.
Other Activities
Teen Trust members are also actively involved with their philanthropy. The students gave their time to at a food bank in Waterloo and also wrote letters to kids from Santa at a hospital in Black Hawk County.
Professional fundraising is a very important aspect to philanthropy and this year the students were able to raise $2600 to add to the endowment through an auction in Waterloo.
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