Recent Grants |
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2007 ESTABLISHED GRANTEE COHORT (year one of five) Oasis Center’s Youth Leadership & Action, Nashville, TN $80,000. First year of a five year grant. Youth Leadership & Action provides a wide range of opportunities for diverse youth across Nashville to impact their communities. Youth can serve on a philanthropic board supporting youth-led projects that improve local schools, on a citywide advisory board, or work on an organizing project that addresses predatory lending and school equity in Nashville’s low-income neighborhoods. |
Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition’s Sistas and Brothas United, Bronx, NY $50,000 for one year. First year of a five year grant. Sistas and Brothas United (SBU) trains youth to lead campaigns on educational equity, community supports for youth, and youth involvement in decisions that affect them. SBU recently organized for the creation of a public charter school focused on leadership, social justice, and community involvement. Youth have been involved in every aspect of its implementation, from drafting the proposal to hiring the principal to developing curriculum. |
Youth United for Change, Philadelphia, PA $60,000. First year of a five year grant. Youth United for Change is an organization dedicated to developing young leaders in Philadelphia and empowering them to improve the quality of education and services in their communities to better meet their needs. This is done through a process of institution-based community organizing in which a diverse group of young people comes together to identify common concerns and take collective action to address them. Its five school-based chapters have worked on issues such as improving college matriculation and examining the impact of school restructuring on students. |
Oakland Kids First, Oakland, CA $60,000. First year of a five year grant. Oakland Kids First organizes high schools students in Oakland public schools to develop a “college bound culture” in which students, teachers, and administrators work together to advance the goal of increased college enrollment and a more supportive classroom climate. After seeing its policy victories fail to bring about meaningful improvement in student success rates, OKF developed an approach to organizing that is based on the belief that policy changes rarely succeed without a change in culture. OKF empowers all stakeholders to recognize their role in the success of students and the health of the school communities. |
DreamYard’s A.C.T.I.O.N. Project, Bronx, NY $40,000 for one year. The A.C.T.I.O.N. project was founded to address the lack of opportunities for high school students to develop the leadership and expressive skills needed to impact their communities and to succeed in life. High school participants use a range of artistic media such as film, performance, and poetry to address social issues, such as consumer culture and the power of the media. Last summer they partnered with a startup youth arts organization in Mississippi to tell the stories of those affected by Hurricane Katrina. |
New WORLD Theater’s Project 2050, Amherst, MA $30,000 for one year. Project 2050 is youth performing arts ensemble, named for the year in which people of color are expected to become the majority in the United States. Diverse participants come together with resident teaching artists and activists in a summer residency to challenge each other on issues of race, class, identity, and social change. Through their shared experience they develop a performance that they present to community audiences. |
The Center for Teen Empowerment, Boston, MA $30,000 for one year. Teen Empowerment trains young people to think deeply about the most difficult social problems in their schools and communities, and gives them the tools they need to work with others to address those problems. At its school-based sites, it has worked with its partner schools to improve school climate and relationships between students, teachers, administration, and security guards. At community-based sites, youth have convened diverse community members, including rival gang members and police officers, to address race, class, and gang tension. |
Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice, Bronx, NY $50,000 for one year. Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice is a Bronx-based community organization that trains young people to take action on issues that affect them. It integrates the arts, spirituality, and holistic wellness into all of its programs. Participants have spent many years working to improve local air quality and the Bronx River habitat, and advocating for increased river access for local residents. |
Youth Communication, New York, NY $50,000 for one year. Youth Communication publishes newspapers and thematic anthologies that are written by youth participants. The content relates to the issues youth face, such as eating disorders, sexual orientation, and school reform. The publications are used by schools, youth programs, policy makers, and those who work with youth. |
Youth United for Community Action, East Palo Alto, CA $50,000 for one year. Youth United for Community Action provides a safe space for young people of color to empower themselves and to work on environmental and social justice issues. Youth have organized their peers and other community members to raise awareness about toxic industries in their neighborhood and are working with the city to promote economic development that will improve the lives of local residents. |
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