A new website aims to highlight the grant-making prowess of a surprising set of philanthropists: children and teenagers.
YouthGiving.org, a project of the Foundation Center, compiles data on young people who directly oversee the distribution of money to nonprofits. So far the project has documented more than $14.7 million in grant funding since 2001 — and that is likely a low estimate, says Jen Bokoff, director of knowledge services for Foundation Center.
The site defines youths as people ages 8 to 30, but most of the data comes from people 8- to 21-year-olds, according to the center.
Only a small fraction of these young people are privileged children giving away family money. Rather, they are mostly youths who participate in institutional grant-making programs that give money for a variety of causes, often related to serving their peers.
“My observation of young people deliberating grants is that adults have a lot to learn from them,” Ms. Bokoff says. “They’re doing site visits so much smarter, listening to each other in the boardroom, and talking about how a budget is structured.”
The new site, which has case studies, a program directory, and an interactive funding map, is designed to underscore the substantive nature of youth-driven grant making and inspire both kids and adults to learn more about the burgeoning movement.
Michigan Roots
The concept of youth grant making got a boost more than two decades ago when the W.K. Kellogg Foundation gave Michigan community foundations money for endowed funds to be distributed by youth advisory committees.
Today the state has more than 80 such committees, each made up of about 20 students ages 13 to 17. The committees assess the needs of young people in their communities and give grants to local nonprofits to address those needs.
Each year the committees give away about $2.5 million for programs dealing with issues like mental health, relationships between youths and police officers, and poor conditions in local juvenile detention centers. Youth advisory committee members succeeded in their effort to pass a new state law allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to serve and vote on nonprofit boards.
