Youth Philanthropy Council

Back row, from left: Oliver King, South Jefferson High junior; Lydia Tremont, South Jefferson High junior; Annabelle Renzi, South Jefferson High junior; Nola Johnson, Watertown High junior; Julia Tontarski, Immaculate Heart Central junior; Trey Urf, Watertown High junior; Hudson Guldenpfennig, Watertown High junior, Maxwell Hunt, Lyme Central junior. Front row, from left: Isabel Mendez, General Brown junior, Caitlin Daugherty, Watertown High junior; Frances Weir, Watertown High junior; Lucy Swartz, Watertown High junior; April Wang, Watertown High senior; Valerie Akins, Carthage High junior; Alexandria Zajac, Immaculate Heart Central junior; and Gaige Doroha, Watertown High junior. Absent from photo: William Steward, South Jefferson High senior.

Cultivating the Next Generation in Philanthropy

The Youth Philanthropy Council is an advisory committee of the Northern New York Community Foundation. It was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth development and leadership while engaging young people in meaningful activities that build their skills and deepen their understanding of community needs and philanthropy and its impact on Northern New York. Council members grow to become critical thinkers as they engage in lessons that may never be taught in a classroom.

Since its inception in 2010, the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded 155 grants totaling $285,070 in support to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

In the past 15 years, nearly 170 students representing eight Northern New York high schools have served or are presently serving on the Youth Philanthropy Council. Click here to view a list of YPC alumni.

This year’s Youth Philanthropy Council includes 17 representatives from Carthage, General Brown, Immaculate Heart, Lyme, and South Jefferson central schools, and Watertown High School. Council members are in their junior, or senior class.

The Youth Philanthropy Council and its grant program is made possible by gifts from donors who make contributions to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and generous support from Watertown Savings Bank, the Renzi Family Charitable Foundation, RBC Wealth Management Watertown, the Mart Liinve Fund, and the Timerman Family Fund.

Class of 2026-2027 recruiting

Recruiting for the Class of 2026-2027 will open in spring 2026. Questions? Contact Emily Pfeil, Community Foundation philanthropy associate, emily@nnycf.org or call 315-782-7110 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Students from any of the 13 public and private Jefferson County high schools are eligible to apply for a seat on the Council.