The Northern New York Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Council welcomes grant requests from nonprofit organizations of all types for projects, programs or initiatives that positively impact the quality of life in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The council will evaluate each proposal and has up to $20,000 in grant funding to award.
For award consideration, completed grant applications must be received at the Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown, N.Y. 13601, no later than Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. Council members will notify finalists selected to present grant requests in the spring. The council will recommend grants for funding to the Community Foundation’s board of directors, which will review recommendations during its quarterly meeting in June 2019. This past spring, the Youth Philanthropy Council awarded nine grants totaling $16,940 in support of nonprofit organizations that serve residents of the tri-county region.
Nonprofit organizations that wish to apply for Youth Philanthropy Council grant funding should contact
Max DelSignore, Community Foundation assistant director, 315-782-7110, or email max@nnycf.org. Proposals should include a description of the organization, its mission and how it serves tri-county residents, the requested grant amount, how any funding would be used and the anticipated impact of the program or project.
“This grant opportunity is available to all nonprofit organizations across the tri-county region, regardless of the demographic served,” DelSignore said. “The work of our Youth Philanthropy Council is not limited to programs and agencies that exclusively serve our younger population.”
The Youth Philanthropy Council grant program is made possible by generous support from Watertown Savings Bank, Renzi Foodservice Charitable Foundation, RBC Wealth Management, and gifts made to the Friends of the Foundation Community Betterment Annual Fund.
This year’s Youth Philanthropy Council includes 17 representatives from Watertown High School, Immaculate Heart Central School and Sackets Harbor Central School. Each council member is in his or her sophomore, junior, or senior class. Representatives from each school district are:
Immaculate Heart Central School: Katherine DeLaGarza, junior; Dominic Duah, senior; Caroline McPherson, senior; Marialena Mouaikel, senior; and Lauryn Quinn, senior
Sackets Harbor Central School: Grayden Brunet, senior; Alicia Cloe, senior; Madison Derouin, junior; Sofia Gray, sophomore; Leatrice Kakolewski, sophomore; Hannah Pitcher, senior.
Watertown High School: Lucas Barney, sophomore; Isabelle Boyce, sophomore; Kehinde Fasehun, senior; Madeline Gist, senior; Philip Marra III, sophomore; and Rozanna Pasowicz, senior.
The Youth Philanthropy Council was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth development and engage young people in meaningful activities that build their skills while educating them about community philanthropy and its impact on Northern New York. Council members grow to become problem solvers as they engage in lessons that may never be taught in a classroom.
Since its inception eight years ago, the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded more than 80 grants to nonprofit organizations in the tri-county area, totaling $125,740 in support.
“There is no better way to involve youth in making an impact than allowing them to be part of the decision-making process,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “The young adults who have had this experience learn that our communities are shaped by all who step forward to make a difference today.”