Youth Grantmakers
Artist: Okay Everything, 2022.
Seeking audacious proposals.
Proposals are due September 23, 2022 at 12:00 PM ET.
Overview
The Youth Grantmakers (YG) Initiative endeavors to establish a permanent, youth-led grantmaking body through which public and private youth-serving resources can flow. This grantmaking structure has been developed by older youth from Baltimore City ages 16 - 24 serving as the inaugural cohort of YGs. In this first cycle of grantmaking, YGs will be allocating $500,000 in resources to support Baltimore City older youth ages 16 - 24.
The $500,000 will be used to support efforts increasing access to the following YG-identified priority areas:
Mental Health Resources
Safe Spaces
Mentoring and Positive Intergenerational Relationship Building
Individualized Academic Support
Career Opportunities to Test, Do, and Get Certified
YGs have determined the grant criteria and expectations. YGs will also serve as program officers during the grant period, working with grantees (funded partners) to identify and provide capacity building efforts that improve funded partners’ abilities to serve Baltimore City’s 16 - 24 year olds as well as address other areas of growth.
Poem by Youth Grantmaker Charity Fisher
Initiative Funders
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Decision-Making Reimagined
National research has shown that better-quality programs lead to better student outcomes. Baltimore’s Promise believes that improving program quality requires the voices of and decision-making by young people and their families. When this kind of proximate decision-making is embraced, those with the most knowledge of the issue at hand shape, co-develop, and determine the ways resources are used and where they are deployed. And, when funding is pooled, resources are leveraged to create greater impact. With both proximate decision making and pooled funding in place, we can have more high-quality, adequately funded opportunities responding to youth and community needs, improving outcomes for Baltimore City’s young people.