$2,000 Youth Council Leadership Grant

Youth Service America, with funding from an AmeriCorps MLK Day of Service grant, is awarding $2,000 grants to 25 US organisations that want to start a youth council or grow an existing one. Grantees work with that youth group to run a citywide, regional or statewide Youth Leadership Summit around MLK Day 2027, then keep young people in leadership and decision-making roles through The Civic Season (Juneteenth to July 4).

What you get:

• A $2,000 grant, one of 25 awarded from a $50,000 pool
• A place at YSA's virtual, full-day Youth Service Institute training (tentatively Wednesday, November 18)

What you'll do:

• Create a new youth council or similar youth leadership group, or expand an existing one
• Plan and run a citywide or statewide Youth Leadership Summit with that group, between January 11 and January 25, 2027, as close to MLK Day (January 18) as possible
• Engage at least 200 youth and adults, with training in youth-adult partnerships, youth voice and leadership, and service project design
• Keep offering youth voice, leadership and decision-making opportunities through The Civic Season, Juneteenth to July 4
• Match the grant with $1,000 in local funding, cash or in-kind

Key dates:

• Organisation based in the United States, with activities benefiting people in the United States (includes American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.)
• Eligible types: K-12 schools, higher education institutions, out-of-school time and afterschool programmes, positive youth development organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, state governments and local governments
• Must operate citywide, regionally or statewide
• Must provide and document $1,000 in match funding, cash or in-kind
• Must engage at least 200 youth and adults through the Summit or later youth leadership opportunities
• Must attend a virtual, full-day Youth Service Institute training
• Grant funds cannot pay staff salaries or benefits, or AmeriCorps-prohibited activities such as lobbying, partisan political activity and voter registration