Youth Fund
Engaging Students in Philanthropy
Students from public, private and home-school high schools throughout Kent County make up Grand Rapids Community Foundation's Youth Grant Committee. During the school year, Youth Grant Committee members meet and assess youth issues, develop a request for proposals process to address those needs, follow up with previous grantees, conduct interviews and site visits and award grants.
Youth Grant Committee
Youth Grant Committee presents an awesome opportunity for local high school students to gain leadership experience while working as part of a diverse team to make decisions that make a real impact.
Youth Grant Committee, explained by its members. Produced by Sparsh Aiyar.
informed by students
2024 Needs Assessment Survey Results
The Youth Grant Committee at Grand Rapids Community Foundation conducts a Needs Assessment Survey of high schoolers in Kent County to inform grantmaking priorities and processes. Click on the images to make them bigger.
Meet the Committee Members
YGC 2025-2026
We are thrilled to have this great group of teens as part of our Community Foundation!
- Alexander Bartish, West Catholic High School, Member at Large
- Alysin Harrold Godwin Heights High School
- Beatrice Kilburn, Northview High School
- Charmaine Blakely Grand Rapids Christian High School
- Christian Boyce, Forest Hills Northern High School, Co-Chair
- Claire Jones, East Grand Rapids High School, Member at Large
- Cora Sawyer, City High Middle School
- Elaina Juarez, Godwin Heights High School, Youth Board Trustee
- Isabelle (Izzy) Underhill, Godwin Heights High School, Member at Large
- Kaitlynn Araujo, The Potter's House High School
- Karina Rodriguez, City High Middle, Secretary
- Kenna Charbauski, Forest Hills Northern High School, Co-Chair
- Kimani Brame, East Kentwood High School, Member at Large
- Krish Agarwal, Forest Hills Eastern
- Kurtis Toliver, City High Middle School
- Leyranis Rodriguez Serrano, Southwest Middle High School
- Lluviayleen Sosa, Southwest Middle High School
- Orli Dujovny, East Grand Rapids High School, Youth Board Trustee in Training
- Rissiana Teem-White, Union High School
- Samantha Bartish, North Rockford Middle School/West Catholic
- Teresa Wright, Forest Hills Central High School
- Varun Vijay, City High Middle School
- Vincent Mayfield, East Kentwood High School
- Hannah Fernando, staff
- Chantal Pasag, staff
Grants Awarded March 2026
Youth Fund Awards
- Adolescent & Family Behavioral Health Services - $5,000 supporting the Resilient Root DBT program, which provides access to culturally responsive, evidence-based mental health support that builds emotional strength and confidence for African American Youth.
- Arbor Circle - $1,750 to provide youth in distress with safe coping tools for grounding, self-regulation, and ongoing engagement in mental health services.
- Artists Creating Together - $2,500 to recruit a Youth Project Lead and six teens to support ACT staff in planning and delivering art classes, camps, and events during summer 2026.
- Battle Ground Impacts - $1,400 supporting the creative expression series, which helps youth to step up as leaders, find who they are inside, and how their unique being connects to their communities.
- Benevolent Whispers - $2,000 to equip youth with critical thinking, financial literacy, wellness, and meal preparation skills while building confidence, belonging, and leadership.
- Better Wiser Stronger - $3,000 supporting Confident Reading, which empowers at-risk youth to become confident readers through mentorship, guided instruction, and supportive learning spaces.
- Code on Wheels - $3,000 to provide free coding classes for youth, supporting curriculum development, outreach, and monthly student incentives to encourage engagement.
- Community of Hearts - $2,000 supporting a youth-centered mental wellness workshop series designed to support teens during critical transition periods of their lives.
- Comprehensive Therapy Center - $2,800 to invest in volunteer training and support for Middle and High School students to gain early exposure to careers in therapy.
- Connect Cafe - $2,000 supporting the Pathways to Opportunity program, which empowers Black/Brown youth with disabilities or disabling barriers through education, tools, social skills, and community connection.
- Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan - $1,000 to create a youth-led restorative justice initiative to position students to have conversations of belonging/conflict resolution in school settings.
- Girls Choral Academy - $3,100 to provide girls with an engaging, affirming, and skill-building musical experience during the summer that promotes both musicianship and personal growth.
- Girls Growing II Women - $5,000 supporting Girls II Bosses, which helps young women turn ideas into income by building confidence, increasing financial literacy, and developing career-ready skills.
- Gospel Army Black History Group - $1,000 to empower Kent students through historical education, leadership, and equity-focused outreach. The program empowers young people to research, interpret, and publicly present the history of the United States Colored Troops.
- Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities - $1,375 supporting GAAH’s Teen Leaders program in three priority areas: Learning (Academics/Tutoring), Leading (Internships/Life Skills), and Legacy (Identity/Creativity).
- HOAP, Inc. - $2,000 supporting HOAP IMPACT, a project designed to assist low-income minority youth (ages 12-17) with socio-emotional well-being and interpersonal skills.
- Kent School Services Network - $800 to help Godwin Heights Middle School students build a sense of belonging and purpose within themselves and amongst their peers through the “The I Belong, I Matter” campaign. This campaign is designed to strengthen school climate by fostering a sense of belonging as well as encouraging open dialogue around mental health.
- Leadhership Impact - $3,400 for the LeadHERWell Five Senses Wellness Series, a school-based wellness series for girls and young women in grades 6–12 at Alger Middle School.
- Meaning in Colors - $1,450 to continue the successful Empowering Future Professionals program, providing mentorship, workforce and financial skills, and equitable youth supports.
- New Destiny Pathways - $3,000 to support youth on probation transitioning from detention with mental health services, resources, and guidance toward stability and success.
- Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind - $2,000 to build life skills, self-confidence, and independence for children who are blind or have low vision.
- Poppy S Closet - $2,000 to supply Poppy’s Closet with outdoor winter gear and personal hygiene products for the students in the Wyoming Public School District.
- Seeds of Promise - $2,000 to empower youth of color to lead peer mental health support, build academic readiness, resilience, and community leadership.
- Team Get Fit - $4,100 supporting an annual Youth Sports Camp, which focuses on youth health and wellness as a way to build leadership skills.
- The Delta Project - $5,000 to empower boys involved in the juvenile justice system to envision and achieve brighter futures through mentorship.
- Treetops Collective - $1,975 for the Concentric Club, which empowers refugee and immigrant teens to thrive through mental health support, academic skills, and leadership.
- West Michigan Tennis - $1,000 supporting tennis camps that allow teens to participate in programs that provide mental health education, support character development, and teach accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.
Youth Grant Committee FAQ
Thinking About a YGC Grant for Your Organization?
Here's everything you need to know about youth grants from Grand Rapids Community Foundation and how to apply for funds.
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501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, government entities (including schools), or community groups with fiduciaries may apply for grants for programs that benefit youth in the greater Grand Rapids area. Proposals should address one of the youth needs identified in the fund guidelines, be creative and well-defined, and demonstrate equitable community impact. A project budget and plans for program evaluation should be included as well. Call the Grand Rapids Community Foundation at 616.454.1751 if you have questions.
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Grant applications are available online each year. Past applicants will receive an email notification when future grant application timelines have been established. Please contact Chantal Pasag, YGC advisor, at CPasag@GRFoundation.org if you wish to be notified when the application opens.
The money available for grants comes from income generated by a $1.8 million Youth Fund, which is held in permanent endowment by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. The Youth Fund was established in 1994 with $1 million in matching funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Approximately $45,000 in grants is available annually.
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In the last two decades, we have awarded more than one million dollars to local nonprofits. We particularly like to support programs that are unique, address racial, social and economic justice, and incorporate youth leadership.
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Membership in YGC is open to any Grand Rapids area high school student interested in serving their community and willing to volunteer their time. Hundreds of area students have served on the Committee since YGC began, with many of them serving through all four years of high school. Membership applications are available each March and new members are selected in May. For more information contact Chantal Pasag, YGC advisor, at CPasag@GRFoundation.org.
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Youth across the state of Michigan are active serving their communities and addressing issues of concern. Learn more about Michigan's many Youth Advisory Committees by visiting the Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project's website.