Youth Grantmakers

In the 1990's, community foundations in Michigan and their affiliate funds participated in the Kellogg Foundation Youth Challenge as part of the Michigan Community Foundations' Youth Project (MCFYP).

They received more than $47.6 million to create 86 permanently endowed youth funds, matched by more than $100 million raised locally for unrestricted and field of interest funds.

As a condition of the Challenge, each of those funds is overseen by a Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), involving more than 1,500 young people annually as YAC members. The Youth Leadership Conference is held each summer with Yacers and their Advisors from Michigan, many other states and countries as well, with a focus on fund development, youth empowerment, and grantmaking.

For more information about youth grantmaking or MCFYP, contact Breannah Alexander, CMF's Youth Philanthropy Associate.

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Youth Philanthropy and Service Camp

More than 250 youth grantmakers and advisors from Michigan and all around the country gather annually for a weekend conference to discuss issues surrounding youth philanthropy. 

Planned by the Michigan Community Foundations' Youth Project (MCFYP), 2009's theme was A Second Look: Seeing Challenges as Opportunities. Sessions and speakers focused on how youth leaders can turn these difficult times into new opportunities through grantmaking and community service.

The Youth Grantmakers Summer Leadership Conference (SYLC) is all about youth empowerment, but empowerment takes two parties ~ young people that can be empowered and adults who can do the empowering. In 2009, more than fifty YAC Advisors attended the summer conference and were able to experience a special track of programming specifically for advisors.

2010 Youth Philanthropy and Service Camp