Young Philanthropists Grant Program

The Young Philanthropists Grant Program, hosted by the New Canaan Community Foundation, empowers high school students to engage in philanthropy by exploring local issues and making impact through grantmaking. Participants commit to attending monthly meetings, fundraising events, and an annual grant award celebration. This program not only fosters personal leadership and philanthropic skills but also builds a sense of community among the youth, encouraging them to become active contributors to addressing community needs.

About NCCF
New Canaan Community Foundation serves as New Canaan’s local partner for advice, leadership, and facilitation of charitable giving.
Our Approach
The Foundation achieves it's mission by partnering with community members to help each individual, family, or organization achieve their philanthropic goals, educating and support volunteer leaders of all ages to guide our work and help maximize impact in the community, mobilizing thoughtful grant investments and other resources to respond to local needs, and convening community leaders, experts, and residents to address community-wide issues that affect New Canaan.
Youth Philanthropist Program
The Young Philanthropists Program (YPP) is a unique opportunity for New Canaan high school students to learn about the role of non-profit organizations in addressing community needs. YPP participants learn about local issues from community leaders, explore how they as philanthropists can make a difference, fundraise to amplify their charitable impact, and make competitive grants at the end of the year.
Participants attend monthly evening meetings during the school year, and have plenty of opportunities to attend site visits and fundraising events. The year culminates with an annual grant award celebration in May.
The Young Philanthropists Program (YPP) teaches high school students about the role of nonprofit organizations in addressing community needs through a monthly curriculum, volunteering, fundraising, and participation in a grantmaking process.
Participants are encouraged to make YPP participation a priority and should commit to the following:

• Attend monthly Tuesday night meetings during the school year
• Attend regular program-related events, including volunteer opportunities, site visits, and fundraising efforts.
• Participate in the annual grant award event on the evening of June 3rd, 2025.

Eligibility

Participants are required to:Be incoming high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors who either live or attend school in New CanaanCommit to full participation in the program and make every effort to attend all meetingsDemonstrate interest in development of personal leadership and philanthropic skills

Ineligibility

No grant requests will be considered for endowments or for expenses already incurred.