Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants

The Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants program, initiated by the William T. Grant Foundation, aims to strengthen small nonprofit organizations in New York City that serve youth aged 5 to 25. The program addresses the pressing need for organizational capacity-building, targeting grants of $60,000 over three years. Eligible organizations must demonstrate a commitment to reducing inequality in youth outcomes, focusing on marginalized communities, including Mexican-descent and LGBTQ youth, to enhance their impact and sustainability.

Grant cared deeply about the development and well-being of young people.
The Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants (YSCG) program supports activities to strengthen the organizational infrastructure of small nonprofit organizations in the five boroughs of New York City that provide direct services to young people ages 5 to 25.
The YSCG program is aligned with the Foundation’s broader focus on reducing inequality in youth outcomes. Inequality in New York City is multifaceted, reflected in racial and economic segregation across boroughs and neighborhoods, in inadequate services for Mexican-descent youth and LGBTQ youth, and in a lack of racial, ethnic, gender identity, and sexual-orientation diversity among executive directors and CEOs of youth-serving organizations. We seek to build the capacity of youth-serving nonprofit organizations that confront these challenges. The long-term goal of the YSCG program is to help build stronger, more stable youth-serving organizations that tackle inequality in youth outcomes.
These grants provide general operating support so that small nonprofits (operating budgets between $250,000 and $1 million) can determine the best way to address capacity-building needs that have been identified through a formal or informal assessment. Capacity-building needs may include: financial management, board recruitment and development, human resource management, staff training, fundraising, strategic planning, information technology, leadership development, communications, and evaluation systems. We welcome other compelling needs beyond this list. Strong proposals will make the case that addressing the capacity-building need will result in a strengthened organization that can yield stronger services for youth.
Eligible youth-serving, nonprofit organizations must meet at least one of the following criteria related to the Foundation’s focus on reducing inequality in youth outcomes:
Currently provide direct youth services in one of the eleven community districts identified as having the highest community risk to child well-being by the Citizen’s Committee for Children, or;Have well-defined existing programming tailored specifically to Mexican-descent or LGBTQ youth, or;Have leaders (Executive Director or CEO) who are people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ community.

Eligibility

All YSCG applicants must be youth-serving community-based nonprofit organizations based in any of the five boroughs of New York City whose staff have direct programmatic contact with youth at the point of service. The applicant must meet at least one of the reducing inequality criteria and all organizational criteria.Reducing Inequality Criteria1. Provide youth services in one of the eleven community districts identified as having the highest community risk to child well-being by the Citizens’ Committee for Children: Bronx:

• CD 1 – Mott Haven
• CD 2 – Hunts Point
• CD 3 – Morrisania
• CD 4 – Concourse/Highbridge
• CD 5 – University Heights
• CD 6 – East Tremont
• CD 7 – Bedford Park
• CD 9 – Union Port/Soundview
• CD 12 – Williamsbridge
• Brooklyn:
• CD 5 – East New York
• CD 16 – BrownsvilleOrganizational Criteria
• Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Serve youth ages 5 to 25. At least 80 percent of youth participating in the services must be in this age range.Have at least 80 percent of the service recipients be youth if the organization also serves adults.Have their own 501(c)(3) tax-exemption. If an applying organization is separately incorporated but tax-exempt through a group ruling (religious institutions), the applicant should supply the 501(c)(3) letter of the parent organization and documentation that it is part of the group.The applying organization (not the fiscal sponsor) must have an operating budget between $250,000 and $1 million in the prior year (i.e., 2024).Have most recent financial statements reviewed by an auditor, per New York State law requirement. If the organization’s annual budget is under $750,000, then certified public accountant’s reviewed financial statements are required.Have filed IRS Form 990.Organizational offices do not need to be based in one of these community districts, but organizations must currently provide youth programming in one of the districts. Organizations can identify their community districts on the New York City Department of City Planning’s Community District Profiles webpage.Or they can have existing well-defined programming tailored specifically to Mexican-descent youth or to LGBTQ youth: With New York City being a diverse metropolis, it is likely that many organizations serve young people that fit into these groups.Organizations must have existing well-defined services that are specifically designed for Mexican-descent or LGBTQ youth to apply under this criterion.Or they have leaders (executive directors or CEOs) who are people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ community.  AwardsAwards are $60,000 each and provide general operating support to allow grantees the flexibility to allocate the funds for organizational capacity-building needs over a 3-year term. The award provides $30,000 in the first year to get the work off the ground, $20,000 in the second year, and $10,000 in the third year. In the third year, the grantee is required to obtain new matching funding of $10,000. The Foundation will award three new Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants annually. In addition to grant support, grantees will participate in technical assistance activities designed to help them meet their organizational capacity-building goals. We have partnered with Community Resource Exchange (CRE) to provide one-on-one support as well as learning community meetings over the three-year term of the grant. One-on-one support will allow each grantee to receive customized assistance that will help them achieve their capacity-building goal(s). The learning community meetings will focus on peer-based learning and coaching, allowing grantees to discuss challenges, seek advice from peers and colleagues, and collaborate across projects in a supportive space.

Ineligibility

The YSIG program only supports service improvement activities, so we would not support:

• Capital fund projects, scholarships, endowments, lobbying, real estate purchases, or awards to individuals
• Public and/or private schools
• National or international organizations
• Organizations that are based outside of the 5 boroughs of New York City

Organizations that utilize fiscal sponsors/conduits Your existing programming must be tailored specifically for Mexican and/or LGBTQ youth. If you meet either of the other two reducing inequality eligibility criteria, though, you would still be eligible to apply.